High Altitude Cappuccino Muffins

Greetings from Boulder, Colorado! At an elevation above 5000 ft, I considered baking a daunting task. My first baking attempt was boxed brownies and, though I followed the directions for high-altitude, there was something not quite right about them. So a combination of that failure and my lack of kitchen-aid mixer has kept me from baking/updating this blog. But after what seemed like a never-ending week at work and not being able to fall asleep last night, I decided to give baking another try (since it's a stress reliever, not because it puts me to sleep..).

I opted for muffins so I could bring them to co-workers in the morning to get us through another field trip friday. Also, after reading some information about high-altitude baking, muffins seemed to require the fewest amount of adjustments since they are more stable. Muffins ALSO don't require me to cream butter or whip egg whites. I don't have a kitchen-aid mixer or hand mixer and after Kundalini yoga, I also didn't have the arm strength..
So I made cappuccino muffins.. they gave my instant coffee a purpose other than providing me coffee while I wait for my coffee maker to be mailed to me. The cinnamon sugar topping was a plus too.
These pictures were taken by my iphone since I don't have a camera. I took a picture of the oven as soon as I started smelling the deliciousness of the muffins baking because I figured there must be an app for being able to smell pictures. Turns out there's not an app for that.
But the final product was tasty and successful even though it was baked at high altitude and in the wee hours of the morning. The recipe claims to make 15.. I think I ended up making 12 larger muffins. quality not quantity, right? size matters. I also left out the chocolate chips so that might have allowed for 15 substantial muffins.

Cappuccino Muffins

• INGREDIENTS:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar minus ~ 1 tbsp
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar minus ~ 1 tbsp (removing some sugar was my only adjustment in the ingredients list)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• TOPPING:
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, coffee granules, cinnamon and salt. Whisk the egg, milk, butter and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. At this point, fold in a cup of chocolate chips or whatever extras you may be adding. Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full.
2. For topping, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

* after removing them from the oven, I let them cool for about 2 minutes, moved them into a baking dish, and covered them with aluminum foil in an attempt to keep them from drying out while they sat for a few hours.. i think it worked.

Adapted from AllRecipes