Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Muffins

Ahhhh, cinnamon sugar!!  The perfect combination of spicy sweet.  Doesn't it just scream childhood memories?  I am pretty sure everyone was treated with a cinnamon sugar something when they were a kid.  For me, it was cinnamon sugar toast.  My mom used to slather lightly toasted bread with lots of salty butter and then top it with a heaping amount of cinnamon sugar.  The spice mixture just perked me up and made me smile!  It still does today!!

Don't be intimated by this recipe.  It is quick, easy and super delicious.  What is my secret weapon, you ask?  Store-bought bread dough!  Have you ever used this stuff?  I love it!!  Use it to make a loaf of tasty french bread, roll it out to make a thick pizza crust OR pull apart muffins!!  YEAH BABY!!

CINNAMON SUGAR PULL APART MUFFINS

Adapted from JOY THE BAKER and Tease-spoon of Sugar

Makes 6 muffins

Ingredients

• Pillsbury Simply Rustic French Bread dough
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a small skillet, brown butter over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes.  You know the butter is browned when it turns a light caramel color and smells slightly nutty.  ((Be careful not to burn the butter!))  Once browned, set the butter aside to cool.
3. Remove bread dough from tube and place on a cutting board.  Starting in the middle, divide the dough with a small slit.  The divide again and again until you have 31 slits.  Using a very sharp knife, slice the dough.  You should end up with 32 slices.  Flatten each slice with you hands or a rolling pin and place on a sheet of parchment or wax paper. 
4. In a bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. To assemble the muffins, brush each dough slice with the brown butter.  Then sprinkle with the entire sugar mixture.  (Yes, ALL of the cinnamon sugar!)  Stack the dough slice on top of each other. (some stacks will have five slices and some will have six.)  Using a sharp knife, slice the stacks down the middle.
6. Place two of the sliced stacks, side by side, cut side down into a greased muffin tin.  Repeat with the rest of the stacks.
7. **This step is very important!!**  Before you put the muffin tin in the oven place it on a larger, rimmed baking sheet.  This will catch any butter/sugar overflow and avoid a very smokey oven.
8. Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes until tops are golden brown.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes.  Gently remove.  Enjoy!!

Cinnamon Sugar Bites

Cinnamon Sugar Flaky Delish!!

So far this week I have talked about pie and leftovers... so I thought it would only be appropriate to combine the two for this post and make it cinnamon sugary delicious.  If you read my blog Sunday - you hopefully enjoyed my recipe for Candy Cane Cookie Pies.  In the process of making those pepperminty delights I had quite a bit of leftover pie crust dough.  What to do??

Left over pie crust dough

I LOVE pie crust.  I can say with absolutely certainty that it is the only reason I eat pie.  Frankly I think all of that gooey filling gets in the way of the crunchy, flaky, buttery, toasty pie crust.  ((FYI: NEVER LOOK AT THE NUTRITIONAL INFO ON THE BACK OF THE PIE CRUST BOX!! TRUST ME!)) 

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Did you know that the first pie crusts ever made (we're talking hundreds and hundreds of years ago) weren't meant to be eaten AT ALL?  Slice of Life Sunday says Middle Eastern civilizations of long-ago made the inedible olive oil-based crust to keep the filling moist while cooking and to prevent spoiling.  Man were they missing out! 

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Well I certainly didn't want to let my extra pie crust go to waste!  No, sir!  So I decided to make Cinnamon Sugar Bites.  They are so simple to make they should be illegal!  (That and the amount of calories are probably horrendous but we won't think about that!)

Bites in the making

All you have to do is roll out your leftover pie crust dough and trim to make a rectangle.  Then divide and cut the dough into equal size bar shapes.  I used the left over dough from that to make even smaller bar shapes to make a tiered bite.  Then comes the cinnamon sugar!!

Cinnamon Sugar

Coat the bars with LOTS of melted butter and then liberally sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over those bad boys!  I almost ate one raw because they looked to good!

Tiered cinnamon sugar bites

Bake and viola.... 

Look at those flaky, pie crust layers!!

Bet you can't eat just one!

CINNAMON SUGAR BITES

Ingredients 

• Leftover pie crust dough
• Flour
• Melted butter
• Cinnamon Sugar (equal parts cinnamon and sugar)

Veggie Ham Crescent Wreath ReciDirections

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out leftover pie crust on a floured surface to prevent sticking.  Cut off edges to make a rectangle.  Divide and cut dough into equal-sized bar shapes.  Place on sheet pan sprayed with non-stick spray.  Repeat if you have additional leftover dough, making smaller bar shapes to create a tiered bite.
• Brush melted butter on top of the bars then sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Enjoy!

WHAT DO YOU MAKE WITH YOUR LEFTOVER PIE CRUST DOUGH?