Caramel Glazed Mini Snicker Doodle Muffins

I’m trying something new. It’s called live blogging (god, I’m original). ...Okay, that sounds a little bit ridiculous. But it’s a bit different when it comes to food blogging, as you actually have to complete the activity before you blog. So, by live blogging on a food blog, I mean, I’m writing the steps as I go. So basically, you’re privy to what I’m thinking. Minus the swearing. Of course, I’ll be going back through to add my mandatory pictures and the recipe details.

Just a quick intro to the recipes, as usual. This time it’ll be a little different as ... well, I haven’t made it yet. But they remind me of donuts. All cinnamon and sugary and frosted/glazed. I wish we had decent donut stores in New Zealand. Or maybe I don’t, because I’d then eat way too many donuts.

Anyway, back on task. I’m making these because tomorrow my family and I are going to a family friend’s for an after-church Easter brunch thing. Generally everybody is told not to bring anything, but does anybody really ever listen to that? So we’re taking breakfast sausages, and apparently 4-am snicker doodle mini muffins dipped in caramel frosting. I figured, we might want something sweet to eat with a coffee, but considering brunch is usually such a fulfilling meal, it might be best if it was light, or very small. These, at least, are small. I can’t vouch for light, but given that they’re covered in frosting, I’m going to be they’re not. But they look delicious.

Snicker Doodle Mini Muffins.

Ingredients:

1 c + 4 tbsp flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp cinnamon (I use Equagold)
125 grams of butter (also the exact gram weight of an American stick of butter)
½ c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (I use Equagold vanilla paste, so of course I use less – this is a liquid measurement)
½ c + 2 tbsp milk

Method:

1. Cream the butter and sugar for forever. Or alternatively, until light and fluffy.



2. Reread the recipe. What? I’ve forgotten it already. Hope like hell you actually have eggs.
3. Find eggs and gleefully crack two into the butter mixture, and combine.
4. Forget that you were supposed to add the vanilla in with the egg, and quickly do that. Also stick your nose in the vanilla paste container and making stupid yummy noises. Things are organised here. Sure they are.



5. Figure out how much flour you have to use, then split it in half and throw that in the bowl. Mix it quickly until it’s only just combined. ‘Cos over mixing sucks. Stupid pokey-topped cupcakes.
6. Follow with half the milk, again only milking half-assedly. I’m making up words now.
7. Finally, add the rest of the flour. Except this time, don’t forget the cinnamon (I have the best stuff – my delicious friend Deb’s sent me some from her parent’s company Equagold) and the baking powder. Mix again with the half-assedness.
8. Again, follow with the milk. Gotta make sure everything is completely combined this time, as it’s the last mix you’ll make, but try to keep it to a minimum. See above rant about cupcake tops.



9. Double check you added everything.
10. Spoon into a mini muffin pan, though I suppose you could use bigger ones, and bake them in a 180 degree celcius oven until cooked (bounce back when gently touched). This recipe is supposed to yield around 45 mini cupcakes, as I doubled the original recipe. But I dunno, I must have some major serving discrepancies with almost every recipe I’ve ever made, because I never end up with the right amount of anything (be it waaay too many, or not enough).





You know, as I’m waiting for the first batch to cook, I’m kind of enjoying this method of blogging. I can see it making regular postings much easier, as there is always that down time in recipes when you’re fluffing around trying to find things, or thinking of particular things. It’s kind of useful to get it all down. Plus, there is that whole in-the-oven time, where there is really only cleaning up to do, so it’s nice to be able to speculate almost immediately. I’d love some feedback on what you think of the new method, so please indulge me.

.. Sometime later: I knew there was a reason I disliked muffins. They’re so friggen hard to get out of the pan, even if said pan is Teflon coated, and you have greased it rather obsessively. Gah! This is why I prefer spring form bakeware – you can take off the sides, and only have to line the bottom of the pan. But once I finally got them out, they look adorable and smell de-vi-ne. I ate one of the failures, and it was delicious.



Also, I ran away and made up a third batch, because I realised... my family, plus friends and their families, on Easter equals a hell of a lot of people. So I needed more food. Ta da! It was super duper quick, which was kinda cool. I was impressed with my faster-than-light baking skills. So yes, you get around 40/45 very mini muffins from the original recipe that I posted.

On a side note; holy crap this post is long. Apparently I think a lot of pointless stuff when I’m baking. It’s like I’ve got my own little television show going on in my head.

Caramel Frosting

Ingredients:

½ c brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp milk
½ tsp vanilla (liquid measurement again)
½ c icing/confectioners’ sugar.

Method:

1. Okay. I now have a bazillion mini cupcakes, and it’s time to frost. So apparently I start by putting the sugar (mmm, brown sugar) and butter in a small sauce pan, on a medium heat and bring to the boil, whilst stirring frequently. Seems easy enough. Boil for about a minute
2. Oh my god. I want to eat it all. As I had to work quickly, the following instructions are written after I finished icing the cakes.
3. Once you bring it to the boil, add in your milk and vanilla and stir quickly. Let it boil for about minute seconds.
4. Biff in your SIFTED icing sugar. Heat over the element/let boil for about another thirty seconds, then get to work.



5. Because this is a glaze, it sets quickly, so you do have to start icing immediately. Good thing? It’s simple as. You literally pick the muffin up, dunk it top first into the icing and then set it aside to set. And it does that in like two seconds.



6. You may need to randomly stir your glaze as it can start to form a crust on the top as it sets, which makes the dunking part a little difficult. Be careful of the hot sugar, too. And take every opportunity to eat it, because it is beyond divine.



I just ate one. Oh dear lord. Holy hell. These are amazing. I don’t think I’ve tasted something so good in a loooong time; the combined muffin and glaze is beyond delicious. Thank you so much amateur foodie for this recipe.