Cinna-nim-inon

Yes, people..."cinna-nim-inon" is how I used to pronounce cinnamon as a wee little Chelsy. Now that I am 24 years old and can make my own decisions, and say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" five times fast while standing on my head (okay, maybe not). Anyway, I can definitely pronounce cinnamon now that I am a big girl and all. Cinnamon is, without a doubt, my all-time favorite spice. Unless Parmesan cheese is considered a spice? In that case, I throw cinnamon right out the window! Okay, back to my love of cinnamon. I seriously put it on just about everything...I dump half the bottle of cinnamon at Starbucks on my espresso. All the while, the barista stares at me, wide-eyed, as if he has just been told to whip out "10 venti caramel macchiatos...2 with whip cream, 5 with extra caramel, skim milk, and no foam, and 3 with soy, 2.5 pumps of chocolate, and those peppermint crumbles leftover from the holiday peppermint mocha promo on top!" 


Yea...I like to "taint" my espresso with cinnamon. I also like to mix it in my yogurt, put it in my almond milk, top my fruit with it...it basically goes with everything...because I say so. Oh, oh! You know what I love most with cinnamon? Cinnamon rolls! It's like the first time I stepped off the plane at Phoenix Sky Harbour airport and was greeted with the fragrant, aromatic scent of cinnamon coming from the tiny Cinnabon factory wedged in the corner of the food court. Well, I wanted to re-create those cinnamon roll flavors in a healthy, bite-sized, mini-muffin. 

Soooo....

I did it.

The End.

What is your favorite spice?

Mini Cinna-Bun Muffins with Brown Sugar Glaze (GF):

For the Muffins:

1/2 c. non-fat Greek yogurt

1/4 c. agave nectar (or honey)

2 eggs

2 1/2 c. pecan flour (grind raw, unsalted pecans into a fine meal using a food processor)

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

For the Brown Sugar-Cinnamon topping:

1 T. brown sugar

1 T. cinnamon

4 T. agave nectar (or honey)

2 T. melted coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 310 F. Spray a 12-cup mini-muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Combine the yogurt, agave, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add the dry muffin ingredients and mix well using a spatula.

4. In a small mixing bowl, blend all of the topping ingredients together.

5. Fill each muffin tin with 1 teaspoon of muffin batter. 

6. Add 1 teaspoon of topping to the center of each muffin.

7. Top each muffin with another teaspoon of batter until the batter just reaches the top.

8. Top each muffin with another teaspoon (or less depending on how full the cups are) with topping.

9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.

10. Allow the muffins to cool then drizzle each muffin with the brown sugar glaze immediately. 

For the Brown Sugar Glaze:

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 T. brown sugar

water

1. Place powdered sugar and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl.

2. Slowly add water in tablespoons until the mixture is slightly thin, but not runny.

3. Drizzle the muffins with the glaze.

MANGIA!!!