Autumn's here, autumn's here! Baking season has finally arrived. Of course you can bake any time during the year, but I'm a seasonal baker meaning holiday baking. As Julia Child said, "A party without cake is just a meeting." How can I celebrate with friends and family without baking some sweet goodies? And if you know me, you've gotten more sweets than you know what to do with during the holidays. Well, make your dentist appointments now because I'm about to flood you with a JUMBO sweet treat.
It's Snickerdoodle time! "Snickerdoodle on my noodle, went to my big caboodle. I love Snickerdoodles." (Thanks, Youtube, for the Snickerdoodle Song.) But I promised you all something GIANT, and giant you will get. Instead of the typical cookie recipe, which I will share later on, I decided to make some JUMBO cupcakes. Yes, this recipe can also be used for regular cupcakes and mini cupcakes. But we’re following the “Go big or go home” slogan right now.
For all you folks cheering for Pumpkin Spice season, this is going to be disheartening to hear: Move aside pumpkin spice, cinnamon is the season for the holidays. Just give me a cinnamon stick and I can give you a hundred recipes ranging from savory meals to decadent desserts to toe-warming drinks. Cinnamon is not just a spice, it’s a way of life. Alright, enough of me jabbering on about how cinnamon is sacrosanct. Enjoy the smell of cinnamon and vanilla invading your kitchen.
INGREDIENTS:
1 and 2/3 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter
1 c granulated sugar
1 large egg (room temperature)
1/4 c sour cream (room temperature)
3/4 c milk (room temperature)
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your muffin pan with liners. (I used a jumbo 6-cup muffin pan and didn't have large enough liners, so I oiled the pan.)
In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk melted butter and 1 c sugar together. Allow the butter-sugar mixture to cool for a few minutes. Stir in egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract until combined.
Mix in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no longer lumpy.
In a separate small bowl, mix the 1/2 c sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
Scoop batter into each cup of the pan until 1/3 full (this will be about half your batter. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the cinnamon-sugar mixture onto the batter in the tin. Fill the pan with the remaining batter evenly. Sprinkle another 1 tsp of cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the the second layer of batter.
Bake the cupcakes for 15-28 minutes (if using 24-cup mini muffin pan), 20 minutes (if using regular 12-cup muffin pan), 23-25 minutes (if using jumbo 6-cup muffin pan).
TIP: I save a little cinnamon-sugar mixture to sprinkle on top of the frosting for decoration.