These have been sitting in my drafts pile for weeks and I’m honestly flabbergasted. Why? WHY?
Maybe because they didn’t really fit into my no-sugar eating plan. Even though I made these well before I took that (completely insane?!) vow.
I’m sure this comes as no great surprise, but every once in awhile, I get struck with intense cravings to break free from whole wheat/oat flour/flaxseed/chia seeds and just bake something unapologetically doughy and immense with all-purpose flour, sugar and normal levels of oil/butter, unadulterated by applesauce or yogurt.
As recently as Saturday night, that craving resulted in these sparkling blueberry muffins from Sally’s Baking Addiction (which I promptly stuffed in my sister’s bag to take far, far away). Weeks ago, the craving culminated in these snickerdoodle-topped doughnut muffins from one of my new favorite blogs, Top With Cinnamon.
These muffins have the crustiest, crunchiest, sugar-iest top you will EVER find on a muffin. There is literally a cookie that acts as the muffin top to a counterpart that is like a fluffy, lovely cake doughnut. It’s the best idea ever. Could we still be friends if I admit that I’m almost drooling thinking about them? You should make these immediately. Sorry for ruining your diets.
I’m so close to ruining mine. I can’t even talk about these anymore. This calls for a raw brownie.
Notes
Changes: although Izy’s muffins looked promising, I went with a doughnut muffin recipe I’ve been dying to try from King Arthur, which uses rather an incredible amount of flour and uses both butter (for taste) and oil (for moisture). I lowered the amounts of fat, sugar and flour just a tad to keep with the slightly lower amount of egg used. And I used 1.5 cups of white whole wheat flour to ¾ cups all-purpose and thought the muffins didn’t suffer at all from a bit more fiber. But you can follow the recipe as written.
Tips: Since this recipe calls for a tiny batch of snickerdoodles, Izy’s recipe uses half of an egg in the muffin batter and half in the cookies. Waste not, want not; I did the same. To get half of a large egg, beat it up in a bowl like you’re making scrambled eggs. Then measure out 1.5 tablespoons to capture half the volume. Voila!
Also, I highly recommend making the snickerdoodles first and refrigerating them while you make the muffin batter, as written below. Otherwise the cookie dough may be warm and difficult to handle when forming disks.
Oh yes, and why the Honey Bunches of Oats? I discovered that cereal boxes make great little trays for gifting baked goods if you cut out a nice flat rectangle from the box and glue up the sides. They’re a little flimsy though, so I wouldn’t use them for anything heavy! #recyclingisthebest
Snickerdoodle-topped Doughnut Muffins
Inspired by Top With Cinnamon with doughnut muffins adapted from King Arthur
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1.5 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste
generous 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 egg
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder OR 1/2 tsp cream of tartar + 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar, add cinnamon to taste
2 tablespoons flour
Grease a muffin pan, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl, set aside.
Make the snickerdoodles: Cream together the butter and sugar (you can do this by hand if the butter is room temperature). Stir in the half egg, flour, and baking powder. Refrigerate the dough while you make the muffins.
Make the muffins: Cream together the butter, oil and sugars until smooth. Beat in the remaining eggs. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and vanilla. Add the flour and milk in alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour, until everything is completely combined.
Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and divide into 12 equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk roughly the width of a muffin tin. Coat in cinnamon sugar. Once finished covering the disks in cinnamon sugar, add 2 tablespoons of flour to the remaining cinnamon-sugar, and use it to dust each cavity of the greased muffin pan.
Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin, filling each one nearly to the top. Top with a cookie dough disk.
Bake for 5 minutes at 425, then 14-16 minutes at 350.
Oh my god, I love Izy’s recipes, and these look amazing. MUST MAKE SOON! I often bring breakfast to my English class on Friday mornings — maybe I’ll make these!
Yes please!! haha These look amazing.
So good!!! I could most definitely eat a few of these 🙂
Love the idea of snickerdoodle in a form of a muffin –lovely post Erika. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Anne!
Hahaha your post made me laugh-its the same with me, I get random cravings to make brownies WITHOUT applesauce, with the good stuff (butter!!). Once in a while is ok, right? =) It certainly feels so good! These muffins look gorgeous, and I bet they taste as delicious as they look! Yummmm!
Haha thanks Kristi! I’m glad someone understands! It feels so much naughtier when you try to bake/eat healthy most of the time and then suddenly splurge with ridiculous muffins like this! But yes, I agree–once in awhile is definitely okay 🙂
These look scrumptious! I love snickerdoodles. I so want to crack the top of one of those muffins and eat it with a big mug of coffee. 😀
That sounds so good! Definitely a great way to enjoy these muffins. Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie!
Hi Erika, I love the cut out cereal boxes, they add a definite charm and they look fantastic in your pics. As for a snicker dongle, I’ve never had one, but when you say doughnut style muffin with a crisp, sugary top, my tummy says yes!!! Gorgeous!
Thanks!! Yeah, it’s a great way to use up cereal boxes. I can’t believe you’ve never had a snickerdoodle!!! You need to have one, asap. Here, make these: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/09/snickerdoodles/ You will curse and thank me 🙂
Yum! These look so good. I think it’s SO cool that you are still doing your “no sugar” thing. More power to you!! I just started reading Crazy Sexy Diet and am seriously addicted.
Kaylie, you are the best! First of all, so sweet 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement, I really need it! And second–I just googled Crazy Sexy Diet and um I really want to read it. It sounded really similar to Skinny B which I read back in the day and that’s actually one of the factors which made me go vegetarian. And then I saw in the Amazon book preview that one of the Skinny B authors had written the foreword! Haha. Thanks for turning me onto it–can’t wait to go get it!
What great tops to tasty sounding muffins!
YEESSSSS omg that’s perfect!! I would love a crunchy cookie top on the top of my muffin!
This does seem right up your alley! I’d looove to see one of your brown butter chocolate chip cookies on top of a muffin!!
that’s just like…too awesome to exist…O_O
I want to live close enough to be able to try these babies. they look insane! Wow- just wow.
Yes, you should move to Texas!! Haha. As if. Never mind, I’ll move to the UK! And then we can test out all the other cookie/muffin combinations I have in mind 🙂
sounds like perfection!
Yum! These look SO good!
Thanks Carla!! 🙂
So that’s how you stay so skinny! You make all these delicious muffins and pass them off to your roomates. I would need to get them completely out of the perimeter of my home as these look addictive.
Oh, Bam. If only I was skinny and had the self-control to pass them all off to my roommate + friends. Alas, that is not the case at least 50% of the time. But like you, I do try to get them out of my house when I can or I would totally overindulge!!
Cookie topped muffins?! Damn! Why must you tempt me with all these amazing foods?! This is pure genius, lady. I’d probably just eat the tops ‘n chuck the rest. Remember that old Seinfeld episode where they wanted to sell only the muffin tops? Hilarious but true – it IS the best part of the muffin and now you’ve made it even better. And I love the idea of using old cereal boxes for presenting baked goods. Thanks for sharing!
Haha…I was tempted to eat just the tops, but the bottoms are so good too!!! You’re so funny. Thanks for stopping by, lady 🙂
Wow, a cookie on top of a muffin?? What an awesome idea! I’m going to try this as soon as my week of no refined sugar ends, I’m starting today!!
Ahhh good for you! Good luck with your week!! And do let me know how it goes once you finish 🙂
These look so great! I’d love to try them, but I’m trying to decrease my sugar and dessert consumption this year too. Maybe I’ll just bake them for my roommates! Btw, that’s so clever using a cereal box as a tray! I’m always trying to find containers to hold cupcakes or cookies. I will definitely try to make this. 🙂
Yes, bake them for your roommates! And just sneak one bite 🙂 Then brush your teeth! Or eat an orange! (my best tips for killing sugar cravings lol).
And I’m glad! Cereal boxes are just the perfect thickness–not too thick that you can’t fold it, but just sturdy enough to carry a few cookies/muffins 🙂
These babies look like they have serious flavour going on my friend! 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Definitely, Uru 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, as always!
Ohhhh, you are evil! This is to die for. I’m pinning this so I can try the recipe post-Paleo.
I love what you did with the cereal box! So creative. 😉
Hahaha I’m sorry. I know, I’m evil to myself too! I want to make these again–like, right now. Let me know what you think if you make them post-Paleo 🙂
And thanks! I felt like a less-expert version of you, making those boxes 🙂
These look fantastic! And I love your cereal box tray!
Haha thanks Elise! I was excited to figure out a use for all the cereal boxes that were accumulating in our apartment!
Omg I’m drooling! I LOVE snicker doodles and anything with cinnamon!! These sound to die for…I love, love the changes you made. Way to go girl!!
Haha thanks Brandi…do you have vegan snickerdoodles on your site anywhere?? I’ll have to go check this out. I’d love to see your vegan take on them!
Not yet girl but it’s on my list actually!! Hopefully it’ll be on there within a week. I’m so behind on posting all my recipes,,,hard to do with my baby girl 🙂
I’ll definitely let you know! 🙂
These sound heavenly! 🙂
Kenley
Thanks Kenley! They are the total epitome of carb-y heaven 🙂
WOW! Snickerdoodle Donut muffins. I love it Erika! And thanks for linking to my blueberry muffins. I’m glad you made them!
Sally, the muffins were SO good! I loved the crunchy sugar top and we added chocolate chips instead of blueberries to some since that’s my sister’s preference. They were fab! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, busy girl!
These look amazing! I can’t believe you have been baking and not eating your treats! Keep up the good work 🙂
Thank you!! If we’re being honest, I’ve sneaked a few tastes. But I’m mostly being good!! 🙂