Doughnut Muffins recipe

Today is July 4th. It's been a beautiful, sunny day - perfect for the beach, so off we went to Haleiwa. The turtles were out in force eating jellyfish and keeping the swimmers safe. Butterfly, our family "fish", was in fishy heaven and swam with her boogie board until the sun was almost down.

We had made all the regular beach foods: spam musubi, potato salad, cole slaw, macaroni salad (Greek-style), salsa and chips. I really wanted something sweet - doughnuts to be exact (I KNOW they aren't health food!) so I tried out the King Arthur Flour recipe for Doughnut Muffins. Oh my! They taste just like cake doughnuts without all the fuss! They are now my favorite, easy to make doughnuts.

Well, the fireworks are beginning, so I'm going out to enjoy the fun.

Hope you enjoy the doughnuts as much as I did!

Doughnut Muffins

Batter
• 1/4 cup butter
• 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 to 1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup milk

Topping
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar Plus or cinnamon sugar

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 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.
3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.
4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.
5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.
7) 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.
8) Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave).
9) 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.
10) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.
Yield: 12 muffins.