Cinnamon & Sugar Mini Cupcakes

My favorite breakfast growing up was simple... cinnamon and sugar toast. I loved the dark spicy taste of cinnamon combined with sweet sugar.

I distinctly remember one morning when the simple toast was off just a tad. With toast in hand, I took a big bite, chewed, and swallowed. Still groggy from just waking up, I hesitated to take another bite... there was something wrong with my beloved breakfast. I took another bite and quickly spit it out. Then, my mom smelled the toast and laughed, she could tell it wasn't cinnamon. So just what was the brown spice she used??? Celery Salt!! We still laugh about this and I learned the hard way to always double check the label!

After slaving away making the ladybug cookies, I had a hankering to bake something simple and sweet and the cinnamon and sugar mini cupcakes - a recipe that reminded me of my favorite childhood breakfast - was just the ticket!


Cinnamon and Sugar Mini Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (any fat content)

Topping
5 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
3. In a bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter for a minute. Add sugar and beat on medium until pale and fluffy.
4. Beat in egg and vanilla, mixing until smooth and thick.
5. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until incorporated.6. Spray a mini cupcake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Scoop batter into mini cupcake pan. No need to use paper liners.
Bake roughly 10 minutes or until tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Once cupcakes have cooled, transfer to a cooling rack.

Now the best part... the topping! Melt the butter in a small bowl. In another bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon. One at a time, dunk a cupcake in the bowl of butter, then in the bowl of cinnamon and sugar.