Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

I came across this recipe in my weekly King Arthur newsletter, and then The Pioneer Woman also featured a similar recipe on her blog the same week. I don’t know how hers came out, but these were great! They were moist, dense, and indeed, tasted like a plain donut! Don’t skimp on the nutmeg- that’s the source of the secret flavor crystals! Also, more than a few of the reviews on the K.A. recipe indicated that by baking these in mini-muffin tins resulted in spot-on donut-hole replicas. I baked mine in a traditional size muffin tin. If you decide on the minis, you’ll have to adjust your baking time/temperature.

Donut MuffinsMakes 14 muffins

Batter

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-2/3 cups flour
• 1 cup milk

Topping

• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons super fine (or granulated) sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin(s). Or line with paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. Add the eggs, beating to combine.
3. In another bowl, stir the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and flour with a whisk. In a measuring cup, add milk and vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
4. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.
5. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them.
6. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave). Mix the 3 TBSP sugar with the cinnamon. Use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.

The ones on the left were coated with real sugar; on the right with Splenda substitute.

Yum! Perfect for a Sunday breakfast with coffee!