9/14/08

Is it a doughnut? Is it a muffin? NO... it's a Doughnut Muffin!


When I was thinking about clever and witty food related names for my blog I suddenly remembered an odd little song that my younger brother, Jordan, and I had written in honor of our new baby sister, Madeline. The lyrics were simple and, well, meaningless- but it went like this:

She's a sandmuffin plump of a grape
dootdoot do
She's a sandmuffin plup of a grape
dootdoot do
She's a sand sand sand sand sand sandmuffin!
A sandmuffin plump of a grape
dootdoot do

Give us a break we were six and four.

Anyway, when I named my blog Sandmuffin it made me think about these delicious Doughnut Muffins that I found a few years ago. They don't taste like sand (in fact they are quite moist), but the pretty little dusting of cinnamon sugar on the top makes them appear to be sandy. Because I have a darling seven month old daughter there is pretty much no way on earth that I'll be able to make real doughnuts any time in the next 2-3 years- but these are a pretty fabulous quick substitute. Unlike most muffin recipes which call for making a "well" in the dry ingredients and then pouring the wet ingredients into it and then lightly folding them together, this easy recipe has you mix it more like cake-alternating milk and four with the butter and sugar. I'm no pastry chef, but I'm pretty sure that's why these little babies capture that cake doughnutty consistency.

The recipe came from a great little cookbook called Brunch, The Perfect Weekend Treat, by Jennifer Donovan- I really recommend it especially if you are like me and get excited by pretty color pictures of food!

Doughnut Muffins

6oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
1 cup superfine sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
generous 2 1/2 cups ap flour
3/4 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
generous 1 cup milk

Topping
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted

Makes 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 350 F/ 180 C. Grease a deep 12-cup muffin pan (I used cupcake papers). In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well between additions. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg, but I'm sure fresh would be even more delicious!) together. Add half to the creamed mixture with half the milk. Gently fold the ingredients together before incorporating the remaining flour and milk. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, filling each hold to about two-thirds full. Bake for 15-20 minutes (mine had to go all the way to about 22 min), or until the muffins are lightly brown and firm to the touch. For the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. While the muffins are still warm from the oven, brush lightly with melted butter, and sprinkle over the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Eat warm or cold (they really are good both ways).

2 comments:

Bridget said...

Mmmm...these sound really good! I could go for a couple...several...right now! :)

Rosie said...

Welcome Emily Rose to the world of blogging and lovely to *meet* you :) Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog and make a lovely comment :)

Your Doughnut Muffins look delish and a must try!!

I will added you to my blogroll on my site please feel free to add mine to yours if you so wish :)

Rosie x