I saw these sweet little muffins on Bakerella‘s website awhile ago and have been waiting for the right moment to try them. I am happy to announce that this morning presented the perfect opportunity. We had recently been gifted some homemade maple syrup from Grandpa Anderson. Mmmmmmm….

Yes, he taps his maple trees and gives us syrup! He has a special place in our hearts for this amazing feat.

As per usual, Easton wanted pancakes for breakfast. I showed him Bakerella‘s post on the Mini Maple Pancake Muffins and asked him if these would work today. He asked,  “How long is it gonna take?”. I replied, “About the same time as the pancakes to mix up and then eight minutes to bake in the oven.” He agreed that the timeframe was satisfactory and went to watch Curious George. I began mixing up the batter much like I do the pancakes we have nearly every day. I also found myself excited to use my new mini-muffin pan! I am a big fan of the very kid friendly, bite-size perfection that the mini-muffin produces. So, this was our breakfast this morning and they were a hit!

I didn’t have buttermilk or feel like doing a substitute so I just used regular milk and it worked just fine. Bakerella‘s photos are exquisite and I urge you to check them out. These were a nice change from our usual breakfast and, of course, the kids enjoyed dipping in the syrup. Easton told everyone we encountered today how his mom had made him these chocolate chip muffins.  *heart swells*

I do have to be completely honest. I am still salivating over the Chocolate Pastry. I know, I’m weird like that. But pastry or muffin? You’ll have me at pastry every time. I have been pondering my fascination and think the memories they evoke are part of the pull.  Plus, they are just ridiculously good. But, then it also occurred to me that maybe my kids would have memories of me making these little muffins. I envision them saying, “Remember when mom used to make those little chocolate chip pancake muffins that we would dip in Grandpa’s maple syrup?”

So, as much as I would personally prefer the heaven-sent chocolate pastry and my memories of France, I am happy to be making new memories for my babes. I urge you to do the same! Muffin, pastry, cookie, pie, cake. Just go forth and bake!!