Melissa Chrusfield

Smitten Kitchen Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs

We all found different ways to cope and navigate the unfamiliar landscape we were abruptly thrust into during the early days of COVID. So much was uncertain—our routines, our futures, our sense of normalcy. At the time, my three children were 11, 15, and 22, and we were all living together in a relatively small space, trying to figure things out day by day. School happened over Zoom, and even my daughter’s ballet classes took place in our living room, her following the instructor’s movements through a screen. To say we were stir-crazy would be a generous understatement.

In the midst of all that chaos, something unexpected and beautiful began to unfold. My youngest, Trayce, developed an interest in cooking and baking. It became a small spark in an otherwise difficult time. Together, we started combing through the internet for recipes that looked delicious and comforting. I turned to one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, and typed “brown butter” into the search bar—her Brown Butter Sea Salt Rice Krispies Treats were already a beloved staple in our home. That’s when we stumbled upon the recipe for Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs. The kids took one look and were completely sold.

The first batch was slightly underbaked, but we didn’t care. They were warm, sweet, and full of promise. After that, those little muffins became a regular offering in our kitchen. Baking them became more than just a fun activity—it was a ritual, a shared moment of connection in a world that had been turned upside down. These small, sugary puffs became pockets of joy that helped carry us through uncertain days.

Later, we shared the recipe with our church community during a recipe exchange, hoping to pass along the same comfort and delight we had found in it. And even now, years later, we all hold those memories close. They remind us that even in the hardest times, we have the power to create joy—sometimes with nothing more than a little cinnamon, a bit of brown butter, and the people we love by our side.

Smitten Kitchen Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs

Adapted from Betty Crocker and others.
If you don’t wish to use buttermilk, you can replace it with regular milk and nix the baking soda (keeping the baking powder). I like to get the toppings ready first because they take so little time to bake, you don’t want to be scrambling to have something to dip them in.

Yield: 9 to 12 standard muffin-size puffs or 30-ish miniature ones. Try not to overfill as I did or you won’t get as great domes on them.

Coating

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Puffs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing muffin cups
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12 standard size or 30 miniature muffin cups, or line cups with paper liners.

Prepare coatings: In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat and continue to cook it, stirring frequently, until brown bits form on the bottom and it smells nutty and heavenly. Immediately remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Set aside as well.

Prepare puffs: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in 1/3 of flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of buttermilk, repeating again and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix only until combined.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling only 3/4 of the way. (I filled mine higher and they ended up spilling over a bit and doming less than they are capable of.) Bake standard sized muffins for 20 to 25 minutes and miniature muffins for 12 to 14 minutes. When finished, muffins will feel springy to the touch and a tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer them in their pan to a wire rack.

As soon as you feel you’re able to pick one up, take your first puff and roll the top and upper edges in the browned butter. Don’t be afraid to pick up the browned butter solids at the bottom of the saucepan; they’re the dreamiest part. Let any excess butter drip off for a second before gently rolling the butter-soaked cake top in cinnamon-sugar. I find if you roll too firmly, or have too much wet/not absorbed butter on top, the sugar can clump off, which is heartbreaking. Transfer puff to wire rack to set and repeat with remaining puffs. Eat warm.

For an even more indulgent, doughnut-like puff: Make an extra two tablespoons of the browned butter and roll the whole puff in it and the cinnamon sugar. (I usually have enough cinnamon sugar to fully roll the puffs.)

Do ahead: Puffs are best within hours after they are baked. They can be made in advance and stored in a freezer bag until needed, too. Simply spread them out on a baking tray and reheat them until warm in the oven.