Pinterest Test Kitchen: Donut Muffins Good, Cinnamon Quinoa Bars Bad

Success and failure.

It seems that is just the way the cookie’s been crumbling lately.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first – that’s the way I like to roll.

These cinnamon quinoa bars.

I like cinnamon and I like quinoa so I figured I’d give it a shot.

What can I say?

It looked fine.

From the top.

But as I began to cut it, it felt, uh – spongy.

Rubber-like.

It was pretty much like cold quinoa from the drain, all mushy and chewy.

A hint of cinnamon attempting to disguise its globbiness.

I asked my little go-to taste tester Otto his opinion.

He couldn’t even chew it.

It was gross actually.

Chicken food.

That’s all the quinoa cinnamon bars were good for.

However.

There’s hope.

(The success and failure, remember?)

Quinoa may not be up for breakfast just yet at our house, but donut muffins certainly are.

(The original creator of this recipe has photos far more pleasing than my snapshot, but they tell me “borrowing” photos of other’s work is not proper.)

 

Sometimes I try to make something easy and tasty for breakfast on Wednesday mornings – they are our busiest days.

(And other Wednesdays I say, “Yes, pour your brother a bowl of cereal while I check out how comfy these covers are.”)

Last week hannaH stopped by as Tuesday evening’s light was fading.

I had the recipe pulled up but I was out of energy.

Kevin was at an evening meeting and I had two extra cute kids over and already I’d exerted my daily culinary abilities on dinner – meatball subs and mashed potatoes on a weeknight.

As I sat down to read the kids a story before bed, hannaH offered to make the breakfast muffins.

(Everyone needs a hannaH.)

Of course I said, “Yes!”

I mean, how could I rob of her of this joy?

And so she made the muffins, I read the story, the kids went to bed.

In the kitchen I blended the glaze together and hannaH and I split a couple of muffins directly out of the oven, barely cool enough for the glaze to stick.

They were as delicious the next morning as they were warm and fresh the night before.

(And I wasn’t kidding about needing a hannaH – she even helped pack the kids’ lunches for class the next day.)

These muffins will definitely be a treat – not filled with berries or whole wheat flour – loaded with sugary glaze – but so tasty.

(They reminded me a little of snickerdoodle cookies.)