Cinnamon Buttermilk Butter Dips

Cinnamon Buttermilk Butter Dips - made April 29, 2012 from Baking Style by Lisa Yockelson

Now that I'm done with my baking challenge, I'm feeling a bit more freedom to choose whatever recipe I want to make next.  I was going to come up with another challenge to give myself some structure but I've decided to back off on that for now.  I've had enough structure lately.  Time to cut loose and just bake whatever I feel like baking.  I have pins on pinterest that I want to make at some point so I'm amassing recipes from other foodie bloggers as well.  But I also couldn't resist going back to Baking Style, which was the reason for coming up with my baking challenge in the first place.  Now that I've had a chance to go through the whole book, I have to say this could end up being one of my favorite baking books.  Not that I don't already have a lot of "favorites" to the point that I could redefine the word.  But similar to her other book, Baking by Flavor, this has a nice variety of recipes with many different flavors as the focal points.  Plus I know how trustworthy her recipes usually are, aka they turn out great 99 times out of 100.  The 100th time I always figure I did something wrong and need to try again.

This is what they looked like plain, pre-butter dip and cinnamon sugar rolling

This recipe is one of the 99.  These were like little cinnamon cakes when left plain and almost like cakey cinnamon sugar doughnuts when dipped in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar.  In other words, really good.  And they're easy to make.  I used small muffin tins, both square and round, to bake the batch in and they were a nice size for a bite-size snack.  Heck, even my parents liked them and you know how they feel about sugared stuff ("don't make it too sweet" - these weren't).  If you've got a brunch coming up, this is a perfect accompaniment instead of the usual muffins or doughnuts.  If you make these small, just watch the baking time carefully and take them out when a toothpick inserted in the biggest one comes out with moist crumbs.  You get the moist, cakey texture only if these aren't overbaked. 

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ cup buttermilk

Dip

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cardamom, optional

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled but still warm

1.      Preheat oven to 375°F.  Lightly spray the insides of a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

2.      Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg onto a sheet of waxed paper.

3.      Cream the butter in the large bowl of a stand mixer on moderate speed for 3 minutes.  Add the sugar in two additions, beating for 1 minute after each portion is added.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  On low speed, alternately add the sifted ingredients in 3 additions with the buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the sifted mixture.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

4.      Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing evenly among them.

5.      Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes or until nicely risen, set and a toothpick withdraws clean. 

6.      While the muffins are baking, prepare the butter, sugar and spice dip by thoroughly whisking the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom (if using) in a small, deep mixing bowl.  Place the melted butter in a small, deep bowl.

7.      Cool the muffins in the pans on racks for 5 minutes.  Remove the muffins to other cooling racks.  Dip the muffin tops into the melted butter to coat well, then into the topping  to enrobe in the sugar and spice mixture.  Serve warm or at room temperature.