“I think love is caramel. Sweet and fragrant; always welcome. It is the gentle golden colour of a setting harvest sun; the warmth of a squeezed embrace; the easy melting of two souls into one and a taste that lingers even when everything else has melted away. Once tasted it is never forgotten.” – Jenny Colgan, Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams

These pull-away muffins are soft on the inside and golden-brown on the outside with the perfect amount of crunch. Add a generous drizzle of caramel, and you’re in heaven. These muffins make for the perfect breakfast treat and pair wonderfully with a cup of tea or a freshly brewed coffee.

Use floss to cut through the dough

quarter of an inch thickness

brush with butter

sprinkle with cinnamon sugar

pour caramel

stack

Cut stacks down the middle

Place in large muffin tin

pour more caramel

I have to admit, I am fairly new to the world of baking and although I have parents who are excellent cooks, baking has not been exactly their forte. I love my mom and her cooking, but when it comes to baking…well she manages to burn everything. And I mean EVERTHING. Even if it’s packaged, ready-made cake mix. This has become a bit of an on-going joke in our family.

For the most part, I am very much my mother’s daughter and therefore I decided it would be best if I steered clear of baking. But recently, I received a beautiful, pastel-pink Kitchen Aid mixer. As stunning as it is, I am also very much bewildered by it. For the first couple of weeks, I admired it from afar. My boyfriend even started referring to it as the giant, pink paperweight. But then I began reading about my mixer, about baking and after several trial and errors, I fell in love with my kitchen aid and with baking. As my friend Wendy put it, the mixer is the big girl’s easy-bake oven. Baking has now become quite addictive (and might I add, a little…charitable to the waist line).

I realize I still have a lot to learn, but I look forward to sharing my g-free baking adventures with you. I would also love to hear about your own baking accomplishments and disasters.

Happy baking! xo

Cinnamon & warm caramel pull-apart muffins  ♥  Gluten-Free

Prep Time: 30 -40 minutes     Cook Time: 18 – 20 minutes     Yields: 8 -9 large muffins  
Author: Milk and Marigolds

Ingredients:
453g bag of Bob’s Red Mill pizza crust mix (gluten-free)
½ cup of rice flour
½ cup of salted butter (vegan or regular)
½ cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of rice milk
1 heaping tablespoon of cinnamon sugar

 Instructions:
1. Prepare the dough, following Bob’s Red Mill instructions.

2. Tightly wrap dough in plastic wrap and leave in fridge for 30 minutes or overnight (this makes the dough more manageable). The dough will last for 2 – 3 days in the fridge.

3. In a small saucepan, melt butter over a medium heat and add brown sugar and rice milk. Continually stir until a golden, thick caramel forms. Set aside and warm up when needed to help the caramel return to a desired consistency.

4. Preheat oven to 425 °F. Grease a muffin tin suitable for large muffins.

5. Place dough on a piece of floured parchment paper. Roll dough into a long, baguette shape. Avoid over-handling it.

6. Using floss, carefully cut the dough into approximately ¼ inch slices. This seems to be much more effective than using a knife.

7. Brush some melted butter on each slice and generously sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Then drizzle caramel over each slice.

8. Stack slices (5 slices a stack). Then cut down the center with floss.

9. Place cut stacks in muffin tins cut-side up (or mix up the placement for fun and variety). Drizzle more caramel on top.

10. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 18 – 20 minutes. If using a smaller muffin tin, you will need to reduce the baking time.

11. Enjoy while warm and gooey!

Tips:
Bob’s Red Mill is sold in Canada, USA, Australia and Puerto Rico. If this product is not sold in your country or region, replace with another g-free pizza crust dough mixture.

To warm muffins, briefly microwave them for 10 – 15 seconds or place in a toaster oven.

Copyright © 2014. Milk & Marigolds