Cinnamon-Sugar-Doughnut Muffins!

So, before Mr. CSF arrived, Matt and I heard horror story after horror story about how awful it is to have a newborn, and how we'll never sleep again, and how we'll never have time to cook again, and yadda yadda.  It was kind of terrifying.

But here we are now, nine days in, and it's really not bad.  It's actually pretty fun.  Have there been some moments at 4 a.m. when Charlie started crying and I have been a wee bit on the grumpy side and asked him, "Again? Really? Already?"  Sure.  But I don't have to go to work for a while, so it doesn't really matter if I'm up at 4 a.m. because I can go back to sleep when he does.  And the boy sleeps a lot.  Apparently, that's what babies do.

Matt went back to work on Thursday, and I had the baby for most of Thursday, Friday, and all day yesterday, and it's fine.  We've still been able to cook dinners and clean the house and take showers.  It's good.  It's fun.  It's like a giant exercise in time management and napping, two things that both Matt and I are pretty good at.*

I mean, it doesn't hurt that I grew the cutest baby of all time in my uterus.

And maybe in a week he'll become a difficult baby and I'll be eating crow, but until then, I'd rather eat the Cinnamon-Sugar-Doughnut Muffins from the Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook, since doughnut muffins probably taste way better than crow, and because they're super fun and easy to make, too.  I think they are like a little more adult version of cinnamon toast, which was one of my faves when I was a kid.  These muffins make me wish I drank coffee, too, because I think they'd be a perfect accompaniment to a good cup of coffee.  What a delightful Sunday morning treat!

Oh, what?  You wanted to see another picture of my cute baby?  Okay!

Back to the cookbook.  I know I've already raved about this cookbook like a million times, but if you need a baking cookbook, you really should get this one.  It's out of control.  And if you're not a baker but want to be, you should get it because the recipes are so accessible and don't use a bunch of crazy stuff you could only find at a farmer's market in Portland.

To sum up:  motherhood is not as hard as they make it out to be on Teen Mom (haha, Audrey!), Charles is so cute that I don't mind getting up to fatten him up, doughnuts taste better than crow, and you should buy the Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook.

Here's the recipe.  Have at it, party people!

Cinnamon-Sugar-Doughnut Muffins
From The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook (my favorite baking cookbook of all time!)

Ingredients

For the Muffins
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons buttermilk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs

For the Doughnut Coating

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

To make the muffins: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly spray 12 large muffin cups with vegetable oil spray.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom.  In a medium bowl, combine the milk and the buttermilk.

In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, cream the butter for 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn the speed to low and gradually add the sugar.  Continue to mix until the mixture lightens in color.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until combined.  Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture, mixing just until smooth; do not overmix.

With a large ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them approximately two-thirds full.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch and lightly golden.

While the muffins bake, set up two bowls to dunk them in.  In one bowl you will have the melted butter, and in the other bowl you will have the cinnamon sugar.

Let the doughnuts cool completely on a wire rack.  Dunk them in melted butter, then coat them with the cinnamon sugar.  The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

******

Oh, what the hell.  Here's one more picture of Charlie.

*Are you mad that I ended that sentence with a preposition or what?