For me, baking is a surefire way to clear my mind, have some me-time, and give a mouthful of joy to my loved ones, who always help me finish my creations whether they turn out to be on the experimental side or come out of the oven exactly as planned. Having food allergies has always made finding desserts that are both delicious and safe a difficult endeavor, but once I started taking baking into my own hands, I found a way to enjoy the same treats as everyone else, as well as a newfound passion. I use substitutions that I can tolerate in all my recipes, and no one ever notices a difference in the way things taste!
These snickerdoodle mini muffins were one of the first creations I added to my arsenal of go-to pastries. I got the recipe from kimscravings.com after buying a similar product already made from a local bakery. Using the mini cupcake/muffin pans I’d just received for my birthday (the recipe works for regular-sized muffins as well!), I followed the instructions, and to my surprise, it was better than what I’d bought in-store! The recipe calls for a layer of cinnamon sugar on top, but if you want to omit it, they taste just as good on their own. It’s personally my favorite part, but my mom thinks it’s too much—to each their own! The great thing about baking is that beyond the core essential ingredients, you can really attune things to your tastes or needs.
INGREDIENTS (yields 22 mini-muffins or 12 regular muffins)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I personally use a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk (I typically use almond milk, but the original recipe author recommends trying coffee creamer!)
1/3 cup melted butter or melted coconut oil
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You can spray your muffin tin with cooking spray, or you can use paper liners!
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In a medium mixing bowl, combine your flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
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Using a spatula or other solid baking tool, create a well in the center of your dry mixture (essentially, push everything to the edge of the bowl).
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In a different bowl, combine egg, milk, and butter/coconut oil.
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Pour the wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients; using your whisk, slowly draw the dry ingredients from the edge to the center until they are uniform, but not completely combined (lumps are good!).
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Fill your tin with the batter, but remember they will rise a little as they bake!
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Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or 20-25 minutes if you’re making regular-sized muffins.
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While you wait, combine more sugar and cinnamon in a bowl for the topping. Melt butter or coconut in a separate small bowl. Let muffins come out of the oven for about five minutes, then dip the tops into the butter or coconut oil, and then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Baking can be both relaxing and high stakes (proportions are really important—once, a friend misread the amount of baking soda in a cake recipe and we ended up having to triple the serving size), but if it’s something you’ve always wanted to give a shot, this recipe is a great starting place. Be careful, though—you’ll definitely have to keep fighting the urge to reach for another!