Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs
If you don't wish to use buttermilk, you can replace it with regular milk and nix the baking soda (keeping the baking powder). I like to get the toppings ready first because they take so little time to bake, you don't want to be scrambling to have something to dip them in. Yield: 9 to 12 standard muffin-size puffs or 30-ish miniature ones. Try not to overfill as I did or you won't get as great domes on them.
If you don't wish to use buttermilk, you can replace it with regular milk and nix the baking soda (keeping the baking powder). I like to get the toppings ready first because they take so little time to bake, you don't want to be scrambling to have something to dip them in. Yield: 9 to 12 standard muffin-size puffs or 30-ish miniature ones. Try not to overfill as I did or you won't get as great domes on them.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 11/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- Carbohydrate 64.174935766963 g
- Cholesterol 46.8672222340379 mg
- Fat 11.9647921975058 g
- Fiber 1.91279929982408 g
- Protein 6.8880021606697 g
- Saturated Fat 7.17652822083152 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (122g)
- Sodium 3690.2301176529 mg
- Sugar 62.262136467139 g
- Trans Fat 1.0276475712926 g
- Calories 387 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12 standard size or 30 miniature muffin cups, or line cups with paper liners.
- Prepare coatings: In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat and continue to cook it, stirring frequently, until brown bits form on the bottom and it smells nutty and heavenly. Immediately remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Set aside as well.
- Prepare puffs: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in 1/3 of flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of buttermilk, repeating again and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix only until combined.
- Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling only 3/4 of the way. (I filled mine higher and they ended up spilling over a bit and doming less than they are capable of.) Bake standard sized muffins for 20 to 25 minutes and miniature muffins for 12 to 14 minutes. When finished, muffins will feel springy to the touch and a tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer them in their pan to a wire rack.
- As soon as you feel you’re able to pick one up, take your first puff and roll the top and upper edges in the browned butter. Don’t be afraid to pick up the browned butter solids at the bottom of the saucepan; they’re the dreamiest part. Let any excess butter drip off for a second before gently rolling the butter-soaked cake top in cinnamon-sugar. I find if you roll too firmly, or have too much wet/not absorbed butter on top, the sugar can clump off, which is heartbreaking. Transfer puff to wire rack to set and repeat with remaining puffs. Eat warm.
- For an even more indulgent, doughnut-like puff: Make an extra two tablespoons of the browned butter and roll the whole puff in it and the cinnamon sugar. (I usually have enough cinnamon sugar to fully roll the puffs.)
- Do ahead: Puffs are best within hours after they are baked. They can be made it advance and stored in a freezer bag until needed, too. Simply spread them out on a baking tray and reheat them until warm in the oven.
Replacing buttermilk with standard fresh milk fundamentally shifts the chemical leavening mechanism, neutralizing the lift provided by baking soda unless omitted entirely. Whole dairy alternatives with higher fat percentages retain moisture far better than skim varieties, keeping the crumb tender over the short preservation window.
The Chemistry of Butter Browning
Heat transforms unsalted butter by evaporating water content and toasting milk solids until they caramelize. Watch the bottom of the saucepan closely for amber specks while whisking continuously over medium heat, removing the pan immediately upon reaching a nutty aroma to prevent acrid burning. Butter solids contain concentrated proteins that scorch rapidly if left unattended past the foaming stage.
- Fill muffin cups strictly to three-quarters capacity to ensure proper dome formation rather than flat tops.
- Roll the warm cakes in browned butter only after letting excess fat drip off, preventing the cinnamon-sugar coating from dissolving into a heavy paste.
- Store baked puffs inside a sealed freezer bag if holding them beyond the initial few hours of peak texture.
