Muffadoodles (Snickerdoodle Muffins) -- The House Smelled Like Welcome

Week 558. Year 11. Tommy is 44. Deer season. The stand at dawn. The coffee in the thermos. The waiting that is not waiting but praying — the silent prayer of a man in a tree, asking the woods for what the woods are willing to give. venison chili for dinner from what the season provides.

Made venison chili this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The door is open.

The small union-electrician role at the small IBEW Local 995 in Baton Rouge continues to be the small career-spine. The small thirty-year-Local-995-membership has built the small senior-electrician-status. The small commercial-construction-projects are the small steady-work in the small Baton-Rouge-Industrial-Corridor.

The three kids are: Luc (born 2006, the small oldest), Colette (born 2008, the small middle-daughter), Rémy (born 2011, the small youngest). The small Danielle (the small wife, from Lafayette) is the small partner Tommy has built the small Baton-Rouge-life with. The small two-income family-of-five has been the small Baton Rouge middle-class household.

The small Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) destroyed the small Chalmette, Louisiana home where Tommy had grown up. The small twenty-year-anniversary of the small loss is the small ongoing-marker. The small move to Baton Rouge in October 2005 had been the small refugee-from-the-storm displacement. The small Baton Rouge has been the small home for the small twenty years now.

The small Cajun-cooking-tradition is the small kitchen-identity. The small jambalaya, the small gumbo, the small etouffee, the small red-beans-and-rice (on Mondays, the small traditional-Cajun Monday-staple). The small recipes from Maw-Maw Beaumont (Tommy’s grandmother who had been in Chalmette before Katrina, passed in 2014) continue to be the small kitchen-spine.

The small St. Aloysius Catholic Parish congregation is the small Sunday-worship and social-network. The small twenty-year-membership has been the small post-Katrina-rebuild of the small community. The small parish-cookouts, the small parish-bingo, the small parish-school-fundraisers are the small Beaumont-family-engagement.

The small Louisiana-summer-heat-and-humidity is the small weather-reality. The small grilling-and-outdoor-cooking happens in the small early-morning or the small late-evening when the small temperature is bearable. The small Louisiana-spring-and-fall are the small narrow-windows of pleasant cooking-weather.

The small Sunday-publishing-rhythm of the recipe blog continues to be the small organizing-spine of the small week. The small Sunday-cooking happens in the small late-morning-to-early-afternoon window. The small photographing of the finished dish happens at the small three-PM kitchen-light-window. The small writing-up of the recipe happens at the small four-PM workspace at the kitchen-counter. The small final-edit happens at the small five-PM. The small post publishes at seven PM. The small ritual has been running for years.

The small recipe-development-philosophy continues to be the small small-batch-test-then-publish approach. The small first cook of a small new recipe happens on the small Saturday afternoon. The small adjustments are noted in the small kitchen-notebook. The small second cook happens Sunday with the small adjustments incorporated. The small Sunday-cook is the small version that gets photographed and published. The small two-test process catches the small recipe-flaws before they reach the small reader.

The small kitchen-equipment-inventory has the small key-pieces that show up in nearly every recipe. The small heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for the small braises. The small twelve-inch cast-iron skillet for the small sears and the small pan-roasts. The small half-sheet baking-pans for the small roasted vegetables and the small cookies. The small wooden-spoon-collection in the small ceramic-pitcher on the counter. The small chef’s-knife and the small paring-knife and the small bread-knife that are the small daily-tools.

The small grocery-shopping rhythm runs through the small Tuesday-evening trip and the small Saturday-morning top-off. The small Tuesday-trip is the small weekly-stock-up for the small staples and the small produce and the small protein. The small Saturday-trip is the small quick-fill for whatever the small Sunday-recipe requires that is not already in the small pantry. The small two-trip-per-week pattern keeps the small grocery-bill manageable and the small food-waste low.

The small meal-planning happens on the small Sunday-evening for the small week-ahead. The small dinners are mapped out across the small Monday-through-Saturday. The small repeating-meals are slotted in (the small pasta-Monday, the small taco-Tuesday or similar pattern). The small new-recipes are slotted for the small Wednesday-or-Thursday for the small variety. The small planning ahead reduces the small daily what-are-we-making-for-dinner stress.

The small weekday-cooking is the small efficient-and-fast mode. The small Sunday-cooking is the small slow-and-careful mode. The small two-modes serve the small two-different-needs. The small weekday-cooking has to be on the small table within forty-five minutes of getting home from the small work-or-school-pickup. The small Sunday-cooking can take three hours and benefit from every minute of that time.

The small recipe-archive on the small blog has grown to many hundreds of recipes over the years. The small archive is the small searchable-resource for the small weekday-meal-planning. The small reader-feedback in the small comments-section helps refine the small recipes over time. The small note-from-a-reader who tried a small substitution that worked better than the small original gets incorporated into the small recipe-revision.

The small Sunday-cooking-and-writing rhythm is the small thing that has held across years of life-changes and family-events and small ordinary-weekday-disruptions. The small constant is the small Sunday. The small constant is the small recipe. The small constant is the small posting-at-seven-PM ritual. The small constant is the small reader on the other end of the small post who is going to read the small recipe and try the small recipe in the small reader’s own kitchen.

Deer season means early mornings and long silences and the kind of hunger that settles deep in the chest by the time you climb down from the stand — and what I wanted waiting on the counter when I got home was something warm, something with cinnamon, something that made the house smell the way a house is supposed to smell in October. These Muffadoodles are that. Snickerdoodle muffins: soft, sugared, quick enough to bake while the coffee is still hot, ready before the cold follows you inside. Maw-Maw Beaumont always said the first thing that hits someone when they walk through the door is the smell — and this one does the job.

Muffadoodles (Snickerdoodle Muffins)

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 18 minutes | Total Time: 28 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with butter or nonstick spray.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
5. Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stir just until combined — do not overmix.
6. Fill the tin. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
7. Make the topping. Stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Brush the top of each unbaked muffin lightly with melted butter, then sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
8. Bake. Bake at 375°F for 16–18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are set and lightly golden.
9. Cool and serve. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Best served warm. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 130mg