Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Naked cinnamon muffins

Cinnamon Roll Muffins 
Saw these on foodbuzz and thought it would be a good idea to have another breakfast trick since it's nice to be able to start the day with something tasty for breakfast.  It's a good plan to have an arsenal of breakfast recipes to be prepared for the question, "what's for breakfast?".   And something like this usually covers Eleanor for a snack or two during the morning depending on her hunger level since there are some things she devours the entire batch in one meal!  Any recipe that ends with these words..."Have fun, lick your fingers, be happy" sounds like a winner to me;  check out the link for the original version.  Other than a few small modifications my version wasn't too different from the one from Une Gamine dans la Cuisine. 

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Filling
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Dough 
1 cup milk with 1 T lemon added (to simulate buttermilk)
1 egg, lightly beaten

zest from 1 lemon

1/2 cup tightly packed, brown sugar (light or dark)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups flour (extra for dusting)

Drizzle

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4+ tsp. ground cinnamon

1-2 T. milk


Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Butter or spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
Prepare the filling: In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon; Set aside.
Prepare the dough: In a separate small bowl, lightly beat together the buttermilk and egg; Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the orange zest, brown sugar, baking soda, and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Add the milk/egg mixture and, using a fork, mix everything together. Add the flour and gently mix all the ingredients together with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula. [Try not to over-mix.]
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a good minute. Grab the rolling pin and roll the dough out into a 12 x 24-inch rectangle.
Use a pastry brush to coat the entire surface with the melted butter. Sprinkle with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture, and gently press it into the dough. [Not too hard, just enough to make it adhere to the butter.]
Starting on the longest side, begin rolling the dough into a tight log, stretching slightly as you roll. If the ends are scraggly, cut them off with a sharp knife. Cut the log into two equal pieces, and cut each of those pieces in half. (You'll be left with 4 logs of dough.) Cut each log into 3 equal pieces (12 all together). Place each one into the prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to rest in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completley before adding the drizzle.

Drizzle: In a small mixing bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and milk. Mix until well-combined and smooth. If it looks too thick, add a little more cream until it thins out enough to glaze. Dip a large fork or small whisk into the glaze and allow it to fall onto the muffins. Make zig-zag patterns it you like, or simply smear each muffin. 

Drizzled muffins

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