March 22, 2011

To Try Tuesday - Jam Filled Buttermilk Donut Muffins



Checking through my extensive list of recipes I would like to try one day I wondered which would be the lucky one today?  I was in the mood for muffins and I found something that I thought sounded really good - cinnamon coated donut muffins.

I remember when I saved this recipe it seemed like everyone was making them.  I guess I am a little behind the trend, which quite honestly is nothing new.  I have to face the fact that I am not a trendy person, and for the most part I am OK with that.  I realized that I actually saved two recipes - one from Food Gal, and another from King Arthur Flour.  I honestly can't remember why these recipes stood out more than the abundance of others around at that time. It is hard to figure out who came up with the original idea because there were so many recipes and adaptations floating around.

In my refrigerator sat a lonely carton of buttermilk so I decided that I would make buttermilk donut muffins.  Then I spotted some Fruits of the Forrest jam that I had brought back from Australia, and I decided that I should fill the muffins too.

It was tough to decide which recipe to go with but I chose the King Arthur one, replacing the milk with buttermilk and sandwiching the jam between two layers of batter. The nutmeg in the batter really gives it that donut-like smell. This is quite a thick batter so I found it easier to spread the top layer of batter with my finger to smooth it out and cover all of the jam




I had mixed emotions about the end result.  Some of the jam over-flowed so I think that next time I will just fill them after they have been covered in the cinnamon sugar. Also, I used cupcake liners and I think that the muffins would be better without them.  Even though I greased them they were still hard to remove, and presentation-wise I didn't like the groove marks they created. As Randy Jackson might say, they were just OK for me.  In hindsight I probably should have gone with the other recipe as it was by Beth Hensberger.



Jam Filled Buttermilk Donut Muffins

Ingredients
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup buttermilk 
  • ½ cup jam
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
Preparation
  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.
  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 buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. 
  6. Spoon the batter about ½ way into the prepared pan, add about 1 teaspoon jam, and then fill muffin cups almost full with the remaining batter.
  7. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown.
  8. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes.
  9. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping.
  10. Brush 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.
  11. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.


Yield: 16 muffins. 
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.


 

23 comments:

  1. these look absolutely delicious! I love the sugary coating on the outside and the jammy center!

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  2. Oh yum!!! These look fabulous! Love the jam filled centres!!

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  3. I'm taken by the jam center, the buttermilk in the donut-like muffin and that dusting of sugar on top cinches the deal! I appreciate your candor in mentioning your impressions about the end result, but you gave it a good go and to that I say, "Brava!"

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  4. Ohhhhhh I love the jammy surprise! Simple and neat!

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  5. What a great idea! I love this recipe, sounds so simple and delicious! YUM!!!

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  6. Oh my goodness those are so beautiful! Love the filling inside! Fantastic and delicious!!!

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  7. Such a nice recipe! And as a bonus doesn't use too much butter :-)

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  8. Love the inside and out side and all sides of these babies - love the pics- And I am sure they tasted better than they look which is awesome

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  9. Gee, these are incredible - love the little surprise inside each one.

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  10. While you weren't super pleased they sure are pleasing to the eye! They look really good. The filling really does make them though...who can resist jam filled donuts? I know I can't!

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  11. I love donut muffins. Those look great.

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  12. These look amazing ! I saved the recipe and will make them soon. I think the sooner the better.

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  13. YUM!! That jelly has got me really excited!!!

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  14. Wow these donut muffins look amazing! I love the jam in the middle too. Yum!

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  15. Wow! I love doughnut muffins, but never thought to fill them with jam before...so smart and delicious!

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  16. I could get lost in these muffins.

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  17. These muffins look amazing and I love the cinnamon coating, and oh, the jam filling, too.

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  18. I love your pictures! How do you get your colorful backgrounds?? :)

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  19. @Kelly

    Hi Kelly, thanks for visiting my blog. My colorful backgrounds are all just pieces of colored cardboard. I went to an office supply store and Walmart and picked a few different colors.

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  20. These look fabulous--perfect for tea or even breakfast. Jam-filled treats are so much fun. ;-)

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  21. Sorry about the overflowing jam, but they look and sound really good.

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  22. I have been craving doughnuts for a while and this just might do the trick! Looks delicious!

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