Cinnamon roll muffins

Sunday is normally the day when I have a small window of time to bake a little and it is a time that I treasure.  Baking is something that makes me feel satisfied, brings a warm feeling to my heart and makes me feel like I am nurturing those I love.  One of G’s favourite ingredients is cinnamon, he loves the scent that it delivers along with the flavour.  Studies show that men associate cinnamon with love so when I bake anything with cinnamon in it I know that he feels that little bit of extra love from me. 🙂 

I have been on the lookout for an easy cinnamon scroll recipe for some time.  Normally they involve yeast, possibly rising overnight, in all, a little too much hassle.  They are also quite calorie laden as they are gorgeously sticky which, of course is part of the attraction but given that we are both watching our waistline at the moment I also wanted a slightly lighter version.

Discovering this recipe a few weeks ago meant that it went onto my “must bake” list and today was the day.  G was doing some work at his Mum’s so I decided to make afternoon tea for anyone in attendance.  Hopefully my creation would make everyone feel loved!

cinnamon roll muffins – (recipe from Ruby Glen – adapted by Fiona at Food 4 Thought)
makes 12

Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
60g soft butter
60g sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
 
Preparation
Preheat oven to 180°C.  

Combine milk and lemon juice, set aside.  In a bowl stir together brown sugar, salt and bicarb soda.  Mix in egg, vanilla and then milk mixture.  Stir in flour to form a firm dough.  Transfer to a floured surface and knead for a minute until silky.  Do not overwork as it will become tough.

Roll or press dough out into a 20cm x 30cm rectangle.  Spread with butter leaving about a 1cm border on every side.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the butter.  Roll up starting from the longer side to make a 30cm log.  Cut into 12 pieces approximately 1 – 1½cm thick. Place pieces into a greased or lined 12-hole muffin tray.  Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

My tips/alterations:  *You can substitute the lemon juice with vinegar if necessary.  *It may seem odd to use bicarb soda rather than baking powder but there is a reason for this.  This link provides a good explanation of the process.  *I think this dough could benefit from a short resting time once it is kneaded.  Next time I make these I would rest the mixture for 15 mins before rolling it out.  I think it will give the muffins a softer texture.  I would also press the edges firmly into the muffin trays to encourage the centre to pop up a little more.  *We added cinnamon cream to this.  I made it by simply whisking ½ cup of cream until it holds shape, adding 1 Tbsp icing sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Whisk until soft peaks form.  This may seem sweet but the dough is not so they work well together.

ease: 8/10.  
prep time: 30mins.
cooking time: 20mins.
total: 50mins.          

taste: 7.5/10.  We ate these warm, served with a dollop of cinnamon cream (see My tips above).  On their own I thought they had good flavour but were a little dry.  Several comments came from the rest of the group.  They loved the flavour, especially because they were warm and served with the cinnamon cream.  The crunchy outside gave these a great texture and they weren’t as heavy or overly sweet as normal cinnamon rolls.  

It was requested that the leftovers be divided up so that everyone could take some home.  That is always a good sign. 

would I make it again:  Yes I would.  I would make the adjustments that I mentioned and serve them warm with the cinnamon cream again.