French Breakfast Muffins

Hello dear readers.  Because of that whole honesty and blogging thing {I liken it to truth in advertising} I have to confess that I set out to make French toast for my little boys before we headed out this morning.  It is an absolute favorite in our house as I’m sure it is in most households.

On our bread tray I have some pretty good organic white bread, perfect for a turkey sandwich or to use as toast.  However, I must tell you that in it’s fresher than fresh state it is definitely not good for French toast.

After I whisked the eggs, a little cream and vanilla in a shallow dish, I carefully set a slice of the white bread into it and I panicked.  It acted like a sponge and soaked up almost the entire egg mixture.  As I lifted it out of the dish, it broke apart and while a piece or two landed into my skillet (I did like a flinging movement with my arm),  one part fell and landed on the top of my furry slipper.  At which point I whispered a few choice words and practically tripped over Abby {our dog} who saw smelled my French-tastrophy and steadied herself to get that 1 inch by 2 inch piece of egg-soaked bread.  I’m sure she thought she was just helping me out.  Sweet dog.

The boys were all outside running laps and doing fitness testing (?) before breakfast and I had to announce our little conundrum and when they asked what would I be making instead, I panicked (again) and said muffins.

Oh boy, now I’ve done it.  I quickly grabbed the i-Pad and searched for muffins and cinnamon because I was still thinking along the lines of those delicious French toast flavors.

I found these French breakfast muffins here and the cinnamon-sugar topping sounded just perfect.

 Isn’t this looking pretty easy?  I’m just totally confident you have everything you need right now to make these little muffins this weekend.

 Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and place 12 paper muffin cups into a muffin tin or pan.  In a large mixing bowl add 2 cups of flour, 2/3 cup of sugar, 2 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.  Grate a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg into the bowl.  And because I am totally lazy, I just eyeball the nutmeg.

Using a wire whisk combine the dry ingredients.

In another mixing bowl, whisk 1 egg until frothy. To the beaten egg add 1 cup plus 2 tbsp of milk, 6 tbsp of melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

Here’s a peek at the wet ingredients that have been combined using a wire whisk.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined.

Fill the prepared muffin cups 2/3 full with the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes and then rotate the pan and bake an additional 5-7 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  The muffins should be just turning golden on the tops and edges.  Cool them on a wire rack.

While the muffins are cooling, melt 2 1/2 tbsp of unsalted butter and place it onto a shallow bowl or rimmed plate.  Use a wire whisk to combine a scant 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.

Aren’t they lovely?  I think the next time I make these I’ll have my boys dip the muffins into the butter and cinnamon-sugar topping.  That is the perfect way for the littles to help in the kitchen.

 They were a cross between a powdered cinnamon doughnut and a snickerdoodle cookie.  So there was a bit of self-control on my part of just having one with my coffee that morning.

French Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 large egg

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

Scant 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Method

Preheat oven to 375°. Place paper muffin cups into a 12-cup muffin tin.

Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl and combine them with a whisk.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk the egg until it’s frothy. Blend in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Using a wooden spoon, mix the batter just until combined, then spoon it into the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake the muffins on the center rack for 15 minutes. Then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack until the muffins are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, then remove them from the muffin tin.

Before the muffins lose their warmth, prepare the topping. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and transfer it to a separate small, shallow bowl or plate.

Dip the top of each muffin in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, rolling each muffin in all directions to cover the entire top. If you’d like more topping, roll them in the cinnamon sugar for a second time while they’re still warm. Serve immediately.