Muffadoodles (Snickerdoodle Muffins)

Second week as Savannah Clarke. I have been writing the name in small places to practice it. In the margin of a grocery list. On a sticky note. I do not legally have it yet, the name change takes time, but I have been trying it on and it fits the same way the ring fits and the way the duplex fits, which is completely and without the need to adjust.

The daycare had a staff photo this week and Miss Patrice introduced me to the new enrollment coordinator as Savannah Clarke. She said it without thinking, she had heard Tyler use it, and it was the first time anyone outside the family had called me that and I had to look very composed about it for a professional photograph.

My blog post this week was about names. About being born Savannah Dawkins and living that name through seven homes and a lot of other people decisions and then choosing Clarke because I chose it, fully, without any hesitation. I wrote about how a name change is different when it is the first change you have made entirely on your own terms. My name has never been mine before. It is mine now. I chose it. That matters so much I could not fit it in five hundred words but I tried.

Made Gloria cornbread dressing Wednesday for no occasion because we had leftover cornbread and it felt right. Tyler ate it standing at the counter before it fully cooled and said it was extraordinary. I said thank you. He said every night is Thanksgiving when you cook. I filed that away where I keep things that are too good to lose.

The cornbread dressing that Wednesday was the same impulse — no occasion, just leftover cornbread and the feeling that something warm should come out of the oven. That’s been the through-line of this whole season, honestly: doing things because I chose to, because they feel right, because I’m building a life where “no reason except I wanted to” is reason enough. These Muffadoodles are in that same spirit — a little cinnamon, a little sugar, a soft and generous thing made on a Tuesday or a Wednesday for no occasion at all except that you’re Savannah Clarke now, and Savannah Clarke bakes when it feels right.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 18 minutes | Total Time: 33 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for topping
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (for topping)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well with nonstick spray.
Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Combine wet and dry. Add the sour cream and milk to the butter mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until no dry streaks remain — do not overmix.
Fill the muffin cups. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
Make the cinnamon-sugar topping. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush the tops of the muffins lightly with the melted butter, then sprinkle generously with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Bake. Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Nutrition (per serving)

Muffadoodles (Snickerdoodle Muffins) — Baking Something Just Because It Feels Right