Magnolia Bakery's Sour Cream Breakfast Buns

I am back at school now, and have been baking up a storm.  My favorite new cookbook is one from Magnolia Bakery, which my mother sneaked into my luggage before I left home.  Magnolia is a New York favorite, and they recently opened a location in Los Angeles as well (sadly I didn't get a chance to visit this summer, but I sure will over winter break!)

So far I've made two types of cupcakes, some corn muffins, and these breakfast buns from the cookbook.  All were delicious, but these really made me go "MMMmmmmmmm."  The sour cream makes them light and fluffy, and the cinnamon sugar on top melts into the batter and it is just the best ever.  So here's the recipe:


Ingredients:
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. sour cream

Topping:
1 1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
2 c. pecans (okay so I didn't put the pecans in.  I'm allowed to do my own thing okay?)
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a muffin tin (the recipe calls for "large" muffin cups, but I suspect you could use regular muffin cups.  The baking times might be a bit different though.)

In a bowl combine (or "sift," if you're into that) flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar on low speed for about 3 minutes, or until fluffy (I like to time it with the length of a song--this time it was, unfortunately, Britney Spears).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Mix in the sour cream.  Spoon the batter into muffin cups.

Here's the tricky part.  The recipe didn't say how much batter to put in the muffin cups, so I experimented.  The first batch I filled almost to the top of the tins.  They came out HUGE.  I'd recommend filling the tins only about half way up.

Mix the ingredients for the topping and sprinkle it generously over the batter.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Don't they look incredible?  I love my mommy for getting me this cookbook, and I'm betting the other kids on my hall do too. 

Om nom nom nom nom.