Snickerdoodle Mini Muffins

Five months to the wedding. Tyler suit is ordered. His first suit. He has never owned a suit. He went with Marcus to a menswear place in Montgomery and they spent three hours and Marcus texted me updates with photographs. Tyler looks extraordinary in a suit. I did not know that before. I know it now and I think about it more than is probably reasonable.

Work has been hard this week. One of the children in my room is going through something at home that I cannot name but that I can see. She comes in too still and leaves too fast and does not eat her lunch completely. I have told Miss Patrice. The right people are looking into it. That is all I can do from where I stand and I know that and it still costs me. It costs me every time. I do not think that cost goes away. I think you just learn where to put it so it does not take over everything.

Made bread pudding Sunday with day-old bread from the bakery near Gloria house. Bread pudding is the food of using everything you have. Stale bread, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, whatever you have. You pour it over and let it soak and bake it until it sets. It is the most forgiving dish. Nothing goes wrong with bread pudding if you have the patience to wait for the soak. I have been practicing patience for thirty years. Bread pudding is easy.

Sunday I made the bread pudding and it held me through the evening, but Monday morning I wanted something I could carry — something small enough to tuck into a bag and leave somewhere without making a thing of it. I made a batch of these snickerdoodle mini muffins before school. I did not leave them for her specifically. I left them in the room and I did not watch who took one. That is sometimes the only way you can do it, giving without making the giving feel like a spotlight. They are cinnamon and warm and exactly the right size for a small hand.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 13 min | Total Time: 28 min | Servings: 24 mini muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 large egg
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the topping: 3 tbsp granulated sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin or line with mini paper liners.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Bring the batter together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix — a few small lumps are fine and keep the muffins tender.
Fill the tin. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
Add the topping. Sprinkle a generous pinch of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over each muffin before baking.
Bake. Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The edges should be just barely golden.
Cool and serve. Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes before turning them out. Dust with any remaining cinnamon-sugar if you like. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Snickerdoodle Mini Muffins — The Small Things You Can Do