Maybe it was those huge store-bought muffins. The chocolate ones. Yeah. The chocolate ones that taste like chocolate cake. The ones the size of a dinner plate. When you first clapped eyes on one of those bad boys as a 5-year-old, the sun came out and the angels sang as, at last, your greatest dreams had materialized before you. "It's beautiful!"
Was that the first time for you?
Or maybe your grandma set a plate of fresh muffins on her kitchen table one day when you went to visit her, and that first bite of fluffy sweetness blew you away. "Please more muffins, Grandma!" you pleaded. (Of course you can, this is Grandma.)
Me, I was never a huge fan of muffins. Me and muffins, well, we just didn't have anything special between us. Sometimes when I had a muffin as a kid (the store-bought chocolate kind) ith sthuck tho the rthoof of mhy mufth. Then I'd be gulping down milk. In my experience, muffins were just thick and simply, bland. It's like it was trying to be a cupcake. But it just ended up being disappointing while it stuck there to the roof of my mouth.
One day my disappointment changed.
One of those slim cookbooks with multiple muffin recipes showed up in the house randomly (probably by mail) when I was around 14 or 15, and for some reason I couldn't stop looking at it. I don't know why -- I didn't even like muffins! But here I was carefully reading each recipe title, feverishly formulating the ingredients in my mind, mentally working through every step.
Some of the recipes didn't interest me -- muffins with cranberries and even blueberries sounded as exciting as salad. Skip those! But some others . . . hmm. Some of them stood out . . .
Apple muffins with sour cream in the batter.
Muffins with chocolate chips in them.
And something called "cinnamon puffs."
Huh. Something in that title stood out in a silent appeal. "Puffs," as in, not your average "muffin."
Finally, I got a chance to do some baking and I knew it was time to see if these were different than all the other muffins I had ever not enjoyed. I liked the way the batter came together, with sugar dissolving into the melted butter, and eggs added to that and then beaten into a golden, glossy, thick syrup. Finally flour and the other ingredients were ever-so-gently mixed in. Bake them, then dip them in (more) butter and now dip them in cinnamon-sugar, which will become one with the beautiful butter, creating a topping even yummier than frosting.
Finally, while the muffin was still hot and steamy, I took a bite . . . and I couldn't believe how amazing it tasted! Wow! It melted in my mouth like chocolate.
It was love at first bite!
❧
R E C I P E
Recipe from the Gold Medal "Let's Bake!" cookbook
1/3 C. sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 C. flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffins tins or use paper liners.
Mix melted butter and sugar, then add egg. Combine dry ingredients. Stir dry mixture into egg mixture alternately with milk. Do not over-mix. Divide batter evenly among muffins cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Immediately after baking, dip tops of muffins in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
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