Donut Muffins

Yes, you heard me right - donut muffins. These may just be as good as your favorite powdered cake donut. Wait no, they are better! They are the perfect combination of donuts and muffins. Even better, these are baked and not fried. Even though I don't really eat donuts that often (sorry Dean), if I had to pick one donut to eat, I would without a doubt pick a maple donut. Move over chocolate. Move over glazed. Maple donut in my belly! And I think my dad would agree (right dad?!), maple wins hands down. Okay, now I am getting off topic and drooling on my computer thinking of donuts. Which is not good considering I just got home from my workout. Back to donut muffins.

I followed the recipe pretty closely and rolled the warm muffins in powdered sugar. Delicious. After sampling these, I realized that you could roll them in cinnamon sugar, glaze the top with a little powered sugar, water and lemon zest or drizzle some chocolate on them. You can top or roll them in pretty much anything - just think of your favorite donut and experiment with the flavors. Next time around, I think I'm going to roll mine in cinnamon and sugar. It's going to taste like a BIG snickerdoodle. I can taste it already.

Vinegar in muffins? Just trust me - it works.

ACTION SHOT! butter and sugar creaming away.

milk + cider vinegar and flour ready to go in with the eggs and creamed butter mixture

perfectly scooped and ready to bake. ps. no liners here. spray your pan with non-stick spray.

post-bake baste, roll and cool station.

hot and fresh out of the oven. almost burnt my hands taking these out of the pan. wait at least 5 minutes, not 30 seconds like me.

buttered, rolled and ready to eat! are you drooling yet?

 Are you licking your computer screen yet?

Donut Muffins (adapted from bread-and-honey.blogspot.com)

Makes 12 muffins

For muffins:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs

For topping:
3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 to 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a standard-size muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, and whisk to mix them thoroughly. Set aside.

Combine the milk and the vinegar in a measuring cup, and set aside.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or, alternatively, in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters nearby), and beat on medium speed for a few seconds, until the butter is soft and creamy. With the motor running, add the sugar in a steady stream. Continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the mixture increases in volume and lightens to pale yellow. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until they are just combined.

With a wooden spoon, mix 1/4 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue to add the dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dries. Mix until the dough is smooth and well combined, but do not overmix.

Divide the batter between the cups of the muffin tin. Bake until the muffins are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-32 minutes (mine were done in about 20 minutes).

When the muffins are cool enough to handle, prepare the topping: melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, and pour the powdered sugar into a deep bowl. Using a pastry brush and working one muffin at a time, lightly brush the entire outside of the muffin with butter, and then roll it in the powdered sugar. Shake off any excess, and place the finished muffins on a rack or serving platter. Serve and enjoy!

If you are a donut lover, try these out. You might not go back to regular donuts. Plus, after a quick calorie count, they are slightly better for you then donuts. I'm not saying these are as healthy as eating a bran muffin, but they sure are delicious and you might not be able to just have one. At least my sister couldn't stop at one.