Buttermilk Spice Muffins

We first discovered Mimi's Cafe while vacationing in Southern California a few years ago. It was right next to our hotel, so we ate there a couple of times during the trip. At first we thought it was a local place since we had never heard of it before, but when we returned home we were surprised and excited to discover they also had locations in Utah.

One of the things that has made Mimi's a favorite are the muffins. They are huge, and taste so fluffy and fresh. I recently found the official recipe for their buttermilk spice muffins, so I made them for a family get-together this past weekend. This may seem fairly obvious, but the sooner you eat them after they come out of the oven, the better.

Batter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3 eggs

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp buttermilk

Nut Topping

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and the butter together with an electric mixer. When they are thoroughly mixed, add eggs and beat one more minute.


2. Sift the flour into a separate bowl, together with the baking soda, nutmeg and the cinnamon.


3. Add the flour and the buttermilk to the first mixture, mix at low speed until smooth. To avoid lumps in the batter, add the wet and dry ingredients alternately, in small amounts.


4. Make the nut topping: Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. 


5. Grease muffin tins with butter or margarine. You can also use paper baking cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full of batter. Add a full, rounded tablespoon of nut topping on top of each muffin cup of batter. Bake immediately or the topping will sink to the bottom of the muffin.


6. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin should come out dry.

7. Recipe yields 12 standard-size muffins, or six jumbo muffins. If using jumbo muffin pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25° and increase the baking time 5-10 minutes.