Please don't click past this recipe because of it's less than appealing name….you'll be VERY sorry if you do, I can promise you that. These delightful little nuggets are from the Bantam Bread Bakery in Bantam, CT and come to us courtesy of the R.S.V.P. feature in the May 2014 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. R.S.V.P is where reader's write in to request that the magazine ferret out the recipes from their favorite restaurant meals.
This one was a monster hit around here offering up the flavor and texture of an "old-fashioned" cinnamon sugar donut with the ease of a baked in the oven muffin. Given that the top of the cooked muffin is dipped in melted butter before being dredged in cinnamon sugar, I can't say for certain that these are healthier to eat than fried donuts, but they sure are easier to make!
Luckily, I was smart enough to eat just one of these wonders (the one you see half munched in the top photo), and then passed the rest off to the boys to share with their friends. If I hadn't had the foresight to get these well outside of my reach I would have eaten the whole pile of them, a dangerous temptation at any time of year but especially problematic with beach weather right around the corner.
Enjoy!
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
for the muffins:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup whole milk
for the topping:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
Instructions
for the muffins:
- Heat the oven to 375℉. Coat a standard 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
- Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester comes out clean, 30-35 minutes (mine were done at 25 minutes). let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack.
for the topping:
- Mix sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl and melt butter in a small sauce pan. Working one at a time, dip tops of muffins in the melted butter, then the cinnamon sugar.