Snickerdoodle Mini Muffins

The other day I saw a tee shirt advertised in a magazine that said, "Muffins are just ugly cupcakes."  For some reason I took offense to this, gasped, and quickly came to their defense "ARE NOT!"  Except, there was no one to argue this point with, the only other person in the room was BabyBoy, and there is not much talking coming from him!  Regardless, I found this statement to be wrong.

I love muffins.  They are so cozy and warm and I find myself "popping the top" much like Elaine had done on Seinfeld (except I eat the stumps too).  Similar to pancakes, the secret to a great muffin, besides using fresh ingredients, lies within the mixing.  Overmixing can produce a rubbery, rather than fluffy, texture.  And I suppose then, and only then could a muffin be called ugly!

Making Muffins, Step By Step

1. For best results bring milk, eggs, and butter to room temperature.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another.
3. Make a well in center of dry ingredients.
4. With a large rubber spatula, fold wet mixture into dry one, with few strokes as possible.
5. Fill buttered muffin tins about three quarters of the way with batter.  This leaves enough room for a crumb topping and makes muffins that are the right size for snacking.

You're Not So Ugly Snickerdoodle Mini Muffins

yield 2 dozen
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10 T. (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
1 c. sugar
1T. plus 1t. ground cinnamon
1 ½ c. flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
½ c. buttermilk
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a mini-muffin tin, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining teaspoons cinnamon; whisk to combine.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine 6 tablespoons butter, remaining ½ cup sugar, buttermilk, and egg; whisk to combine.
4. Using large rubber spatula, fold butter mixture into flour mixture; use no more than 10 strokes. The mixture should be lumpy.
5. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each prepared cup, and bake until tops are nicely golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool in pan 10 minutes before transferring to rack to cool
6. Dip top of each muffin in remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter and roll in reserved cinnamon mixture. Serve warm or room temperature.