One way I have discovered to please the palate of a fussy-eater toddler who loves anything with cinnamon is to add it to such items as pancakes, French toast, or waffles. It also goes without saying that Snickerdoodle cookies are a favorite with kids, especially my granddaughter, three-year-old Eliza. Recently I found a NY Times recipe for Snickerdoodle muffins made with cinnamon in the muffin batter plus more sprinkled on top. Not only did Eliza devour these, but so did her baby sister, 1-year-old Cassie, who liked picking up little pieces of them with her fingers.
These are so yummy! Soft and warm with a double-dose of cinnamon, but also made higher in protein with a full cup of whole milk plain yogurt. By the way, adults love these too!
- ⅔ cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 cup whole milk regular plain yogurt (Not Greek)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk remaining ⅔ cup sugar with the yogurt, butter, eggs, and vanilla until very smooth.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining 1 Tablespoon cinnamon to the bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix the batter; a few small lumps are fine.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Bake until a toothpick or tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer the muffins to a rack to cool.
My son-in-law is not into desserts, but will eat snickerdoodles happily. He also will enjoy a berry or apple pie, but no cake or muffins. I am going to make these for his upcoming Feb. birthday & see if he can enjoy the delights of a snickerdoodle in cake form. I will let you know!
Sounds like your granddaughters have excellent taste! Blessings! Kim
Kim, I hope he will like them!