Recipe Makeover: Smitten Kitchen’s Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs

Imagine waking up this weekend to the warm aromas of cinnamon and brown butter, and dipping a piping hot breakfast puff into your coffee.  Sound too good to be true?  It’s not. Try my makeover of Smitten Kitchen’s Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs—same deliciousness, packed with better-for-you ingredients.

• Substitute a one-to-one ratio of organic palm sugar for granulated sugar.  Organic palm sugar is an all-natural and unrefined lower-glycemic sweetener that looks, tastes and melts just like sugar.  Packed with vitamins and minerals, it has a caramel flavor and comes from the nectar of flowers that grow on coconut trees.  You can also substitute ½ palm sugar and ½ organic unsweetened applesauce in the puffs.

• Swap out conventional butter for butter made from the raw milk of grass-fed cows.  My second choice would be organic butter from the pasteurized milk of antibiotic- and hormone-free cows.  If you’re allergic to dairy, substitute organic extra-virgin coconut oil for the butter.

• Increase nutritional value with organic spelt flour, an ancient grain related to wheat with a nut-like flavor, in lieu of all-purpose flour.  Unlike other grains, even conventionally grown spelt is not commonly sprayed with pesticides or other synthetic chemicals. As an added bonus, those with wheat allergies often tolerate immune-strengthening spelt.

• Replace table salt with mineral-rich and toxin-free Himalayan crystal salt or Real Salt from Utah; both are pink-hued, unrefined salts harvested from ancient salt deposits.

• Boost flavor and nutrients with organic free-range eggs from pasture-raised hens.  If you can’t find these in your area, look for hormone- and antibiotic-free eggs from cage-free hens.  Conventionally raised hens in crowded battery cages have a greater chance of producing eggs with salmonella, few nutrients and a bland, fishy taste.

• Replace regular buttermilk with organic buttermilk from grass-fed cows not injected with antibiotics or hormones.  Check out the Eat Wild and Local Harvest websites to find organic dairy from pasture-raised cows in your area.  If you’re allergic to milk, replace with organic unsweetened almond or rice milk mixed with ½ tablespoon of organic lemon juice or cider vinegar.

…And last but not least: Enjoy!