The Seinfeld-Inspired Treat McDonald's Restaurants Discontinued

"Seinfeld" fans may recall a particular episode where Elaine Benes has a great idea for a snack: "It's crunchy, it's explosive, it's where the muffin breaks free of the pan and sort of does its own thing" (via YouTube). This is, of course, referring to muffin tops, which are exactly what they sound like — only the top part of a muffin. Someone then proceeds to steal Elaine's idea to open a muffin tops store, only to eventually bring her in to make it work (the key is making the whole muffin and then removing the top). But silly sitcom plots aside, did you know that muffin tops actually did go on to become a commercial reality?

Starting in 2018, McDonald's followed through on bringing muffin tops — called Muffin Toppers — to market. These were part of several new items introduced to the franchise's breakfast lineup, and they came in a few different varieties: double chocolate, lemon poppyseed, and blueberry. But if you don't remember ever seeing these treats at your local McDonald's, that's because they only appeared to be available in select cities, including Baltimore, Orlando, and other test markets in the U.S. And they didn't even last in these areas; while there doesn't appear to have been any formal announcement on their demise, social media posts claim the Muffin Toppers were discontinued in 2019.

Given McDonald's longstanding habit of discontinuing items after low sales and test runs, it seems reasonable to assume that Muffin Toppers suffered the same fate. The whole point of introducing them to the market was to help already struggling breakfast menu sales. And, let's face it, McDonald's is known for its burgers and fries, not its pastries. Though the chain tried various other baked goods over the years in addition to Muffin Toppers, the franchise just hasn't had much luck with these items. In 2023, McDonald's announced it was phasing out its McCafé Bakery entirely, which meant getting rid of the remaining few pastries left on the menu.

Additionally, the plan for Muffin Toppers may have been flawed from the beginning. Each Topper may have not exceeded 160 calories on its own, but they were sold in pairs. This meant individual customers faced a small meal's worth of calories with each purchase (which, naturally, didn't make them an appealing add-on to other McDonald's items already high in calories and sugar). The chain also faced the same "what to do with the muffin stumps" issue that was seen in the "Seinfeld" source material, and some customers accused McDonald's of dressing up the cut-off muffin bases as coffee cake and then attempting to sell them as a separate item.

The McDonald's version may not have been destined for longevity, but you're not entirely out of hope if you want to snag a muffin top on your next outing. Dutch Bros sells them as part of its standard snack menu, available in chocolate chip, lemon poppyseed, and orange cranberry. Thomas' (best known for its English Muffins) likewise sells packages of muffin tops, but these appear to just be flat, smooth muffins rather than genuine tops of muffins popped off of their bases. Likewise, Eggo sold packages of its own Mini Muffin Tops for a period in the 2010s. These were eventually discontinued as well, but there is currently an online petition demanding their return.

Some online sleuths have also reported seeing local bakeries and stores selling their own renditions of muffin tops, so it's definitely worth checking in with the local pastry pros near you. Of course, you can always make your own freshly baked muffin tops at home. Simply bake up some muffins, filling each space with a little extra batter so the top really pops up. You can also make sure the tops are extra bulky by adjusting the temperature. Then, go ahead an pull an Elaine and pull the top right off to enjoy its soft crunchiness all on its own. Be forewarned though — just like Elaine and her eventual business partner, you'll have to figure out what to do with the muffin stumps.