Christmas (Or Any Day) Morning Muffins

Jessica Merchant, author of The Pretty Dish, made available a Holiday Entertaining Guide this year.  The recipe for Christmas Morning Muffins caught my eye.  I saw that I could easily adapt them to be gluten free, dairy free, and low sugar.  So, that is one of the dishes I made for my family this Christmas. 

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cups flour (I used 1-3/4 cups of Bob's Red Mill Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour.  It contains xanthan gum, so you do not have to add it separately.)
• 2/3 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of Truvia Cane Sugar Blend)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (I did not use this.)
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup milk (I used 2/3 cup almond milk)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, mixed (I used 1 tablespoon of Truvia Cane Sugar Blend instead of sugar)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Line a muffin tin with liners.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, butter, extracts and zest.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just combined.  Fill the muffin liners 2/3 of the way full.  Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are set and golden.

Remove the muffins and brush the tops with melted butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve.

Yummy muffins!

These muffins were a real hit with my family.  They are a special muffin that could be reserved for a holiday, birthday, etc.  But, you could also make them any day of the year.  After you taste them, you might want to do that!