2 days Ago By Bibi Hutchings
-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email After the grand desserts and layered flavors of the holidays, the simplicity of my little Sugar Muffins is what I crave. They are plain like a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut, or a slice of pound cake, or a piece of shortbread, or even your favorite sugar cookie - meaning they are best kind of plain. They bring interest to both your run-of-the-mill, everyday breakfast as well as your grand brunch, but it is their diminutive size that makes them so irresistible.
Made in a mini-muffin pan, these little muffins taste like cinnamon toast, which was a top-tier childhood favorite and still ranks pretty high on my list of comfort foods. Such a simple thing: buttered, cinnamon-sugar sprinkled, sliced bread, hot and slightly crispy from the toaster-oven, the thin deep brown granular topping making an icing of sorts as it bakes. It was my most requested breakfast choice, afternoon snack, or before bedtime nibble as far back as I can remember and these Sugar Muffins taste so reminiscent.
Related These nutty, fruit-packed muffins are the best way to kickstart your frenzied mornings They have a light, airy texture, more akin to white bread than a dense hearty muffin, and their spicy crown of warm, sweet, textured topping seals the deal. With plenty of baking powder and nothing heavy like fruits or nuts in the batter, they have a great rise and puff up on top. They are as cute as they are delicious.
I think these little guys fall in the breakfast category; although, they all but disappear throughout the day at my house, especially after dinner. I am lucky to have even a few leftover by the second morning if I do not stash some out of sight. Luckily, all you need is an egg and some milk, plus a small measure of pantry staples and another batch can be well on the way.
They are one of the simplest homemade goodies to whip up. More convenient than toast, particularly when serving a group, and less of a commitment than a full-sized muffin, or bagel, or a croissant, these lovelies are just the thing to finish a savory breakfast, accompany fruit and yogurt, or for the minimalist who claims to only want coffee. Want more great food writing and recipes? Subscribe to Salon Food's newsletter , The Bite.
Sugar Muffins were, of course, just my size when I was little. Though any muffin could be made a mini-muffin, these were the first wee ones I ever had, and the only ones I knew to be in existence. Served straight from the oven or, later in my life, heated for a few seconds in the microwave, I was a happy girl when Sugar Muffins were part of a slow weekend morning.
“Coffee-milk,” what my parents called warm, mostly milk ‘coffee,’ was my beverage of choice to sip between cinnamony bites while watching Saturday morning cartoons, but I can attest they are just as well-paired with a morning espresso and the day’s Wordle. I have vivid memories of getting this sticky batter all over my young fingers and hands when I “helped” make them as a child. I did not have the coordination, or the patience, for the “two-spoons” method employed by my mother.
One tiny spoon to dip a small bit of batter from the bowl, its twin used like a spatula to slide the perfectly portioned mound expertly into the bottom of each muffin cup. I have made progress since those bygone days, but I still manage to get the batter down the sides — rarely a nice, clean entry for me. My problem: I cannot stop myself from spooning too much volume at a time.
Rather than being more mindful and slowing down, I do just the opposite, like I am in a race to the finish and I get sloppy. I fill each hole of the muffin tin with more and more batter to cover the drips on the sides made because of my rushing in the first place. I expect you will make many batches of Little Sugar Muffins once you try them, and if you have not already mastered the elusive “two-spoons” method, then perhaps you have some other way, or will invent a way, of neatly and evenly distributing said batter into those twenty-four, tiny cups that make up a mini-muffin tin.
You will get two tries. This recipe yields forty-eight muffins! Honestly, I am unbothered with what some may call imperfections in my Little Sugar Muffins . .
. at least I want to be. It may be the case that my actions tell a different story and my perfectionistic tendencies get triggered when I bake.
I think it stems from having watched every episode of every season of The British Baking Show and now I long to make an identical batch of anything. In all seriousness, though, I love my little non-identical, varying in size Sugar Muffins with their high and tight crew cuts made of cinnamon-sugar. I love their cute little Sugar Muffins name, and I never tire of their plainness.
I am betting you won’t either. We need your help to stay independent Subscribe today to support Salon's progressive journalism Little Sugar Muffins Yields 48 mini-muffins Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients 3 cups flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/3 cup coconut oil or shortening 1/3 cup butter, room temperature 2 eggs 1 cup milk Topping: 1/4 cup sugar 3 teaspoons cinnamon 3 tablespoons melted butter (you may need more) Directions Preheat oven to 350 fahrenheit. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
Set aside. Beat sugar with butter and oil/shortening. Add eggs one at a time and beat until light and fluffy.
Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture a little at a time, alternating with milk until all is incorporated. Fill mini-muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until they just start to brown.
Mix together sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Melt butter. If butter is unsalted, add a pinch of salt.
(You may require more melted butter) Dip to the top of each mini muffin into the melted butter and them into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cook's Notes Coconut Oil/Butter/Shortening: Use any mixture of the above to make 2/3 cup. Flour: Use any flour you like, from wholemeal to gluten-free.
Milk/Non-dairy alternatives: Any type of milk works, but skim-milk or other “thin” milk does not turn out the best muffins.notes Read more about this topic Make this super simple Martha Stewart muffin recipe for an easy morning pick-me-up How to make homemade pizza muffins, a super kid-approved dish Brunch is overrated: On reclaiming the practical joy of a sensible breakfast By Bibi Hutchings Bibi Hutchings, a lifelong Southerner, lives along a quiet coastal Alabama bay with her cat, Zulu, and husband, Tom. She writes about the magical way food evokes memories, instantly bringing you back to the people, places and experiences of your life.
Her stories take you all around the South and are accompanied with tried-and-true recipes that are destined to become a part of your memory-making as you share them with your friends and family. MORE FROM Bibi Hutchings Related Topics ------------------------------------------ Baking Breakfast Dessert Food Muffins Recipe Related Articles Advertisement:.
