Caramel-Cinnamon Meltdowns

Thumb_cinnamon_meltaways

(from Beckshe’s recipe box)

Source: King Arthur

Serves 12 people

Categories: Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter
  • 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) milk
  • Filling
  • 3/4 cup (4 ounces) Baker's Cinnamon Filling
  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk
  • 1/2 cup (5 ounces) caramel; or 12 individual vanilla caramel candies
  • Baker's Cinnamon Filling Recipe:
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 3/4 to 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a muffin pan (or line it with paper cups, and grease the cups).

  2. Beat the butter, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla till smooth. Add the eggs, again beating till smooth. Add 1/3 of the flour, half the milk, another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the milk, and the remainder of the flour, beating at medium-low speed all the while.

  3. Mix the Baker’s Cinnamon Filling with the milk to make a thick paste. Cut the caramel into 12 pieces, rolling each into a ball.

  4. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons batter into the bottom of each muffin cup. Flatten 2 teaspoons of the filling into a disk a bit smaller than the muffin cup, and lay it atop the batter. Repeat with the remaining cups.

  5. Spoon the rest of the batter into the muffin cups. Take the pieces of caramel, and poke one into the center of each muffin; you’ll feel a bit of resistance as they meet the cinnamon filling. The caramels won’t be completely covered with batter, but they shouldn’t be poking way out the top, either. Sprinkle the muffins with cinnamon-sugar.

  6. Bake the muffins for 22 minutes, till they’re a light golden brown, and feel set on top. Remove them from the oven. If you serve them immediately, the caramel will be totally molten. If you wait 15 minutes, it’ll ooze rather than flow. If you wait till they’re cool, it’ll be soft, but not flowing.

Email to a friend | Print this recipe | Back