Cinnamon sugar donut muffins

Don’t think about it. Just make these donut muffin things. Now.

I know they are probably horribly unhealthy, but they are extremely good. Downright devilish.

These tender “muffins” are popped out of the muffin tin while they are still hot, dunked in a bowl of delicious melted butter, and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. They taste like giant cake donut holes, so I don’t think they should really be called muffins. If you eat them warm, freshly buttered and rolled, you might not be able to stop at just one.

The slight crunch of cinnamon sugar under your teeth … the decadent butter coating around a warm lightly spiced muffin … it is just so satisfying to take a huge bite. Munchkins can’t even compare.

Donut Muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

1 3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

For the coating:

1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine. Distribute batter to fill 12 muffin tin holes. (I used a quick-release cookie scoop to do this to make it clean and easy.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. (Mine only took 15 minutes.) While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

Shake muffins out of the muffin tin while the muffins are still hot.

Dip muffins in the melted butter and then roll in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool.

This article appears in Aug 10-16, 2010.