Welcome, Neighbor!

We have a new neighbor now so I wanted to bring some baked goods over to welcome her and her children to the neighborhood. I would have loved it had someone done the same for me, so hopefully I won't come off as too June Cleaver. I didn't want to do just cookies (though I make a mean chocolate chip cookie) and I had some buttermilk to use up from those gosh darn biscuits, so these muffins made the cut. I found them on Annie's blog and have wanted to make them ever since.

These muffins may be the most wonderful baked good I have ever put in my mouth. No joke. They were moist. They were sweet, but not too sweet. The cinnamon sugar top made the muffin absolutely perfect. I could have eaten dozens of them! Luckily, the recipe only made 9 and I was giving most of them away. As of now, however, I still have them all because the neighbor hasn't been home when I have. Hopefully I can catch her this weekend; otherwise these muffins will be gone!

If you make these muffins, don't change a thing. They are perfect and there is no reason to mess with perfection. Trust me!

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins

from Williams and Sonoma

7 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 c sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 c buttermilk

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

2/3 c sugar

1 T ground cinnamon

6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

To make the topping, in a small, shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon (you won't need this much- I only used about half this much. Ditto for the butter). Put the melted butter in another small bowl. Holding the bottom of a muffin, dip the top into the melted butter, turning to coat it evenly. Immediately dip the top in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating it evenly, then tap it to remove excess sugar. Transfer the muffin, right side up, to the rack. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Let cool completely before serving.

Makes 9 muffins.