~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Mini Doughnut(Donut) Muffins... simply amazing!



Doughnut(Donut) Muffins...with cinnamon sugar. Even though most of the times we try to eat healthier, I still like to bake or cook something that's not the norm in our house. On occasion... not very often. And because I bookmarked this recipe quite awhile back, I thought it would be fun to give the doughnuts a try, and make a batch. I loved the idea of baked doughnuts and have never attempted to make a baked version. Was really curious to see how they would come out. Would they really taste like doughnuts?... Because, you know... some things just don't taste the same when they're not fried.
I quickly looked over the recipe and noticed it wasn't very complicated... and then I got started. The doughnut muffins actually came together in no time at all. I think this would be a wonderful baking project to make with the kids....they'd have a ton of fun dipping the doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar. I'm not so sure how healthy they are...but once in a while, I think it's nice to be able to deviate from the norm and have some fun in the kitchen:).
All I can say is these mini doughnut muffins delivered. They tasted like real doughnuts! Seriously. They were light and tender... and doughnut-like. You'd never know they aren't fried. But then I think the secret in the doughnut-like taste is the nutmeg flavor....and of course the butter...well, maybe the sugar, too:).
I'm thinking the doughnuts would be super cute baked in mini doughnut pans instead of the muffin tins. Can you imagine the possibilities when it would come to decorating them?... dipped in chocolate glaze, sugar glaze, sprinkles, nuts, icing sugar, maple glazed, coconut (oh, why didn't I think of that when I made this batch)... and I'm thinking they'd even be great dipped in cake crumbs. But since I don't have mini doughnut pans, I had to settle for making them into muffins, like the original recipe:). Highly recommend these doughnuts...we just LOVED them! A great recipe to have on hand... Hope you enjoy...

Note: I listed the original version... with my changes in italics and as noted.

Tip: If you really want to make them even more special, opt for piping some jelly or jam in the center...making Jelly Doughnut Muffins. Simply use a small pastry tip to make a hole in the bottom of each muffin. Fill the pastry bag with your favorite jam and gently squeeze a bit into the muffin.
You can opt to simply roll them in icing sugar....even quicker.
Because, we didn't want to eat the whole lot, I froze some of the doughnuts (rolled in sugar)....they defrost well. Just bring to room temperature before serving.

You will need: adapted from SeriousEats and originally from Blue Ribbon Cookbook

Muffins: makes about 24 "mini" muffins.... or about 48( 1 TBS batter) extra mini muffins....I have really mini muffin tins:). They would be super cute baked in mini doughnut pans.

3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste( I used 1/4 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg*
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature**
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature

*Nutmeg can be quite strong, so I would add it to taste. I used a fresh nutmeg and grated it a few times over a microplane, probably used 1/4 tsp or so.
** Since I didn't have enough butter, I used 7 TBS butter and 3 TBS extra light olive oil

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating: this can easily be adjusted to taste, use less or more cinnamon, sugar, and butter.

1 cup sugar
1 TBS ground cinnamon, or to taste( I used quite a bit less)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (12 cup) mini muffin tins....I used 4 really mini muffins tins.

2. In a medium bowl, sift/whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda.

3. In a measuring cup add the milk and then 2 TBS buttermilk. Mix to combine.

4. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter(and oil, if using) with the sugar until light and fluffy.

5. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined.

6. On low speed, beat in one fourth of the dry ingredients. Then beat in one third of the milk mixture. Continue to alternate until all ingredients are incorporated, finishing with dry ingredients. Do not over mix. The batter will be heavy-ish.
7. Fill the prepared muffin cups to the rim with the batter.

8. Bake until lightly golden and firm to the touch, 15-20 minutes...my muffin tins were really mini, so I baked mine for about 12 minutes or until toothpick came out clean .

9. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes and remove.

Coat the Muffins:
1. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a resealable plastic bag....mix.

2. Brush each muffin with melted butter, making sure you coat the muffin completely . Add the muffin in the bag(with the cinnamon and sugar mixture) and shake well to coat the muffins. Repeat with the rest...

3. Enjoy...with a glass of milk ...or not:).

12 comments:

Mihaela said...

Ellie, they look so good that I want to make doughnuts, like right now :) The only time I made traditional doughnut it was a disaster, so probably baking them will be a good idea :) Have a wonderful day!

Ellie said...

Mihaela, These doughnuts sure were delicious!
They are worth trying...and yes, they are much simpler to make than the yeast version...and you get to eat them quicker, too:).

Speranta said...

Ellie,te admir foarte mult pentru tot si pentru aceasta reteta "Mini
Doughnut Muffins... arata minunat!

O,saptamana binecuvantata iti doresc!

Ellie said...

Speranta, Esti o scumpa! Multumesc mult pentru vizita si pentru cuvintele tale incurajatoare. Apreciez mult!

O zi minunata!

Mihaela said...

I am not a lover of nutmeg, but you gave us so many other options , and I can smell already these doughnuts in my kitchen...

Ellie said...

Mihaela, Yes, you can leave out the nutmeg... I think that's what's nice about making things at home, you can adjust to taste and preference. They are especially good...
Have a great day!

Susy said...

They loooooooooooook so soft!! I will have to try these!! I bet my son will love it..

Ellie said...

Susy, I hope you can give the recipe a try... it would be fun to have your son helping out. They are a great alternative to the deep fried version. We love them:)...

Susie said...

Hi Ellie..these look so good! Knowing you appreciate a warm fresh donut gives me hope that these will be a healthier alternative..miss you. Susie
(a cup of coffee and this donut..life is good)

Ellie said...

Hi Susie:)...
So sweet of you to stop by...am glad you like the idea of the doughnut muffins. We really enjoyed them!

Sure wish we lived closer, then we could have a cup of coffee and a doughnut together:)....we might even have to settle for a regular fluffy doughnut:).

Miss you lots. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Liz said...

Hi Ellie,

I made these doughnuts yesterday, and I was wondering how big your mini muffin cups are. My minis are 1" deep 1" at the bottom and 1 3/4" at the top. I had 24 doughnuts with enough batter leftover to make 12 regular sized tins which would have worked out to another 24 minis! I usually only cook for one and reduce recipes, but I didn't this time (don't ask me why I thought 24 doughnuts was a reasonable amount for 1 person). So I had to bring the big ones to the guys at work and they loved them! Here in NC it gets so hot that baked goods mold quickly unless you keep them in the refrigerator, and these are just as good after they come to room temp as when they come out of the oven. Thank you for the recipe. My coworkers and I loved them.

Liz

Ellie said...

Liz, Thank you for stopping by and sharing your result. So glad to hear the doughnuts were enjoyed by everyone:). And I am glad to hear the doughnuts are just as good when brought to room temp, after being refrigerated.....

As for my doughnut pan, it is a bit smaller in depth( about 1/2 inch)... and can take about 1 TBS of batter( they domed up a bit). The result was 48 mini muffins for my pan... which sounds about how many you would have gotten if you would have baked them all as "mini".
Glad to hear they work in regular size muffin tin as well.

You know, I often freeze my baked goods(amounts are big for us as well, only 2 of us)... and just pull them out to defrost for when I need to bring something sweet, or when I have guests. You can easily just roll them in the sugar before serving.

Glad you tried them:).