Coffee Cake Muffins

Growing up, there was a certain German Coffee Cake I would wake up smelling on special mornings. (But really, what morning isn't special when you wake up to homemade coffee cake?) One of Mom's (many) specialties, it's relatively easy and extremely tasty, and a recipe I reach for often. Especially when the kids are begging me to bake, early on a Saturday morning. If I haven't got the energy for rolling out and cutting biscuits or scones, or the patience to man the pancake station, it's a good bet I can still be convinced to get a coffee cake in the oven because of the smell alone. Very comforting. Very house-filling.

Mom's recipe came from Fredericksburg, Texas in the 1960's and it's a good one. This is not that recipe, exactly... Last week, on Morning 5 of drivemomcrazyweek -- I mean SPRING BREAK, I asked the kiddos what they wanted for breakfast (a practice I do not necessarily recommend), and was answered with a surprisingly united chant: "MUFFINS, MUFFINS, MUFFINS!" Like they had planned it or something.

We didn't have berries on hand, or bran cereal or poppy seeds or anything I usually put in a muffin. So, I immediately thought of Mom's German Coffee Cake. In muffin form! Quick and simple and satisfying. And because, apparently, I cannot leave well-enough alone, adapted. Just a little.

Sausage and Herb Biscuits

Josh received a most spectacular cookbook this past Christmas. Yet, it's SO MUCH MORE than a cookbook. The Professional Chef. I'm telling you: It's everything about everything involving food. Technique descriptions and ingredient reference; equipment evaluations and then some. It's the go-to reference for culinary school, I believe. And I love it. 

This biscuit recipe is adapted from their basic buttermilk biscuits. Now, the recipes in this book tend to assume you are cooking for a crowd. As in, 3.5 lbs of flour per batch of biscuits. Thankfully, it lists weights for each ingredient (actually, it only lists weights for most recipes), so I can easily quarter the recipe and get 20 biscuits instead of 80. Not that I wouldn't happily freeze the extra; I just don't have the energy to deal with that much dough early Saturday morning. 

Sandwich with extra-sharp cheddar for lunch.