Cook the Book: Gluten-Free Cinnamon Butter Puffs

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Better than beignets, these cinnamon butter puffs really knocked my socks off.

In this installment of our Cook The Book project, we are covering quick breads from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book. There are six of us participating in the project: Rachel of Ode to Goodness, Sammy of Rêve du Jour, Emily of The Bon Appetit Diaries, Aimee of Homemade Trade and Claudie of The Bohemian Kitchen.

After my wonderful cinnamon buns, I was prepared to commit at least eight hours to making these. The butter puffs were made, start to finish in just over thirty minutes. They came out of the oven just as we finished eating dinner, so instead of these being a breakfast treat, we ate them as desert.

This perfect marriage of sugar and spice yields moist, fluffy muffins with a kick of nutmeg. The gluten-free flour mix I used did not take away from the fluffiness of the muffins, which was my main concern. My daughter loved the flavor and texture of them so much that even after I told her they were gluten-free, she said they tasted just right.

Enjoy with tea, cafe au lait or hot chocolate. The lip-licking coating and the downy interior elevate these muffins beyond traditional breakfast offerings.

You may also want to give these fig, ham and butter sandwiches from the same book.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Butter Puffs

adapted from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup shortening (I used butter instead, same measurement)
  • 1/2 cup suger (less if desired)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups flour (I used Gluten-Free Pantry's Baking Mix)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup milk

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup sugar combined with 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Meethod:

  1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the muffin tins.
  2. Put the shortening (or butter), sugar, and egg in a mixing bowl. Beat well.
  3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg and add to the first mixture.
  4. Pour in the milk and beat until blended and smooth.
  5. Fill the muffin tins about two-thirds full.
  6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
  7. For the topping, have the melted butter ready in a bowl that is just large enough to hold one puff.
  8. Have a shallow bowl nearby with the combined sugar and cinnamon.
  9. As soon as the puffs are done, remove them from the pan and dip them one by one into the melted butter, and then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.