Cook the Book: Gluten-Free Cinnamon Butter Puffs

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.

I Love Pumpkin Bread

Yep, that's right. And, I think Ms Iz does, too (that's my daughter, in case you didn't know).

I made a gluten-free (happens to also be dairy-free) pumpkin bread yesterday, which I have to say beats the pants off my old version. I don't bake a lot, so it's very nice to find a recipe that comes together easily and has little to no mess (but a few dishes to clean up afterward).

The original recipe is from Noteworthy: A Collection of Recipes from the Ravinia Festival, which is a book I received as a wedding gift. Many years (almost 15) and life changes (had a kid, got out of my marriage) later, I still return to this recipe every Thanksgiving. I love pumpkin pie, but can't really eat the crust, and being a novice baker, muffins and breads like this are much more in my comfort zone.

Even though butter and I are best friends, using vegetable oil here makes the bread moist and the batter silky. I changed up some of the spices, though. I didn't have everything on hand, so used cinnamon, cloves and ground ginger. Adding the walnuts just before baking gave the bread a nice crunch, but didn't mess with the interior texture. Oh, and of course, I used a gluten-free mix of flour instead of the traditional white flour the recipe calls for. I bought a pre-mixed flour this time, but you can go here to find a great recipe for your own mix.

I had intended to make muffins this year, but as always happens, I had no liners for the tray. Once I bought the liners, I realized I only had a mini muffin tray, so the liners were too big. I spotted the mini springform pans in the back of the cabinet. Adding a little oil and some parchment paper made the breads a snap to remove from the pans.

Pumpkin Bread

makes 5 small loaves

Recipe adapted from Noteworthy: A Collection of Recipes from the Ravinia Festival

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cup sifted gluten-free flour (use a mix or make your own)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/ 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs lightly beaten

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl.
• Mix together vegetable oil, orange juice, pumpkin puree and eggs in another large bowl.
• Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Make sure to mix completely to incorporate everything.
• Lightly oil the pans. Line your baking pans with parchment.
• Pour the mixture into the pans.
• Add nuts to the top.
• Bake for 30 minutes. Insert a cake tester or toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean, the bread is ready. If not, bake for another 5 minutes.