Quick and Easy Breakfast Pastry: Ree Drummond French Puffs

These sound fancier than they are. What’s a “pioneer woman” doing making French pastry, anyway? (I love that she explains it’s an old mimeographed recipe she picked up in high school French class. Love!)

They are basically disguised muffins. However, they are super simple, delicious, and like she points out, they nuke well, so what’s not to love about some muffins rolled in a butter/cinnamon sugar mix where you can freeze the leftovers and then warm them up any day you want a fresh French pastry with your morning brew?

I suppose one could pick on the fact these use all white flour and sub in some wheat. And the true taste secret is the ample toss in luxurious butter, and then the leisurely roll through the sugar and cinnamon. As Ree explains, rolling them slowly in the butter and sugar while warm forms a gentle crust. They are rich and tasty enough while eating that you don’t need to butter them like you would normal muffins. So that’s where you can cut back–by not slathering them with additional butter.

I started by halving the recipe, not sure if I would like them that well. Some recipes don’t work so well when halved, but this did very well, so I’ll share this version making 6 nice sized puffs.

French Breakfast Puffs (adapted for 6)

1 ½ cup flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening (Crisco type)
1 egg
½ cup milk

Mixture to roll them in

1 stick butter, melted
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 6 muffin cups.
In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening. Then add eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

In a bowl, melt 1 stick butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

 

And if you want to SEE Ms. Drummond making these easy goodies, check here.

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If you have my book, Whatever Happened to Dinner? here is a list of other breakfast breads and pastries in it, with the page number. I’ve also provide links below to those  featured on this blog.

Cinnamon rolls 92
Cornmeal whole wheat waffles 41
Cranberry orange bread 42
Morning glory muffins 39
Oatmeal bread 36- We love this toasted.
Quick honey wheat bread 43
Whole wheat rolls 38
Christmas morning French toast 114
Funnel cakes 136