This is what a little indecision looks like. While listening to Needtobreathe’s new album The Reckoning yesterday I was inspired to make some comfort food. I have had two recipes on my “to do” list for a few weeks lately Snickerdoodle muffins and cinnamon sugar donut muffins. I couldn’t decide which to make so instead I opted to combine the two – take the fluffy body of the snickerdoodle and the sugary toothy crust of the cinnamon sugar donut. The results far exceeded my expectations.
Snickerdonut Muffins:
- 1 Cup AP flour
- 1 Cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 Tbs baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tbs butter, melted
- 2 Tbs unsweetened applesauce
- 2/3 Cup sugar
- 1 Cup greek yogurt
Topping:
- 2/3 Cup sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbs cinnamon (or more to taste)
- 3 Tbs butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 400˚ and line cupcake tray with cups.
- In a bowl combine the first 7 ingredients and stir to ensure it’s evenly mixed.
- In a separate bowl combine the eggs, butter, applesauce, sugar and yogurt. Whisk to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredient to the wet and stir until mixed in but not smooth. There may be a few lumps but that’s ok.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake trays and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or the first 6-7 tracks on The Reckoning.
- While the cupcakes are baking prepare the topping by mixing the sugar and cinnamon in a small dish wide enough to fit the top of a muffin. Put the melted butter in a separate similar bowl.
- When the cupcakes have a slight golden color on the top and a toothpick pulls from it without any batter they’re done.
- Let them cool for a minute or two then knock them out of the tray onto a counter and turn then upright and let them cool off enough to handle. Then dip the tops of each in the muffin into the butter then into the cinnamon sugar making sure to roll them around to completely coat the tops with the sugar.
- Let them cool a little more then nom away!
Between the prep and the baking time I had enough time to give the album a listen and write a few notes. Needtobreathe is new to me, I discovered them via Spotify and from the opening track “Oohs & Aahs” I was wrapped in their twangy rock. They’re not quite country as they definitely takes a lead from the classic rock of the 70′s and 80′s but their music has a humbleness about it more suggestive of down home roots. Rich guitars and all sorts of instrument are drawn in throughout the album to achieve the right sounds and give each track a distinctive flavor. Yet while taken in as a whole The Reckoning plays as a well developed full sound the fellas of Needtobreathe can claim as their own. Now that I’ve discovered them I’ll have to explore their back catalogue and see where they have been.