The Doughnut Muffins

You have to love those cosy murder mysteries that include recipes. The latest one where we have used a recipe is called Roast Mortem: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle. They taste just like doughnuts. Nom nom nom!  Here it is then:

Clare Cosi’s Doughnut Muffins

Makes 12 muffins [12 huge American muffins, will actually make are 24 more normal sized muffins]

For the batter:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter [150g]

1 cup granulated [white] sugar [250g]

2 large eggs, lightly beaten with fork

1 cup whole milk [or in our case lactose free, don’t really think it needs to be whole, can be trim]

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour [320g]

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the cinnamon topping”

1/2 cup granulated [white] sugar [125g]

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 F [180 C] Using electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and milk and continue mixing. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg, and mix only enough to combine ingredients. Do not overmix at this stage or you will produce gluten in the batter and toughen the muffins.

Line cups in muffin pan with paper holders. Fill and bake for 15-25 minutes or until lightly brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Mix together sugar and cinnamon to create cinnamon topping. Brush the tops of the warm muffins with melted butter and dust with cinnamon topping.

To make into Jelly Doughnut Muffins:

[We haven’t tried yet]

Make batter as above

1/4 cup raspberry jelly/jam

2 tablespoons butter melted

1/2 cup confectioners’s sugar for dusting

Line cups in muffin pan. Fill each halfway with doughnut batter. Poke a hole into the thick batter and spoon in 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam/jelly. Top with remaining batter.

Bake as above.

Brush top of muffins with butter and with sugar.