Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns and THE BEST ___________ I EVER Had!

Cookbook Apprentice hubby is a great food enthusiast. In our early years together my mom and I would kid him because each new food item he’d try either prepared by someone we knew or at a restaurant he enjoyed became “THE BEST __________” he’d EVER had.

Scene I: Greek restaurant at sunset in the cozy port town of our newlywed days. The crowded restaurant is bustling with satisfied customers and knowledgeable, experienced waitstaff whirling around in complete synchronicity. It is mid-meal and the entrees have been placed on the table.

Characters: Cookbook Apprentice, Cookbook Apprentice Hubby, Mom and Dad, Waiter

Food: Salad, Avgolemono Soup, Chicken Souvlaki, Gyros

Cookbook Apprentice: (while taking a bite from an olive) I love this place. We could eat here seven days a week and I’d never get bored.

Cookbook Apprentice Mom: It’s nice but I like going to the diner too.

Cookbook Apprentice Father (looking around table): Is there any bread here?

Waiter returns to table to confirm that everything is satisfactory.

Cookbook Apprentice Hubby (wiping his mouth with napkin): This is THE BEST soup I have EVER had!!

Scene II: Home of in-laws for brunch. Father-in-law, step mother-in-law and friends of in-laws around table.

Food: Brunch bounty. Bagels, smoked fish, cream cheeses, coffee, orange juice, assorted baked goods.

Cookbook Apprentice Father-in-law: Is she amazing or what? Made this all herself! What a cook! Nobody can cook like her!

Cookbook Apprentice Hubby: Have you tried this mandel bread? It’s THE BEST I’ve EVER had!!

Cookbook Apprentice takes it all in while nibbling at the recently raved about mandel bread. Smiling a somewhat tense, reserved smile she shakes her head in agreement thinking that while the texture of it is enjoyable, the taste is reminiscent of …hmmm…freezer burn and contents of said freezer.

Scene III: Cookbook Apprentice Newlywed honeymoon home. A beautiful treehouse type apartment perched atop a victorian brick building. The picturesque nook is at the corner of the building facing a cliff overlooking the beautiful Long Island Sound. Water views surround this cozy nest where each day feels like a vacation. Cookbook Apprentice and husband are in the kitchen. She has proudly finished taking photos of her first attempt at stuffed vegetables, one of her most complicated recipes made to date. She proudly serves them to her groom. They sit at the table, a white tile topped farm style table with a cushioned love seat against the window and two chairs looking out upon the water view.

Cookbook Apprentice Husband: These are awesome! These are the _________________!!! (OK, now you fill in the blank).

I love my husband’s enthusiasm, but it took some years to convince him that not everything can really be THE BEST. His excitement can be endearing and most definitely gives those who were hearing it for the first time an enormous sense of pride. Now though our years together he has learned to balance this excitement with sincere, criticisms a bit and gives me more realistic feedback as to which dishes send him to the moon and those which I should never, ever make again.

With that being said, the day before yesterday I made Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. These are really more of a muffin than a bun. I used my Texas muffin tins which made Gigantour sized treats. Next time I’ll try them out in a smaller cup sized tin. And with all sincerity my husband has proclaimed them to be THE BEST breakfast he has EVER had. Until of course the next best one comes along.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns

Makes 9 buns

BUN:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (one 8-ounce package) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING:

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Garnish

Confectioners? sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.

Grease and lightly flour 9 large muffin cups.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Drop 3 small dollops (about a teaspoonful each) of raspberry preserves onto the top of each bun and, using the tip of a sharp knife, swirl the preserves into the batter, forming a decorative pattern. Bake for 25?30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the bun comes out clean.

Allow the buns to cool for about 30 minutes before sprinkling with confectioners? sugar and serving.