I think anyone who reads my blogs (or who has talked to me) knows of my love for cinnamon. For this reason I adore cinnamon rolls, and have made them twice (and I think posted them both times on this blog). I like muffins too, though I make them rarely, and I really loved the idea of mixing them in this recipe I found on The Crepes of Wrath. The blogger who runs The Crepes of Wrath somehow magically made more muffins than I did. My batter was thicker, probably, and didn't make as many-- but the outcome was still tasty. I can't say I'm as sold on them as I am on cinnamon rolls, but these are definitely an easy alternative that's tasty and fun to make.
Plus, they last awhile!
I made these when Jeff got back from his cruise. I actually spent a whole day just baking and cooking for him. I definitely present him with way too many food items. I'm like a food prostitute, I sell my food for love. ;) Okay, that's not really a correct analogy, but it'll have to do.
As you can see I took a lot of photos. I liked these as my subjects.
These were yeasty and doughy on the inside. They were heavy, and kind of thick. I'm not sure if I allowed mine to rise enough (or if my yeast is dead). But I liked that about them-- Jeff said that they were exactly the same texture of a cinnamon roll, though I disagree since cinnamon rolls are a little smoother. I think next time I might add a little cinnamon to the actual batter part, but that's just my love of cinnamon talking.
Cream cheese 'frosting' would be super tasty too.
Cinnamon Bun Muffinsfrom The Crepes of Wrath
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon active dry or rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup warm milk (100-110F; I used 1% milk)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Topping
2 tablespoons cubed butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh or ground nutmeg
small pinch cloves (optional)
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream
Grease and/or line a muffin tin. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk and butter.
Combine the milk mixture, vanilla extract, and egg into the flour mixture. Mix everything well, until it’s very smooth. Pour a bit less than 1/4 cup of the batter into each muffin cup in your prepared pan and let rest for 15 minutes.
While the batter rests, mix together the cubed, room temperature butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl using a fork or my preferred method, your hands, until all the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly.
Sprinkle the topping evenly onto the rested batter and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips. Place pan into a cold oven, then set the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly browned at the edges and the center springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling.
Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzling it onto the bread. Serve warm if you can, but they’re great at room temperature or cold, too. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave as well.
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