Coffee Cake Muffins

Sorry I haven't posted in a week!  I had a mini vacation to Baltimore for my cousin's wedding.  I had a great time and got to see lots of family that I hadn't seen in years.  And one of my cousin's issued me a challenge to fix a recipe for her - which I gladly took and will happily post about.  She sent me the recipe and I'm going over it as we speak and already making corrections to it - hopefully it will turn out well.  :) 

Back to the baking!  Tuesday is treat day for my favorite 3 taste testers.  I have been wanting to make these for a while now, I mean really - who doesn't like a coffee cake?!  And in the form of a muffin/cupcake - love it.  Of course I got this from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes (they are called Struesel Cupcakes in the book).  And the batter for this is delicious.  I could eat it all day.  I literally scraped the bowl clean before I washed it - wrong I know. 

The first time I made these I had a boo boo.  I read the recipe really quick and it seemed simple and straightforward enough. I made the batter and when finished I made the topping.  After the topping was made is when I see it - refrigerate for 30 minutes.  WHAT?!  Why wasn't this part first in the cookbook?!  Nowhere in the directions does it say "Hey - make the topping first".  So now, I'm semi-freaking out.  Things are ready to go - I've got the oven on and the batter already in all the cupcake tins.  So I stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes - worked out great.  But it was a great lesson to read the whole thing slow :) 

No errors this time (and since the first time I made them).  I made the topping and let it hang out in the fridge for a while.

topping - yum

I love this batter - really easy to make and delicious. 

so tasty

Now comes the fun part.  I take my cookie scoop and scoop out one scoop into each cupcake/muffin hole.  Don't worry about smooshing it down - that comes in a minute.  Just leave it the way it falls in there.  After its all scooped out (and I've found that it really makes 30 - not 24)  comes the fun part of adding in the topping.  You place some in and squish it down into the batter.  You will have some topping left over - then you go back and sprinkle it on the top of each muffin and bake away.  Don't worry if you can't see the top, the batter bakes up through it.  And then you get these -




they smell so good
while baking

Let cool and then make the icing.  And then drizzle away - make it fancy or however you like it.  We all know I'm no artist :) 



yes please

So Heays brings them in to the men and I had to make a special trip earlier in the day to one of them before he left work (which is something I never do - why deliver it yourself when you have someone who will?) :) The feedback was hysterical.  "SOO GOOD"  "WOW"  "The best yet"  They know that I love feedback - its the only thing I ask of them now that they are taste testers :)  


Struesel Cupcakes

makes 24

Topping:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar

2 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt; cut in the butter using a pastry blender, your fingertips or 2 table knives until combined but still crumbly.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

Milk Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as eneded.  Stir in vanilla by hand.  Add flour mixture and sour cream; stir until just combined.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups.  Sprinkle half the topping over cupcakes, gently pressing it into the batter.  Sprinkle evenly with remaining topping.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
4. To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet;  drizzle evenly with milk glaze.  Glaze cupcakes can be stored up to 3 says at room temperature in airtight containers.

Milk Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

3 tbsp milk

Whisk together ingredients until smooth.  Use immediately.