Scrumptious Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites

I love a good donut, especially a homemade one. What I don’t love is the pain associated with deep frying them. It is messy, time consuming and certainly more fattening. These baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites mimic what I love about donut holes but without all the added stress and calories. They are super scrumptious and I encourage you to try them out yourself and see how long they last in your house!

Ingredients

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup crisp rice cereal, coarsely crushed
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Mix flour, crushed cereal, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

Cut in shortening with pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add milk and stir just until moistened.

Roll dough into approximately 2 1/2 dozen 1 inch balls.

Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar in a small bowl. Drop balls into melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place balls onto greased 8 or 9 inch round pan.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in pan on wire rack before removing.

If you are looking for a perfectly rounded ball, try using a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan as mine baked together. They weren’t exactly round but they still turned out beautiful!

This recipe is courtesy of the 2001 Taste of Home Annual Cookbook and available on Taste of Home. It was submitted by Ruth Hastings.