CAPPUCCINO KISS MUFFINS, ADAPTED

I found this recipe on a Canadian website, Joyce's Fine Cooking. The source is listed as Pamela Lanier's Bed & Breakfasts. So I checked it out and, sure enough, Pamela Lanier has one heck of a website, dedicated to B&B's and their recipes.

You'll have to spend some time at this site to find your recipe, though, because the recipes are categorized; but, within each category are numerous recipes in no particular order. This is one site I will be going back to. There are no reviews given, unfortunately, so you just have to hope that the recipe is printed correctly. Still, it's worth checking. This particular recipe originated from Garden Gate Get-a-Way, Millersburg, Ohio. I liked the idea of a Hershey's Kiss hidden inside of a cappuccino muffin, but I didn't have any Kisses on hand. And I didn't want to buy any just for this recipe. So I used chocolate chips, which I have plenty of at the moment. I changed the flour to whole wheat, and slightly increased the coffee, but otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely. Even with the increase in coffee, these muffins do not have a strong coffee flavor, just barely a hint. If you want a stronger flavor, use 3Tbsp. coffee powder. What I like about these muffins is the texture. The buttermilk makes them very moist, tender and light; and the sugar coating makes the outside crunchy and crispy. These are definitely worth making.

Cappuccino Kiss Muffins, Adapted
Rating: 8 out of 10
2-1/2 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour)
2/3 cups sugar (I used 1/3 cup sugar + 1-1/2 tsp. Stevia)
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg
1-1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. instant coffee (Use 3 Tbsp. if you want a stronger coffee flavor)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
12 chocolate kiss candies (I used 1-1/4 cups Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips)

TOPPING: 3 Tbsp. sugar + 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
additional 1/4 cup chocolate chips, if not using chocolate kiss candies

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. If you are not using the kisses, stir in the 1-1/4 cups chocolate chips.

In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk egg, buttermilk, oil, coffee and vanilla until coffee dissolves. Add to dry ingredients all at once and stir just till barely moistened. (If using Kisses: Spoon about 2 Tbsp. batter into muffin cups. Place a kiss in the center of each, top with remaining batter.) If using chocolate chips: Spoon about 1/4 heaping cup of batter into muffin wells. Scatter the 1/4 cup chips over tops of muffin batter, pressing in slightly.

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over batter. Place muffins in oven and immediately reduce heat to 400F. Bake 14-17 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool for 5 minutes; then remove from pan to wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 12 standard-size muffins