I took a Home Economics class in the 7th grade. I probably don’t need to tell you how stoked I was about this (especially after nearly flunking Wood Shop the semester before with the saddest “toolbox” ever) although I am fairly certain they failed at whatever household management skills they’d hoped to impress on my 12-year-old self. I’m currently staring down a particularly fetid sinkful of dishes, willing them to wash themselves, while deep creases form in a towering basket of clean laundry that has yet to be folded, though perhaps there’s a glimmer of hope for the next generation. Nevertheless, the one class I remember perfectly was the one in which we made a puffy muffin embodiment of butter-slathered, sugar broiled cinnamon toast. It could be whipped up in no time, presumably along with a stack of bacon while wearing a gown-like robe and fuzzy slippers to the delight of sleepy-eyed children tumbling down the stairs. (Sorry, my housewife archetype is firmly etched in the Brady Bunch era.)
These pastries are, amusingly, called French Breakfast Puffs, I presume they are “French” in the way that French Toast and French Fries are, or that I convince myself I am every time I order Lillet, which is to say, dubiously. Their origin, however — the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens– isn’t half as interesting as their flavor, which is a little bit snickerdoodle, a little bit butter cake and a lot of addictiveness. My first thought upon eating one in class that day was “It’s like a doughnut hole!” and my second was “Why hasn’t my mother ever made these for me? I thought she said she loved us!” and then I pouted for the remainder of the hour. What? I said I was 12.
I cannot think of a better time to share this recipe than in this last week of entertaining before we all must don our gay old treadmill-trotting apparel again, I mean, for stretchy pants’ sake, they are rolled in butter. We’re not going to even pretend that this would be acceptable in the days after a New Years Day brunch, so we might as well enjoy them while we can. I made some changes to the old-school recipe; shortening became butter, melted butter became browned butter (because, have we met?), regular milk became buttermilk and I made them tiny, mini-muffin size rather than standard because the more they resemble cinnamon-sugar decked doughnut holes, the happier I am. And now I need you to come over and eat them for me. Please. There are but 29 28 25 left…
One year ago: Milk Punch
Two years ago: Spinach and Cheese Strata, Pear Bread and Parmesan Cheese Crackers
Three years ago: Gramercy Tavern’s Gingerbread and Pizza with Broccoli Rabe and Roasted Onions
Four years ago: Robert Linxe’s Chocolate Truffles
Five years ago: Hazelnut Trufffles and Gougeres
Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs
Adapted from Betty Crocker and others
If you don’t wish to use buttermilk, you can replace it with regular milk and nix the baking soda (keeping the baking powder). I like to get the toppings ready first because they take so little time to bake, you don’t want to be scrambling to have something to dip them in.
Yield: 9 to 12 standard muffin-size puffs or 30-ish miniature ones. Try not to overfill as I did or you won’t get as great domes on them.
Coating
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Puffs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing muffin cups
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12 standard size or 30 miniature muffin cups, or line cups with paper liners.
Prepare coatings: In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat and continue to cook it, stirring frequently, until brown bits form on the bottom and it smells nutty and heavenly. Immediately remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Set aside as well.
Prepare puffs: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in 1/3 of flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of buttermilk, repeating again and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix only until combined.
Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling only 3/4 of the way. (I filled mine higher and they ended up spilling over a bit and doming less than they are capable of.) Bake standard sized muffins for 20 to 25 minutes and miniature muffins for 12 to 14 minutes. When finished, muffins will feel springy to the touch and a tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer them in their pan to a wire rack.
As soon as you feel you’re able to pick one up, take your first puff and roll the top and upper edges in the browned butter. Don’t be afraid to pick up the browned butter solids at the bottom of the saucepan; they’re the dreamiest part. Let any excess butter drip off for a second before gently rolling the butter-soaked cake top in cinnamon-sugar. I find if you roll too firmly, or have too much wet/not absorbed butter on top, the sugar can clump off, which is heartbreaking. Transfer puff to wire rack to set and repeat with remaining puffs. Eat warm.
For an even more indulgent, doughnut-like puff: Make an extra two tablespoons of the browned butter and roll the whole puff in it and the cinnamon sugar. (I usually have enough cinnamon sugar to fully roll the puffs.)
Do ahead: Puffs are best within hours after they are baked. They can be made it advance and stored in a freezer bag until needed, too. Simply spread them out on a baking tray and reheat them until warm in the oven.
Those are adorable! Deb, where’d you get that connected bowl server. Want!
Danielle — Actually, when I went to visit The Lodge a few years ago, someone who came to my demo gave it to me as a gift, and I am such a terrible, tacky person that I a) forgot her name and b) never sent her a thank you note. I blamed pregnancy brain. It’s really cute, each dish is oval-shaped and a different size.
Hello.. In as much I want to put the baking soda, it is sad that it’s not available at my area and the fact that we can’t go much outside make it impossible to find. So can I not put the baking soda? And will it affect the puff?
Thanks
Hello. I see Deb’s instructions do say if you replace the buttermilk with regular milk, you can nix the baking soda. hope this helps! Good luck!
Fatnadia, if you read the notes on the recipe, you can completely skip the baking soda but use milk, not buttermilk. Have these in the oven rn😁.
I’ve been eyeing something that is similar, but this has WAY less better than the other recipe — which is exactly what was holding me up. I think I’ll give these a shot. :)
Oh my deliciousness! They are so light and fluffy just wow. They were done and alllllmost over done at the 20minute mark (normal size) because they started to get pretty brown. But I took them out in time and just amazingness. And I totally agree they taste like old fashioned donut holes.
I always loved those home economic classes too. We made similar looking cinnamon-butter-batter things… maybe there’s a home economics standard for these things, haha! Anyway, these look fantastic. Can’t wait to try them out!
Eep! I could eat all 12 of these in one breakfast! I bet these would be good with some blueberries and cornmeal added in as well.
These look delicious! Now I need a mini-muffin tin and some guests.
You’re just evil, you know.
Yeesh, you’re killin’ me here! I already have started my post-holiday detox, yet I am so tempted to make these. I LOVE cinnamon sugar anything, and these look fabulous!
Yum, yum, yum! Deb, I wonder if I could try these in the mini donut maker I received at the office holiday party. Hmmmm.
Thank you for sharing these before New Years. My dance partner on the other hand does not thank you, because last time he dipped me, I heard a grunt that was definitely not there before the holidays. I think he may have noticed the holiday weight gain. Everything is better with browned butter, and I can’t believe you would reference brown butter without a single link to the hazelnut brown butter cake.
It’s like a muffin-donut hole-popover-whole lotta goodness in one bite thing going on.
I hate making mini muffins or mini donut holes b/c I am so not neat with the batter and am in more in a hurry to bake so I can get to eating…but in the end, mini stuff just tastes better. Probably b/c more work and love went into making it :)
These look like heaven! I’m definitely whipping some up this weekend! Thanks for another stellar recipe!
I received some lovely gourmet coffee for the holidays and these little beauties will be the perfect accompaniment.
Oooooh, I’m on a sugar high just LOOKING at these… delicious.
I only vaguely remember making a dry apple muffin in my home ec class; I may have been more interested if we made anything that even mildly resembled this. They look scrumptious.
I love that you posted these! I have a fairly old (and not Betty Crocker) cookbook with a similar muffin recipe that I used to make all the time as a teen, but I had forgotten all about them. It’s a must-make in the next few days! Thanks for the reminder. Much appreciated! Happy holidays!
I got a mini-doughnut pan for Christmas. I wonder if this would work in such a thing? Hello, Thursday morning breakfast!
These are much more exciting than anything I came close to making in home ec! Love them.
I really love brown butter….this looks like a great excuse to use brown butter…..lol.
We made yummy soft pretzel in my Home Economics class. I lost the recipe to a tragic accident with the washer years ago. These look so divine! I mean, how do you go wrong with Brown Butter?! I don’t care for buttermilk though, do you think half and half would work as well?
Wow. These look like the most delicious little gems I have ever seen. Way better than donuts.
my mother made these for us for every special occasion…which wasn’t often enough. i still have the recipe entitled “french breakfast puffs” in her recipe box. my mom passed away almost exactly two years ago, and i am so happy to have this memory of her. thank you.
Oh, man…I just made these! We always call them Donut Muffins…now I feel legit!
I too love these, we call ’em donut muffins. Thanks for the updated version using butter instead of shortening. Might have to squeeze this recipe in before the clock strikes midnight myself.
You had me at brown butter and cinnamon!! These sound fabulous!
Oh, boy. I might just have to have one last hurrah before Jan. 1 hits. These look fantastic.
Well I love tea cakes so these should be great too. Also for packing in lunches you can’t go wrong with mini muffins!
Actually I had a look and the recipe is pretty much the exact same! I guess teacakes is just what they’re called in Australia. This is a recipe with many guises it seems. Reminding me of these is still a great excuse to make them though.
Looks delicious as usual. These are the low-cal and low-carb ones, right? :-) Happy New Year.
wowowow! these look frighteningly delicious!
Just in the nick of time! I am definitely going to have to make these before the resolutions set in. Actually, who am I kidding? I would make these any day.
These look heavenly. I got my very first KitchenAid mixer for Christmas and I have yet to break it in! I’ll have to try these!
My mommy didn’t love me either! Guess what I’m having for breakfast on New Year’s Eve?
Perfect timing as I sit here contemplating which recipe I will use to break in the KitchenAid mixer that I just got for Christmas. :) Cant get enough of cinnamon buttered toast so this sounds spectacular.
Yummy!! I am going to have to try this!!
We made these in Home Economics class when I was in high school – out of the Betty Crocker cookbook and still a yummy recipe. In fact I was Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow from my high school in my senior year – what memories.
Just happen to have all the ingredients on hand. I know what I’m making with my grandkids this weekend. yum! I’ll be a hero
these are adorable!!! look delicious!!
Bwahaha! My plan to reign over church fellowship coffee is now complete!
Wow, you brought back a very old memory of eating these puffs when I took French in high school (eons ago!) I think I have to make these this weekend. How can you go wrong with brown butter and spices?
This is one of my favorite recipes! I discovered it in high school while leafing through my grandmother’s Betty Crocker Cookbook.
Hi Deb! I just made a gluten free version of these, and they came out soooo delicious! Thanks for the awesome recipe. Here are my modifications for anyone who wants to make a GF version: The only changes I made are: increase baking powder to 2 t and baking soda to 3/4 t. Butter increased to 6 T and Buttermilk increased to 3/4 of a cup. I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour Mix. Rationale for increased liquids is that GF flours tend to absorb more liquids, and I didn’t want these to be dry. They came out light, fluffy, and YUMMY!!
These totally remind me of what would happen if donut holes and mini muffins had a baby. The cinnamon sugar is my fav. Breakfast doesn’t get much better than that!
Just 2 words … oh my!
Question! Do you think I could I pipe this batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan? I only have a “normal” muffin pan and like the idea of making these cream-puff sized. What do you think? Would they just spread all over the place or would they hold their shape?
Thanks!
ahaha – I hated woodshop too. I made a terrible duck (that was a recipe holder!) and remember being terrified at all times that I was going to cut my finger off with the jigsaw. And now that I think of it, I can’t believe they let 7th graders use JIGSAWS!
These look fantastic and I just can’t WAIT to try these.
Fine Cooking magazine included these in a muffin article years ago — called them Donut Muffins. Author was Kathleen Stewart, who made them for her bakery in California. I baked them for my kids (such a great excuse), and they were indeed wonderful. Best as mini muffins in my opinion — then you get the cinnamon sugar coating with each bite.
My home ec teacher got all worked up because we were talking too much, or something… She then turned the class into a cooking demo class, we watched while she cooked. I somehow managed to not hate cooking.
These look delish.
These are almost exactly what my grandmother used to make – except she added wheat germ and called them Muff-nuts. That name still makes me chuckle after all these years.
Wow, these look so delicious!
So glad you published this recipe! I used to make it- or one just like it- but it was called French something-or-other Muffins. I keep remembering it and wishing I could recreate it, and now I can!
Oh, my. In order to sample these, I will not only dirty the mixer attachments (which I often skip and shoot for the bicep exercise), I will also incur the muffin pan’s wrath. They look so heavenly! Thanks, Deb!
Holy mother of doughnut hole heaven, I must make these before the clock strikes 2012!
I have to make these…once I unpack my muffin pan. they make me feel cozy just looking at them!
These are too adorable! And mmmm, donut holes… breakfast… I see where you’re going here. And I would like to go to there as well.
Genius!!!! oooooohhh how I cannot wait to make these! In fact, I might even make them tonight or tomorrow morning.. and them write a blog post about how delicious and amazing they are, and then link your blog straight to the recipe!
I have a theory on why so many things are ‘French’ – I think ‘French’ is just a nice way of saying ‘fat’. Lets face it, if French toast was called ‘fat toast’, or French Fries were called ‘these are really bad for you in the most delicious of ways fries’, I think the marketing department would have a bit of a battle on their hands. I think of it as an homage to the way everything sounds better in French… and the way everything tastes better cooked with butter.
I make them in the mini pan also. You get more butter and sugar per puff that way. If you are going to do it you might as well go all out.
I remember that home-ec class, _and_ many other cinnamon sugar variants along the way. I really like the sound of browning the butter, which is yet another reason that the classics should always be revisited!
Another one of those things I must try….and it must be before next Sunday because I have a large list of things I am not eating in the month of January and I am pretty sure this fits in that category! Thanks for the great post. I love reading your writing. Our thoughts of food are eerily similar…;)
These puff reminds me of cinnamon dusted donuts. But better :D
i just LOVE your presentation – they’re absolutely gorgeous and look so fun. i’ll definitely be making these and taking them to a brunch with friends as a buffet addition. Lovely.
YUMMY! Should I be able to find fresh nutmeg at a regular supermarket or do I have to go to a special store?
These look delicious, I can’t wait to try out this recipe!
The moment I saw these puffs, I began to figure the many ways to eat them . These puffs actually set my salivary gland to overdrive !
I made these this morning and I think I did something wrong! Mine didn’t come out in a muffin shape. They didn’t rise up at all. I substituted milk for buttermilk without the baking soda. Any ideas on what I did wrong?
Even though they don’t look as great as yours do…they still tasted delicious!!
I wish I could bottle up brown butter and wear it as perfume. The scent is so delectable it makes me want to cry!!!
I have them baking in the oven but I’m tempted to ditch them puffs and just eat the toppings :P
Wowsers Gadget! They look amazing! Isn’t it funny how we all remember that one awesome Home Economics cooking experience? (Although they changed the name of the subject to Food Technology when I did it, to get the boys onside, I think!) We did butterscotch scrolls, and they invoke in me a similar feeling that these muffins do for you! lol!
thank god I just had French toast before reading this post! I’d be in the kitchen right this moment! BTW In French, French Toast is called “lost bread.” I had a dry baguette so made French Toast.
Now, my son is fascinated by donuts (we don’t have them here in France). I’m not much into frying (calories, fear of all that hot grease…). This looks like a good compromise!
And talking about home ec! I hadn’t thought of those classes for years, and I ended up doing “Pigs in a blanket” as hors d’oeuvres for the young guests. That’s the only recipe I remembered from jr high. Our teacher never showed this one, though. I’m sure of it!
These are adorable!! I made a similar thing earlier this year, but yours are MUCH cuter, and I’m sure the fresh nutmeg is outstanding! I’m going to try them your way next time!
so so absolutely heavenly
My mom used to make these! OMG they are so good. Hers were called “French Puffs”, and yes, they are just like doughnut holes. I’ll be making these for New Years breakfast.
YUM!!! My fiance and I are moving into our new apartment this weekend, I think I’ll serve these for our first breakfast in our new apartment on New Year’s Day :) Thanks for the inspiration, Deb :) Happy New Year!!!
My 6 year old is over my shoulder screaming “make those they look yummy”..lol Had to disappoint her and tell her we have no buttermilk. They do look amazing and looks like I will be trying them out soon. Thanks for sharing!
OMG! Flashback time…as I was reading the recipe, I realized that this recipe was quite similar to one from the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Kids…the first thing that I baked on my own! Thank you!
Those look amazing! Can’t wait to try and make a gluten-free version. Will have to experiment…but that’s what I love to do anyway with new recipes. And I’m dying to make the Parsnip Latkes. A great alternative to potatoes.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Anna
These look absolutely wonderful! I need to make these this weekend.
Something so lovely about all these comments–no one is being mean. Does this suggest that we are our best when talking about food? Does sharing food bring out our good selves?
Vknits — People are very rarely mean in the SK comment section. I think that means we should all hang out here more often. :)
baker_d — No, it wouldn’t work because this is really a cake batter, albeit a thick one. Snickerdoodles, if you haven’t tried them, are slightly cakey, very buttery cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar that sound totally up your alley.
These look so good. So good. Maybe I’ll have them after I eat my Caesar salad eggs! Thank you for these!
Oh, my! These are heavenly! What a lovely post to wake up to this frigid winter morn?! There are only 4 left and I suspect from the look of pleasure on my children and husband’s faces, there might not be any by the time I finish the dishes!
Thank you!
I am wondering if there is a significant difference if you make them with buttermilk? I just followed your instructions for regular milk and I can’t imagine them being any better! Every time I buy buttermilk, half of it ends up rotten in my fridge. I wish it was sold in smaller quantities.
Don’t throw away the leftover buttermilk!!! Pour the amount for recipes like this into quart size ziplock freezer bags. Lay the bags down flat in your freezer. Once frozen slip all the bags into into a larger gallon ziplock bag with a note of what it is. Then everytime you want to make these, slip out one of the bags and defrost the buttermilk. Since its thin, it defrosts quickly or just break it into pieces into a measuring cup and defrost in microwave. The buttermilk will separate and look a bit odd but for baking it makes no difference. Works every time.
That is a great suggestion, thank you!
Love it! These look very similar to the Cottage Street Bakery’s Dirt Bombs in Orleans, Cape Cod, that we go to every year. They published their recipe in Cape Cod Table by Lora Brody. I make them in mini muffins too but I don’t seem to eat any less for it haha. Cottage Street Bakery adds cardamom in which is nice too.
Haha I still remember many of the recipes my home ec class cooked. Caramel rolls, microwaved egg mcmuffins, barbecued pork sandwiches. I also remember my home ec teacher saying, “The recipe calls for salt, but we’re not going to use it because all is does is enhance the flavor.” Thank goodness I’ve learned a thing or two about “home economics” since then…
I have a Betty Crocker cook book from the early 60s. Battered and stained! This recipe has a few stains on the page. Home made noodles and sugared walnuts recipes have a few smudges on them!
I also have a few “Home Ec Teachers Favorites” cookbooks. Yum. All those Jell-O recipes are in there too. Make them sugar free in January and February.
My Mom and I used to make these all the time, and like you, as mini-muffins! So good!
These are wonderful – as is the 1960s suburb motif – both very sweet and comforting. I liked Hoem Ec better than woodshop, the clogs I made clop clop clopped when I walked – very 8th grade stripper.
These are just what we needed to continue our weeklong foray in spectacular breakfasts. Thanks to holidays for allowing me to indulge in one of your recipes the very day it appears in my reader!
A note: the vanilla didn’t make it into the instructions. We assumed it went in with the egg?
I actually made a fantastic bookshelf in woodshop but set fire to a pot (grease fire) in home ec. The flame shot from the floor (where the instructor had placed our smoking pot) to the ceiling, just missing the instructor’s hair! I blame the 2 boys I was forced to work with (haha) and ended up with a B for the class. However, I did make the best brownies I have ever eaten in that class and have come a long way since. Now I love to cook and rarely burn anything.
I may have to give these a try…its like little tiny monkey breads!!
These will definitely be on the weekend breakfast scheduule!! For Danielle, if you have a Old Time Pottery —I have gotten all sorts of odd shaped, 2, 3, 4, section in in one unit! Love them for salsas, dips, etc. The are the good white ironstone–even use a triple, for cat food (new kitten in one, water in the middle and the piggy older cat in the third! No tipping over here! And the prices very reasonable
Ah…home ec. Where all the girls were taught what girls should know and the boys, you know…boy stuff. I would have loved shop class too but for all the sexist connotations of that experience (far before yours I’m sure) I will say this much. I learned to sew and to this day am glad of that; I’ve made clothes, pillows, quilts and more over a lifetime with that skill. And a foray into cooking which combined with helping my mother cook for 6 kids and escaping to Grandma’s occasionally to bake with her, was surely the foundation for what I love to do today.
Funny, I recall that first A-line skirt but not one thing we made in the cooking part of class…so I will try these and channel that young girl during the experience. With your grown up revisions. Brown butter hmm? Can we overdo using brown butter? I hope not!
My middle school and high school did not offer Home Ec. We had a Home Ec classroom; no Home Ec classes. I think they were mainly concerned with keeping us off the pipe, because we had about 50 million “hugs not drugs” classes.
But that’s beside the point. The point is, those look delicious and I want some right now!
Oh my word. After the cranberry bread is done I am making these. I looked around the kitchen for food to eat and nothing looked good…until now.
These look so pretty! And a sweet dough mixed with cinnamon and sugar…how could you go wrong! Can’t wait to try these. Lovely photos!
I could definitely gobble up more than a few of these! Super light, but delicious
I made these awesome apple ginger mini scones last week (using your cream scone recipe as a base), and they were delicious. Now I want to make these. They have my name written all over them!
Sigh, I love these. I first spied them on PW’s blog, and immediately had to make them. I didn’t think you could improve upon them, but there you go again, blowing my mind.
My Home Ec experience (half a lifetime ago, eek!) was actually entitled “Life Management Skills,” or something 21st century like that. We were given Imperial Margarine to bake with. Even at 12, I knew better. I ransacked the cupboards, used shortening instead, and secretly gloated when everyone else had one giant cookie that spread across their baking sheet. While shortening is not butter, there is no place for margarine in my kitchen.
If you want a way to use up buttermilk, try making these pancakes. That is what I am doing :) They call for 3 cups, so you should have just enough left to make these puffs. Look for my pancake review with the addition of pumpkin, cinnamon and vanilla plus other tips. 1600 reviews and still 5 stars cannot lie. These are the most raised cakes I have ever had, and the best tasting! Thanks Deb for all your solid recipes I can count on!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buttermilk-pancakes-ii/
“I mean, for stretchy pants’ sake, they are rolled in butter…” I’m going to be saying this over and over again, and chuckling under my breath. Until Jan. 1. Then, butter will no longer be funny.
Memories! I used to make “Golden Puffs” from a late ’60’s version of the B Crocker cookbook. They were cinnamon-sugar bites of love, but they were deep fried!!! This baked version seems like health food compared to those. Lovely way to end 2011.
I am seriously drooling – wow!
These look amazing!!
These are a favorite of mine (and my boyfriend’s)! I never knew what to call them, but “breakfast puffs” sounds classy. I’m intrigued to try your brown butter version…
They look great. I was hoping to make these for my wife but she apparently doesn’t like nutmeg. What might be a decent substitute in this case?
Dave — You might put cinnamon in the muffins instead (as well as on the outside). I also think these would be wonderful with some scraped vanilla bean inside, just the seeds from half a pod would be very rich.
this recipe brings me infinite joy; it’s not exactly the same but for every major holiday when I visit my extended family, we make some version of this. we’re usually (always) extraordinarily lazy about it and just buy the dinner rolls that come in a tube, but the idea is the same: bready pastry rolled in butter with cinnamon and sugar (although we’re gluttons and roll the entire thing in buttery sugary goodness). we were even recently talking about the use of these delicious treats in our holiday traditions, because whenever an outsider joins us for dinner, they’re always baffled by the inclusion of them, but when they actually eat them, they’re not as bothered about the reason because they’re so tasty. I might have to try this at the next family function to see if they compare to our original version. would the dough keep stored in the freezer or should they be fully baked and then stored?
oh dear. these little gems are not lining up with my plans to fit back into my pre-longterm-relationship pants. aye.
These look so cute and delightful! I love the mini muffin size – although in my experience, I think I eat more of bite sized things as you don’t realize how many you’ve had. Or maybe that’s just me? I will definitely make these – and maybe even in January despite new years resolutions :)
OH no – I’m just starting my resolutions and I think I’m just going to X OUT getting healthy/dieting because I can’t pass up any of the desserts on your blog! I just cannot! Not blaming you – I am blaming my uncontrollable eating self!!!!!!!!!! Just love your BLOG!
My local bakery makes a version of these that are cakey inside, generous muffin-sized, and rolled all the way around in the butter/cinnamon sugary goodness. They’re called French Breakfast Muffins and my husband is addicted to them. For his birthday, the bakery made one in a heart-shaped mold! (at my request, I hasten to add)
Funny how they are called “French” down the line. I wonder if it’s the exotic nutmeg?
Hahaha! I cracked up at this post! And of course, drooled as well :)
I want someone else to make these for me, because if I make them myself I might eat them all in one sitting. I need an intervention.
Cute!! I would probably eat them all :)
I saw this post in my reader yesterday and made them today. I was worried they would be too similar to cinnamon sugar muffins we bought at a local bakery yesterday but they were so much better. The kids loved them and I’ll definitely make them again.
A couple notes. I found that the beater of my Kitchen Aid (6 qt.) couldn’t reach the butter and sugar too well and it didn’t get very fluffy. Since I don’t have a hand beater I went with it anyway. Using a mini-muffin pan I ended up with only 16 total. I’m not sure if this is because of the fluffy-ness problem or something else. Either way, they tasted divine and are one of my new favorite go-to morning recipes. Thanks for sharing.
Insteresting because I saw something similar on Food52. I was thinking I should try them but I will have to convert to gluten free. I have converted and twisted a few of your recipes to be gluten free and reflected more my tastes. They work very well.
Brown Butter! YUMMMMM! Gah! So much for getting back on track…this week, anyway.
Was going to make these tomorrow for breakfast but they are in the oven NOW for an afternoon delight!
So is it safe to say that browned butter is the new salted caramel, and that I’m EXTREMELY happy about that? #drool
O.K. fair is fair. You’ve made the delectable little puffs so I’ll wash those dishes and fold the laundry!!!!!
Have I mentioned you’re a genius ?
Happy prosperous New Year, everyone.
So much for my New Year’s resolution :) These look divine. Bet they are fantastic with a really strong cup of java or an espresso.
Kendra
I love anything with the word “puff” in it!
Yum!!!!
Oh lordy. These look amazing!
Do you make anything that doesn’t look absolutely delicious? MUST try these! I know my kids will really love them, but I suspect I could eat WAY too many of them myself too! LOL
Surely they’re French in the sense that when one pops one into the mouth, one moans, “Ooh, la la…”? That’s my story, anyway.
Those look insanely delicious. Easy and the kids will love to try them. Great site by the way.
This looks delicious, I gotta try this sometime!!
Loved the Brady Bunch reference! They played a big part in my childhood too! I can still recite the Filmore Junior High cheer! Sadly, I can’t seem to remember where I left my cell phone. Well, they say long term memory is the last to go!
P.S. Puffs look yummy. If I hurry I can make them and eat them before New Year’s resolutions have to be tended too!
Are there any adjustments needed for high altitude?
WHOA. I made these today and let me just say they are little bites of heaven. Easy to make, and they bake in no time. The texture is so light, that even though they are bathed in butter and sugar, they don’t make you feel like such a pig if you eat 3…or 4… or, you know. I highly recommend. Thanks for posting the recipe! I will be baking more of these in no time!
yep, probably not French, since just about every French person I know has a serious, serious dislike of cinnamon. (why, i just do not know. and this also gets tired after a while! oh wait, wht am i complaining about? this leaves me with so many more snacks once they’ve pooh-poohed ’em.) happy holidays, SK family, all of the very best for 2012!
David — Sorry. I have no high altitude baking experience. There are a few websites out there with advice, however. I know adjustments in sugar, flour and leaveners are often made.
kelli ann — So true! Also quintessentially American, from what I understand: pumpkin, peanut butter and sometimes mint in desserts.
Vanilla — Whoops, added it. It goes in with the egg.
These are adorable! And you they taste good if they’re dipped in butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar…
I made this this morning, I couldn’t wait! They were sooooo good! Just one thing. In your recipe you don’t list adding vanilla to the mix, but it is listed in the ingredients. I added it with the egg, I figured that’s what I should do!
Great recipe!
I’m supposed to bring something savory to a New Year’s brunch… I think I will be bringing two things now (unless, I somehow, could count these as savory?)
Okay, first of all, anything that is both called a puff and has the potential to create a puff of light sugary cinnamon in my face as I bite is a winner by default. But a butter facial as part of the deal?… these adorably petite and proper treats are perfection.
Might these work with some finely chopped nuts in the batter? Pecans maybe? My boyfriend loves them so I try to slip them into things ;)
I must introduce you to Matilda – the imaginary maid passed down through generations of my family avoiding that sink full of dishes at all cost. Although, these cinnamon brown butter breakfast puffs look worth the effort.
Oh wow – I’m not sure I’ve ever read a recipe name that got me so excited.
Andrea x
Good timing, because I will go on a diet on Monday! I still have time to make and indulge in these:)
Well, we’ve had no hot water for 3 days and just to wash dishes I have to heat water on the stove (hello Laura Ingalls Wilder!), but I am making these this morning just to be sure my kids don’t think I don’t love them!! You know, to counterbalance all the things I’ve done to make them hate me over our holiday break – like get them up at 10 and make them wear different clothing than the day before!
These look so simple and delicious! Can’t wait to try them out!
I like cinnamon so much!! Nice recipe!
Wow, made these last night. To DIE for!! Thanks so much for sharing. As a mother of 5, I love getting new ideas for baking, cooking. Love your blog! I’ve never been disappointed with any of your recipes!
Delicious puffs of cinnamon!
Made these on Christmas morning. My family loved them. Just a little too much sugard coating, that’s the only change I’d make, light on the sugar!
YUM! We made these this morning, found they were so tender they tended to fall apart. You can see my review on cookbooker here. Thanks, Deb!
Your breakfast puffs look so good. And in my opinion cinnamon is just the perfect taste for Christmas and winter time.
So fun to see a recipe I know by heart! My friend gave me this recipe years ago, she calls them Conference Muffins because she makes them for their “family conferences.” We call them Donut Muffins and I promise they don’t last nearly as long as yours! Pioneer Woman calls them something else, too, but it doesn’t matter what they’re called – they are dang good! And best eaten before Diet Day, January 1st!
Oh my, I remember making these in a Girl Scout cooking class when I was a kid! We called them Breakfast Baps. I have no idea what that means, LOL!
I just made these and they are absolutely and wonderfully light and delicious! I neglected to put in the vanilla at first (unless I missed it, I didn’t see it in the mixing instructions), caught the omission before the little delectables were put in the oven… so I scraped the batter out of the paper cups, mixed in the vanilla and put them back in the muffin tin.Well worth the effort . Between these and the chocolate caramel crack(ers) that I made yesterday, I’m sure I gained a few pounds, but don’t much care. :-)
The photo quality is insane
These were absolutely fantastic – and very dangerous! I think I’ve eaten about 10 already :) I made them mini and I don’t think I’d try large muffins. I used a little less butter and sugar and still had some left over.
These are so amazing. I’m so glad you posted this recipe!
My mother used to make these for my sister and my birthdays every year. We would bring a tin full to school and be the most popular kids in the world. I still make them around my birthday pretty often, and they’re just as fabulous as I remember them.
Killing myself laughing over your tweet about the sippy cup. Although it would be truly horrifying if you found the tot going for a swig of the fetid milk (barf), instead of just finding the cup.
My housewifery is also rooted in The Brady Bunch, which I just discovered is on every day during naptime! It is my guilty pleasure relaxation by myself, good for a few laughs surrounding why anyone ever thought any of the storylines were plausible. I guess I’d better go make these for my children so they know I love them! :)
Linsday — NO! Don’t tell me that! I’ll never finish my cookbook now…
Oh, Deb! This made my day! This was by far one of my favorite things from home ec. I made them so much at home that they became a tradition and made it into an extended family cookbook. How interesting that they were part of some nationwide home ec curriculum (I’m from the Twin Cities, MN).
Thanks for the blast from the past!
I too made these in 7th grade, here in Washington State. Granted, that was almost 14 years ago, but I still remember them well!
what a fine blog!! I am in love. thanks for making baking and cooking such a delightful and rewarding task. It feeds the spirit to the core!
I had Home Ec in 3rd grade. The teacher didn’t teach much and wasn’t monitoring what we did. It was my job to put the muffins in the oven. Nobody told me you can’t put muffins on the top shelf! Of course, they rose and stuck to the inside of the top of the oven. I still feel embarrassed when I think about it!
Whaaaat? Cinnamon AND brown butter? My favorite things EVER. Making this ASAP! :)
Geez Deb, these look like a dream come true. I mean, tiny little muffins that taste like donuts and are covered in brown butter and cinnamon?! Too good Deb, that’s just too good.
Anyone contemplating making these must do so! Mine just came out an hour ago and they are every bit as delicious as they look. I made a few changes due to laziness and two small boys underfoot, but end results were still divine. I used my hand mixer instead of the standup. I didn’t have buttermilk but I still wanted that tang, so I used regular milk with a splash of vinegar and a dollop of sour cream because I did have that. I just melted the butter in the microwave…. and I went for the fully dunking method – I must have been quite generous because I didn’t have quite enough of either one so I just made a bit more. I only have one mini muffin tin so I did a dozen in the mini doughnut pan. I have to say the muffins were my preference as the ratio of cake to coating was just oh so perfect. Another stellar recipe – I’ll repeat this one again and again!
Oh My God is all my wife keeps saying. These are sinful but so so so good. These will get made time after time on the weekends. Forget that, Monday through Friday. As my honey says these are orgasmic. Thank you.
I’d like to lift that last picture from my computer screen and just dump it in my mouth. Classy girl that I am.
I made these this morning. So simple and delicious. I used half and half because that is what I had on hand. I was able to coat them fully in butter and sugar, and had quite a bit of the sugar mixture left over. Thank you for another great recipe!
In my home ec class in 7th grade we made french toast and due to lack of funds, we made one piece of toast for every 4 person group. It was a sad little piece of french toast. We also learned how to clip coupons. I’m going out now to buy a mini-muffin pan (no, wrong, actually I’m sending my husband out for it) to make these, they look delightful.
Just made these for my NYE Harry Potter marathon. (Don’t look at me like that! I’m sick!) They turned out fabulously. My only issue is that the cake doesn’t have a terrible lot of flavor on its own. I might up the spices in the cake next time. I also have to be more patient next time because I tried to roll them too soon and they cracked. Only one fell apart in my hands though. Shame I had to eat it.
David A – I’m at 5000 ft in Colorado and just decreased the baking powder and soda by a little bit. Usually I take the last measuring scoop and cut it by 1/3 to 1/2. (For this recipe that turned out around 1 1/4 tsp powder and about 1/3 tsp soda.) If the batter is too thin, a tiny bit more flour. I honestly don’t fudge recipes around much for altitude. I cooked these minis around 360 (my oven is hot) for only 11 minutes.
My mother makes what I would assume would be the original version of these with milk and shortening. I was so excited to get your tweak to the recipe but I have to say I made them yesterday and they did not turn out nearly as good as my moms!! Mine were very very light and flakey and didn’t really stay together when I took them out of the pan to dip the butter. And I found them to be much sweeter than her version. For the first batch I filled my mini muffin tins 3/4 of the way and they did over flow and didn’t make the nice dome and subsequently were undipable!! On the second batch I filled them less than 1/2 and they did turn out to be a better size but I still had the issue with them crumbling even though I let them cool longer. This is a great recipe but I’m wondering if the tweaks made it too light and fluffly!?
I just made these and they turned out fantastic. Just like the description says, they’re a mix between a muffin and a doughnut hole. My wife has a butter addiction, so she insisted we roll them all the way around. I had enough butter leftover to do about half the batch all around without adding any extra to the original recipe. The bottoms definitely seemed to hold the butter better, so the difference is more pronounced than I thought.
Elania, I hate to say it, but you may have made an error for them to come out flaky or crumbly. They should have the consistency of muffins/cake/doughnuts, and mine weren’t all that sweet (until covered on all sides by cinnamon sugar, anyway). Maybe you had too much sugar or over-mixed?
Happy New Year!
I made these this morning; they are indeed contrary to most resolutions, but what a sweet way to start the new year. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Deb,
Happy New Year! I made these this morning and my husband finally told me to take the bowl away (only two of us for a full batch) or he would eat them all in one sitting :)
It was my first time making brown butter and I love how it turned out.
Thank you!
Just made these yesterday for New Year’s Eve – they were delicious!! Since I was using pre-ground nutmeg instead of fresh, I added a bit more. I also ate some leftovers for breakfast this morning and they were still great! (I may have added a bit of Double Devon Cream… shhhh.)
Made these this morning for brunch & they were a huge hit! I will say that for the mini-muffins, my baking time was closer to only 10 minutes, so depending on your oven watch the baking time.
Saw this post come in on my email and said to myself “cannot….make….these….too…..many…..cookies…..left”
After all these posts I’m kicking myself however there is always next weekend :-)
If this is anywhere near as good as your monkey bread with creamcheese glaze…I will gladly forgo all resolutions and bathe in buttery goodness!!!
I also still have a recipe I love from those days in HomeEc. Which btw…I aced sewing having been doing that since i was a kid, but cooking, well lets just say I am glad I had the sewing part in the bag cuz’ that helped carry my grade…and that oven explosion was not my fault!!
Just have to say…My oven died over the holidays and your website has been taunting me with yummy things I can’t bake, the new one comes tommorrow and I am so excited :-) I am getting a double oven and a range with a 5th burner! yes I did get better at the cooking half of HomeEc…or at least the baking side of things!
I wish I would have been able to take home ec!! I too had a miserable time in woodshop…it was pathetic. These puffs look amazing! And once I’m ready to eat some calories again they will be at the top of my list!
These are similar to Doughnut Muffins, ala Joy of Cooking. SOOOOOO good.
We made these in 8th grade Home Ec in 1971. These and grilled chocolate sandwiches were my first two cooking lessons. Yes. I said grilled chocolate sandwiches.
I am lazing it bed, the firs day since Black Friday but these recipes are making my stomach jump for joy. With this one, I am on my way to the kitchen to try it. Can’t wait. Your recipes are so basic and simple. I simply LOVE that.
These were little nuggets of yumminess. My kids absolutely devoured them, and my New Year’s hard core dieting husband ate 3 and more this morning. Definitely voted a repeat.
Naughty but very nice. Can’t wait to give them a go. Great blog post. Torie
Hahaha. The sippy of milk story in the play fridge. Gross. But hey, it was in the fridge…
So I saw this, and was seriously intrigued. And then, almost directly, went to the grocery store where, in the As Seen On TV section, they had this thing, two pans that fit one on top of the other. to make what they call a Cake Pop. That is, a perfect golfball-size sphere of cake, into which you are meant to lodge a stick and have something that looks like a sucker, but actually is more like a cupcake.
And I stood there for minutes, while the toddler in the shopping cart grew restless. And then I committed. And it was good.
Of course I saw this post before NYE and now it is firmly the week after New Years. I’ve already pulled out the stretchy pants and now seriously craving some of these cinnamon brown butter bites! Thank goodness I didn’t make any resolutions…yet. Let’s postpone those for another week.
Unfortunately, mine weren’t really puffy. The cinnamon sugar made up for it though, it was the best thing that could have happened to these little cakes!
Quick question… is this a recipe for minature version of beloved cinnamon sugar popovers? If I made them in a normal cupcake pan, would they pop up like I so desire? I have been looking for different popover recipes to try… my husband refuses to call them popovers and only refers to them as delicious crack covered in cinnamon sugar. Thanks.
Kelly — These aren’t popovers. They can have the same puff in a large or small pan provided that the cups are filled enough (I give instructions, also, baking times for each.)
Donut muffins! My wife used to make these all the time. Loved by all.
These have been renamed Birthday Breakfast Puffs out here on the west coast in honour of my daughter Marian’s sweet sixteen. They are a big hit and she wants them every morning! Thank you!!
hi! I wonder if this would work if i substituted the butter in the batter with canola oil instead for a healthier option?
Oooh, this looks so good!!!
OH MY! I completely forgot about these, made them many, many years ago from the 1960’s Betty Crocker cookbook. Your changes are always an upgrade, I think your browned butter tops will certainly enhance them. What a great reminder only better with BUTTER.
My dad got me a mini donut maker for Christmas (no, I didn’t ask for it). I wonder if this batter would work in that… thoughts? I’ve been having crazy cravings for buttery cinnamon sugar stuff. Specifically an Elephant Ear. mmmm deep fried dough… I’m rambling. sorry. ;)
Deb,
I made these for brunch this morning and they were a huge hit! Used freshly grated nutmeg and it made all the difference. A definite keeper as are all of your recipes :-)
Check out Food52 Breakfast Puffs almost the same recipe.
I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this post! My grandma used to make “French Breakfast Puffs” and I loved them. I now make them for my family often, but we always laugh and wonder why they are ‘french’. Glad you had the same thoughts and love them as much as we do!
I made these last night….super easy to make and tasted GREAT! I made mine in my donut pan instead….turned out YUMMY. Almost looked to good to eat! Thanks.
This is another fabulous recipe for HELEN’S FRENCH ROLLS. The nutmeg is a key ingredient.
These have been a staple in my family for years – my French-Canadian grandmother made them! We LOVE them. Thank you for passing them on here.
OMG! I made these today!!! I tried them vegan using applesauce to replace the egg. Then I used rice milk instead of buttermilk and vegan butter instead of regular butter! These came out SOOOOO delicious! My mom made some oatmeal to go with the puffs, ugh to definitely LIVE for :) . I love this recipe and my whole house does too. I’ll definitely be making these again!!!!
i make these all the time but i call them donut muffins because i took make them in a mini-muffin tin. They are made in a cinch and people devour them. The recipe I use makes them with canola oil so for people wondering oil absolutely works here. I bring them to events and they rarely last long.
I made these for an office potluck yesterday. I was a little afraid serving them the next day but they held up wonderfully. I fully dunked the mini ones because I had leftover brown butter and there was no way I was wasting it. They were phenomenal! So flavorful, so soft. I plan on making my own batch soon. Too soon.
Wow! I never thought I would be 206th , commenting the donut muffins!
Glad I’ve encountered your blog. This small ones look really attractive. Great photos by the way.
Sadly, I shall not make these because I know I will eat every last one in one sitting. As a HUGE cinnamon bread/roll/muffin junkie, I know my limits.
However…I could make these for brunch this weekend. If I share them, then I shall only wind up eating only half!
(Or maybe only 8.)
I soooo enjoy reading your blog. Delectable food, pictures, and stories. You are a gem!
As amusing as this is, I teach the new fangled home-ec (family and consumer science) to middle schoolers, and we make something very similar to this recipe!
How do you think this would do if the dough sat in the refrigerator overnight & baked the next morning?
Found this on Pinterest while laying in bed an hour ago and now they’re in the oven! Thanks for brightening up my Sunday morning! Can’t wait for the buzzer to go off. :)
These were my specialty in 7th grade! I have fond, fond memories of the county fair’s blue ribbon AND sweepstakes baking ribbon I won with them. Happy to see them pop up here, and will be even happier next weekend when I revisit my youth and stir some up once again.
I absolutely cannot wait to make these. I’ve resolved to lose a few kilo’s before embarking on baking/calorie-laden missions. The kg’s must be lost because these superb looking puffs must be eaten.
Lovely photography as usual.
Hey, there, Deb. Well….aside from burning the butter (first go round) – and being concerned that the puffs looked a little pale when I took them out of the oven….oh baby! Yea of little faith. After rolling them in the (new) brown butter and cinnamon and sugar mixture – they looked exactly like yours. Yay. Tasty and a definite plus when you heat them up before popping them into your mouth. Sweet! :)
These are great. Just a note to say you really must use unsalted butter for the melted brown butter. I didn’t and discovered all the salt remains and is intensified – the last dipped puffs were really salty! Lesson learned.
What can I use to substitute for buttermilk? – I have everything to make this but buttermilk! And trying to reduce going grocery shopping often these days – I have skim milk, 2% milk, and heavy whipping cream.
I keep envelopes of powdered buttermilk on hand just for events like this (buttermilk pancakes too). I add it powdered with the flour and then use water when it says to add buttermilk rather than going to the trouble of reconstituting it.
Thanks to Deb and Mircat! –
We have been baking (a GF version of) these every saturday morning since January – the kids love them! My non-cinnamon kid forgoes the cinnamon topping, turns them upside down and spreads them with Nutella, what a genius!!
I made these. They’re amazing. The next “Poetry Tuesday” on my blog will be dedicated to them. And then I’ll be making them again! I do like them better with just the tops dipped in cinnamon. Otherwise, I think the flavor of the puff gets a little lost.
Thank you!
Great recipe. For me, the smaller the puffs the better – they absorb more butter and sugar that way. I’m thinking next time of using cardamom in the place of nutmeg. I love that flavor.
I had to pull out my Betty Crocker cookbook and find this recipe, p. 65. I’ll be making these soon. Thanks, Deb.
Did you first make this recipe in 7th grade?
It looks delicious (: I love cinnamon x3
My family made these for so many special occasions — Christmas morning, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day (breakfast in bed!) — and they are wonderful. I love them. I now put nutmeg in my pancake batter because of breakfast puffs!
I think I’ve already gone back and made these two more times. They are really good. Even though there are two millions things I feel like I need to get done on the weekends, I love taking the time to make special smitten kitchen breakfast treats. My husband and I eat them all in one day. I think I might eat more than he does.
Long time lurker, but I simply had to come out of hiding! Since before I could walk, my extended family and I all get together and vacation on Cape Cod. Our favorite bakery from which to grab breakfast is called The Cottage Street Bakery, and our favorite pastry that we order is a dense, nutmeg muffin rolled in butter and cinnamon-sugar, otherwise known as the All Important Dirt Bomb. I have their old cookbook, and the recipe is almost identical as the one posted above. I can only recommend, if you are in the Orleans area of Cape Cod, that you head down to the bakery, just as much for the experience than anything else!
Rather than do the rolling-in-butter thing, would it be possible to pipe cream into these as soon as they come out of the oven? Would it work??
Cheers!
Do you mean like a doughnut with a cream filling? I’m not sure. These are pretty solid in the center with cake. I think filled doughnuts are an eggier dough that puffs open more in the fryer.
Thanks Deb, yeah that’s what I meant. Do you think it would be possible to create the monster I have in mind by altering this recipe at all?
You might be able to if you carve out the center a little with a thin knife — maybe a grapefruit knife? I am sure everyone will love them!
i’ve made this recipe twice now, and it’s delicious! my grandmother used to make these and she called them “puffins.” this recipe tastes exactly how i remember them! thanks for bringing back good memories :)
These things. Are. AMAZING. These turned out perfectly for me. A tip: grease the pans with the butter wrappers! You only need to save a smidge extra butter to get all the way around the pan. Handy, because then the wrappers get a little exercise before you toss ’em.
I made these this morning and they turned out great! It was a cloudy and not very warm labor day here in NY so I decided it was a good day for baking something special for breakfast. These were really easy to make and came out exactly like the picture! This is also the first time I’ve browned butter and it is incredible. Nutty and almost caramel like smell coming out of the kitchen was enough to get my husband off the couch, away from his video games ( -_- I’ll do anything to get him away from those things) and into the kitchen! Thanks Deb!
We are munching these tasty morsels as I type… Sooooo good. We have tried a similar recipe for baked donuts, but honestly they are a pain to make. The mini muffin version is awesome. This was my first experience using browned butter and I will confess that I removed the butter from the burner after it melted but before it browned and then convinced myself to go ahead and brown it. Certainly well worth the extra couple minutes. I doubled the recipe to get 3 doz plus 4 mini muffins which may seem like a lot, but hey, there are 12 of us. Oh, and like a doofus I failed to cream the butter and sugar because in haste I added the sugar to my dry ingredients- no problemo- all worked out just fine.
Do you think this would work in a bread loaf pan?
I made it in a loaf pan (subbing yogurt for buttermilk) and adding cinn to the batter. Then, I melted a few T butter, mixed with a few T maple syrup and cinn… and drizzled that over it upside down, then flipped it and drizzled more on the top. It’s great!
Holy flashback, Batman! We made these in the 7th grade as well. Standard textbooks? Even into our 20’s, my best friend and I used to make them on Sundays…the only thing we could cook! This brought back so many memories. Thank you for them! And thank you for the recipe again! Will definately give them a go….
These are very delish!
I added cinnamon chips to the dough and it was very good. I like covering the whole puff with the butter nd suar mix!!
Essential Huricane Sandy supplies, cinnamon brown butter breakfast puffs! Brown butter has changed me, for the better : )
Just made these for breakfast. Delicious! I didn’t have any ground cinnamon, because my adorable husband used it all without telling me. Instead, he grated a cinnamon stick . . . and my, oh my, it was divine. Thanks for another great recipe!
We all LOVED these! Thank you!
I”m just thankful I don’t have an electric mixer or I WOULD BE MAKING THESE EVERY DAY.
I just made these looking for a simple recipe. Everyone loves them, including me!! Super fabulous, I will be making these all the time.
Thanks!!!
Love your story telling! Recipes are fabulous as well.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I made some of these myself although without the buttermilk. The browned butter was a fantastic addition!!
Hi
Can I make the puffs today & do the coating tomorrow? Its for my kid’s school Christmas party & I dont want to do it all tomorrow.
Thx
Rasmi — No, it needs to be done when they’re still hot from the oven.
Just made these and they are absolutely delicious! I’ve loved every recipe of yours that ‘ve tried and find your page to be my go to recipe site. Thank you!
I made these for the 4th or 5th time last night and they were incredible! Such a reliable recipe. Thank you! I’m very tempted to buy a doughnut pan just to see how these would come out. I’m picturing those Entenmanns cinnamon doughnuts, but without all the artificial ingredients. mmmm.
HELLOOOOO! this is a re-write of the “French Breakfast Puff” recipe that’s been in EVERY Betty Crocker cookbook since the 1950s…this recipe is NOT NEW!! it’s prob in your grandmother’s old cookbook…
vini — Betty Crocker is fully credited for the recipe throughout the article.
Deb, where did you get that cute serving dish from? (Last picture)
It was actually a gift someone gave me this one time I went to visit the Pioneer Woman on her ranch and I cannot remember her name.
These were delicious, but… I had a bit of extra brown butter I didn’t want to waste so I rolled the entire last two muffins in it, as per your advice, and they were too rich/decadent completely rolled in. Coming from someone who can’t have enough butter/ sugar, even I was surprised, but just in case there are others out there who wanted to try this too. They are perfect and perfectly balanced as is!
These are lovely but when they are cold, does that butter dip get a bit cold and greasy?
If yes, then what better reason to EAT THEM ALL AT ONCE.
Errr VINI,
Deb changed ther original Betty Crocker significantly, so much that i think she’d be entitled to claim ALL the credit for it. But, generous person that she is, she gave you the full bio of the recipe and named BC several times.
Have you ever been to Sweetleaf Espresso bar (in Williamsburg or LIC)? I baked there for a bit, and we would make these fresh every morning, exactly like this. We’d go ahead and call them douhgnuts though, and they sell out every morning. Just sayin’, if you know, the laziness ever takes over :)
These look amazing!! I wonder if you would be able to suggest an alteration to make them gluten free? GF pastries are hard!
Great choice for a stay-at-home morning! I made a very similar recipe on Sunday, Doughnut Muffins from King Arthur Flour. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/doughnut-muffins-recipe
They were awesome (!), and these likely are also fabulous.
Oh, amazing…these remind me of an elephant ear, a bit! Which I love, but you can only get them at the fair. I also have a set of miniature muffin tins I use only once a year (literally, to make pecan tarts over the holidays) and I honestly had never thought of doing much else with them. This will be perfect to both get some use out of those tins, and to share with my sweetie for a Valentine’s Day breakfast! :) Thank you!
French Breakfast Puffs!!! They are the first things I taught my husband to cook when we met 40 years ago. I would then request them for Sunday Breakfast and luxuriate in not having to do the cooking for that one meal. He has learned a lot since then and recently cared for me with great food during my recovery from cancer surgery.
A bakery near me in Bantam, CT is famous for these! If you’re ever driving through Litchfield County Connecticut- stop in at Bantam Bread Company and try one!
Just made these! Browned some batter butter for extra deliciousness.
Ohhhhhhh they are soooo gooood…
Deb, can you use brown sugar and cinnamon on top instead of white sugar? Also can I use skim milk? Thanks….
Leslie — Skim milk should work just fine here, but brown sugar is much harder to roll the cakes in. It’s heavier and less likely to stick, too. If you can pull it off, however, I’m sure it would be delicious.
Hi Deb!
These look so good! I was wondering if I could make the dough 3 days ahead of time, and bake when I need them? Thanks!
Have been eyeing this recipe forever, waiting for the perfect moment to make them. Took advantage of a snow day to make them for breakfast today. My kids swooned… might be their favorite thing I’ve made. Ever. Thanks for the perfect snow day treat!
I’ve made these before but this was the first time with this recipe. Let me tell you…these were by far the best!!! Amazing!!
This is first time that I visit here. I found so many exciting matter in this particular blog, One thing I would like to request you that pls keep posting such type of informatics blog.
Deb, if I make these and can’t eat them all on my lonesome (shocking I know) and want to freeze them as you mentioned, can I dip and roll them before freezing them or would it be better to not? I picture it being potentially messy either way….Thanks!
I just made these for a house full of teen boys. I’m like a god to them this morning. Thanks!
I made these yesterday for a meeting at my house, along with your sour cream chocolate chip coffee cake, and both were big hits. Not a bite of either left.
A second batch was made this morning, and I used some of the browned butter I had left over to butter the muffin tins to get just that little extra of that nutty goodness in to the muffins.
So far I’ve only made the mini muffin style, next time I’ll make the full sized ones with a teaspoon or two of jam in the middle for an extra surprise.
Must have been a nationwide 7th grade curriculum item. I was raised in west coast and had same home ec recipe
Ha! I have a very similar recipe that my kids call Muffin Vitamins. So good and so easy even on school mornings! I have occasionally added fresh blueberries or peach chunks to up the “vitamin” quality. Love your site!
These were so cute and delicious. Perfect!
Back to add that the puffs we fully submerged in butter had a much softer, moister interior than the ones that only had buttered tops. The butter serves as a kind of syrup or other protectant from drying out. If making these the a day ahead I would def recommend dunking totally in butter. Just wanted to note the pros and cons to both approaches!
I meant to add this reply to my own comment, not this one. Sorry!
these were a HUGE hit for adult snow day yesterday. Portland got about a foot of snow (!!!) and a baking project was required. i accidentally (honest) made a double batch. my partner ate so many he made ME ill. i sent the rest to work for his coworkers today. ok, i saved a *few* for home.
note if anyone else wonders about the timing — yes, you CAN brown the butter while they bake but (duh, how did i not realize?) the butter is then HOT. dip/rolling in hot butter is less fun than cooled butter. make the butter first, just like Deb suggests.
I made these after they popped up in my Facebook feed this morning (following smitten kitchen is both awesome and a terrible idea) and they were exactly what I hoped they would be. I made them as regular size and they were perfectly light and fluffy, not to mention delicious.
My mom made these when I was growing up in the 70s — it was a recipe from my aunt. Nice to know more about their origin. We called them Baked Doughnuts. So delicious! It was one of the first recipes I called home for when I had my first apartment.
Great recipe. I would double the fresh nutmeg and reduce the butter, cinnamon and sugar to 1/2. I had a lot left over.
I made them in a regular muffin pan for brunch and they were divine but definitely too big. I’m making them tonight in my mini muffin pan like suggested.
This recipe makes a lot. I had enough for six people with big appetites but I did cover the whole muffins in the brown butter which made them pretty rich
How do you think this would turn out as a bunt cake (maybe double the recipe?), with a brown-butter drizzle and then coating in cinnamon sugar? Cakes go over better than cupcakes at the office. There’s something about the psychology of “just a little slice” rather than committing to a full cupcake.
My dad bought the Betty Crocker recipe book 20 years ago and we started making these at my grandparent’s house for Thanksgiving and it became a tradition! I love that you made these!!!
You got the sweetest compliment today from my eight-year old son: “Mom, will you teach me how to make these so I can make them for my kids?” Thanks for a great recipe!!
My grandmother made these and would but allspice and mace in it. So good! I’m gf now so I can’t have them 😐
Question- If made in advance should we dip in butter and sugar, too? Cannot wait to meet you in Portland on your book tour!
Made in advance and frozen is what I meant to ask!
I am also wondering this. Did you give it a try?
These are cute and perfect for morning coffee or tea! I made them quickly and had super happy exclamations from husband and a friend who was visiting as they went to town on these!! Thank you for YET another great recipe–I have never had one fail on me that you have shared❤️! Been following you for a long long time and my family has benefitted from your scrumptious recipes a lot! This one is a keeper for sure!!
My husband and I made these and they are so very delicious.
I took a Home Economics class in the 7th grade. I probably don’t need to tell you how stoked I was about this (especially after nearly flunking Wood Shop the semester before with the saddest “toolbox” ever) although I am fairly certain they failed at whatever household management skills they’d hoped to impress on my 12-year-old self.
http://www.uberpanache.com/your-handy-guide-to-french-breakfast-before-a-luxury-trip-1372
Deb – these are superb! I made these to use up the last 1/2 cup of buttermilk in our fridge not knowing they would change my damn life. They are indeed like a little doughnut, and doughnuts are my favorite things, yet so hard to find a good one where I live and I’m still too scared to fry one up at home! Now all I have to do is whip up a batch of these!
I loved your NY Times piece on cooking at home. You such a great writer and my husband and I are so happy you found success doing what you were so clearly born to do. Your blog is an essential part of our home life!
Oh my. When I was little we would sometimes have ‘muffins that taste like donuts’ and this is them! Exactly! Well, minus the buttermilk, baking soda, and browned butter (they must have been the original recipe), so when I saw this on Instagram I dropped everything, grabbed my 4 year old and told her we were baking.
They taste the same as I remember, and I’m so happy we can make them, and that she can indulge in one tomorrow morning before her very first day of school (😭).
So sweet :)
How was her first day of school, and most importantly, did she enjoy her cinnamon breakfast puff?
These are perfection! Everyone loved them. We have an egg allergy in the house so I subbed a flax egg and they turned out perfect. Thank you!!
Oh, my, they are tender and delicious, and the nutmeg and browned butter add the perfect touch. I made them in 24 instead of 30 mini muffins and it worked, just barely. Do you suppose it had anything to do with sampling a little of the batter as I went? My husband and I taste tested them when they just finished baking and loved them and I will take them to share with a group tomorrow morning where we don’t have an oven to warm them. I can microwave them on low to heat them a bit; hmmm…not sure if I should. They are too wonderful to mess up.
How is it possible that this is the first time I’ve ever made these? Bet your ass I immediately ate the very last one that sucked up all the brown bits and felt my brain short-circuit with pleasure as a result. p.s. does everybody know that cinnamon sugar with a pinch of salt added is often better than the version without salt?? If you only have unsalted butter for the browning, this is an especially tasty step.
I made these today with a gluten-free flour for a GF family member. (Just a cheap Robin Hood GF flour mix that FYI did contain xanthan gum so no need to add). I’ve made them multiple times with normal flour too, and they’ve turned out great. The gluten free sub also worked super well. The GF version are slightly more delicate but still possible to dip in the browned butter and sugar. For the more delicate ones, I just drizzled and sprinkled. Either way – super!
Just made these, they are awesome and addictive. And reminiscent of home exercise class! Thank you!
Has anyone tried this with a flax egg? Looks lovely but I’m running low on chicken eggs at the moment x
Made these today and they were so good! Instead of buttermilk, used like 1/3 cup sour cream plus remaining volume of oat milk (which was what I had). While puffs baked, I diced 1/2 an apple and cooked it in butter, a lil brown sugar, and cinnamon. Didn’t quite stick as a topping, but great on the side!!
Saw these in my Instagram feed yesterday and knew they were a weekend (wait, is it the weekend?) must. Didn’t have dairy milk or buttermilk but subbed sweetened almond milk and about a tablespoon of water to temper the sweetness and followed baking instruction to eliminate baking powder. These were easy, fun, and absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for creating and sharing wonderful recipes every single day. Your recipes are a big part of what’s keeping us going right now :)
Brown butter and cinnamon sugar! The best!
My butter solidified a bit but I used it anyway! Delicious!
Yum! Made these this morning and they are delicious! I did find like some other commenters that in my mini muffin tin it came out to 24 and that I needed less than half the topping. I got to the topping stage a little faster by flipping the muffins on the side in their wells in small groups to let the bottoms get some air. I found I only needed to do the tops for my preferred sweetness but by accident saw that since the bottoms were still a little moist you can roll the bottoms in the sugar too without dipping the whole thing in the butter (and getting your fingers all buttery).
These are delicious. A few tips:
-Add a tiny bit of salt to the cinnamon sugar.
-I did some completely submerged in butter and some where I only dipped the top in. For breakfast, we definitely preferred the lighter top-only option. (I never thought I’d want less browned butter in my life, so I went ahead and did 12 puffs with butter all over. As blasphemous as it feels to say, I wish I hadn’t! They were much too rich for breakfast.) I would recommend only doing one or two (one with top only and one with butter all over) and tasting them first before doing the whole batch, so you can decide which speed you prefer.
-I microwaved the butter since I didn’t have the foresight to soften it on the counter (I woke up and immediately decided to make these, full steam ahead) and it worked great. (Microwave an entire stick with wrapper on in 5 second bursts, turning to the next side every 5 seconds, until soft. It only takes about 15-20 seconds total.)
Back to add that the next day, the puffs we had fully submerged in butter had a much softer, moister interior than the ones that only had buttered tops. The ones with buttered tops only were good, but definitely like day-old cake. Having melted butter on all sides definitely keeps them from drying out. If making these the a day ahead I would absolutely recommend dunking totally in butter; they also seemed less rich the next day. Just wanted to note the pros and cons to both approaches, if you’re unsure!
Seeking some kitchen comfort today, I was working on a meal of turkey soup, homemade bread and fresh butter. With buttermilk pooled in the stand mixer bowl after the butter formed, Deb’s french puffs seemed just the thing. I followed the recipe exactly, using a regular muffin tins. 25 or so minutes later my kids were happily devouring a snack of puffy cinnamon bliss.
Oh my gosh! I remember the delicious cinamon toast from home economics in grammar school. I just found a recipe for it. Did you also make croutons? I remember those too. I think we made them with tomato soup, but I don’t have a recipe for either one. I make these little donuts, but the fried version. Then you throw them in a bag with the cinnamon sugar to coat. Quite delicious fried in lard!
I can’t wait to try this recipe!!! Sending love and kisses. Wishing you a very happy new year 🎊🎆.
I made these with gluten free ap flour and they are amazing! I’m not even mad I had to make gf for my celiac husband. Texture is still moist and very donut like. This is a keeper!
I never comment on recipes, like ever! But wow. Just made these (followed the recipe to a T) and I have to say, that is the best, fluffiest batter I have ever had! I am a total batter lover, most of the time when I make cookies I eat more batter than I do actual baked cookies. I had enough for 24 mini muffins, and instead of dirtying another muffin pan, i just used my cookie scoop and did drop cookies on parchment paper with the rest (6 cookies worth.) Plus I ate at least 2 scoops of batter (lol) The only difference I did was I didn’t fully brown the butter, I am one of those weird people who doesn’t care for browned butter (I know, I’ll just see myself out.)
Will definitely save this and make again and again for a super quick and easy treat!
I made these beauties and can’t say enough how much we loved them! I was a bit worried they would come out dry because the batter is quite thick but they were so tender inside. Such an easy treat to whip up when the donut craving strikes while in lockdown. Thanks for yet another home run, Deb!
Can gluten free flour be used in this recipe? Which would you recommend?
I made these this morning, hoping they would be like what I made in home-ec class, which was called “buttons and bows,” (but those were rolled out and a cookie cutter was used for them…) and decided that while they were good, I won’t be making them again unless I have guests to eat them all; I’d prefer a caramel or cinnamon roll personally if I’m going for a super carb heavy sugary breakfast.
Divine! With this recipe, I think we are creating a generation of kids who will grow up asking each other “Hey, did your mom do these cinnamon puffs when she felt guilty?” “Yeah, man, each time she wanted to show us how much she loved us, she would bake these puffs….” :-)
Girl! As soon as I saw these I knew they would be snickerdoodle butter cakey. I was given your cookbook years ago and the butter cakey snickerdoodleish cake in there was the first recipe I tried. I still make it when I have a lot of butter and have a hankering.
I am so thrilled to try these! 💃🏼
Made these muffins this morning! So yummy. I ad made them from the original recipe years ago and they do remind me of the cinnamon doughnuts my Mom used to make for my brother and I. Another great recipe Deb! I
I made these for the first time this morning and added the zest of an orange to the recipe. I put about 2/3 of the zest in the batter and the remaining 1/3 zest into the browned butter after I’d taken it off the heat. All agreed that they were absolutely delicious! Thanks Deb! 👩🍳💋
These are just like the muffins in the Frog Commissary Cookbook. Love them.
These are so wonderful! I’ve made two batches this week. I discovered you can make them with the Reverse Creaming Method, which makes them easy peasy.
Put all the dry ingredients in the mixer, add the butter and beat it in. Next, the buttermilk, and last, the egg.
These are so delicious! I have to hide them in the freezer or we’d eat the entire batch in one day. Thanks so much for the treats.
Does anyone know if there is a way to make the dough ahead of time, put it in the fridge overnight, and then bake them the next morning? Would the overnight dough refrigeration ruin them?
I baked these in madeline pans, brushed on the butter both sides and sprinkled the cinnamon sugar mixture for a lighter two-bite piece of wonder with coffees in the morning. Delish!
When I saw the photo on Instagram I thought to myself, “can that be a French Breakfast Puff?” My mom has been making these for years, straight outta her 70s era Betty Crocker cookbook. I love them. Making them mini is a great idea and I can’t wait to try it.
Will this work with gluten free flour?
These are just the right size, delicious, and my granddaughters love them. Make these now.
I made these exactly as written for my family this morning and they disappeared almost instantly. This afternoon my husband asked if there was any chance I could make them again for an afternoon treat… so, safe to say they were a hit! (And that we have officially eaten too many cinnamon sugar puffs today!). I made mini-muffins in a tin that made 24 perfectly sized little 2-bite treats. I pulled them at exactly 12 minutes from the oven and the texture was just right, and still fluffy and moist. Really good!
Wondering about cider-donuting these — maybe add some boiled cider and cut back a bit on milk???
When my son was 3 he didn’t like to eat much of anything and getting him to eat breakfast was a struggle. I gave him an exhaustive list of breakfast options one day, he refused them all in short order and asked me in his articulate 3 year old voice “Do you know how to make donuts?” I had just discovered this recipe so of course I said yes lol and he scarfed them down. It has become one of those family stories that gets repeated. He’s now much bigger with a much bigger appetite, thankfully, but he just requested these again and how could I refuse? They stand the test of time!