Cinnamon-Sugar Caramel Muffins {Powernap}

With the holidays fast approaching it is time to brush up on muffin recipes. In my house the holidays mean a revolving door of family and friends, and I always like to have some yummy muffins on hand when people pop in to chat. I already have a few favorite recipes including Aunt Ethel’s Blueberry variety, Orange Mini’s with Brown Sugar Glaze from The Pioneer Woman, and Allspice Crumb Muffins from Dorie Greenspan. But, I am always looking for new ideas, and was thrilled when my friend Barbara shared her recipe for Cinnamon-Sugar Caramel Muffins.

My favorite part about this recipe is that it was adapted by a few people before be given to me. In fact, Barbara’s six-year old son was the one who recommend adding the caramel – he is obviously one smart kid! When I received it I made a few changes of my own, adding cinnamon, more nutmeg, and a heaping teaspoon of orange zest to give these little cakes my own special twist.

I don’t know what the original recipe looks like, but I’m pretty sure the variation below would be hard to improve upon. Making these during my daughter’s naptime is a cinch, though we also have found these quite fun to make together. Mixing the batter is simply a matter of adding the ingredients one-by-one to the bowl and placing the caramel properly. I would even venture to say that the most difficult part about baking these is not eating all of the caramels before they are placed in the batter (note: the recipe reads “cut caramel into quarters, eat one piece” for a reason).

With a fluffy moist texture, and out of this world taste, these muffins are sure the please everyone. Personally, I think that the warm spices and cinnamon sugar topping giving them a flavor slightly reminiscent of a snickerdoodle. To give these a proper taste test I’ve enjoyed them with a cup of Scottish Breakfast tea (my morning tea), a mug of Constant Comment (afternoon), and even Wild Orange herbal tea (evening). What I really can’t wait for is to enjoy these with my mulled cider (recipe to come soon!). No matter what, they definitely proved to be the perfect accompaniment for any flavor I steep at home. They are also, not surprisingly, perfect for little fingers. My daughter adores them and on more than one occasion has asked to have them for dinner (the answer was always no).

So, when the holidays come around I know exactly what I’ll have on hand in my house for friends and family. Feel free to stop on by for a taste, or make some of your own.