I made Donut Muffins because if you call it a muffin you can eat three, I made minis so you can eat four... you're welcome

I was accused of being a baker.  I don't bake, I cook.  I looked through my food and I guess, much to my horror, I do, in fact, bake.

I usually wing my recipes and rarely re-create the recipe exactly each time.  I do try to have a proper recipe here and I reference my own work frequently.  I don't do exact measurements, even with the baking.

Use this recipe that I morphed from a bunch of recipes I read, have and created as a starting point.

Add more or less of the flavors depending on your mood and whim.  Be a cook who bakes and break rules as often as possible.  The worst case is you have to waste a little flour and an egg or two... c'mon, jump in and make it your own.

  

CINNAMON SUGAR COVERED DONUT MUFFINS,  

*We all know it's really just a baked donut in the shape of a muffin but that means you can eat more, enjoy more and have a happier life

This is a quickie so preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Grease WELL either a 12 cup muffin tin OR a 24 cup mini muffin tin and a 6 cup regular muffin tin OR any combination of tins that make you happy.

You'll need three bowls, yes you do, just get three bowls, you'll be happy you did.

• BOWL 1 (biggest bowl)
• 2 2/3 cups a/p flour
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• 1 (scant) cup sugar
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 t fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

• BOWL 2
• 1/2 cup melted, and cooled, butter
• 1 T lemon juice (from a bottle, don't bother with fresh, it doesn't matter, if you don't have lemon juice, leave it out)
• 1 t vanilla

• BOWL 3
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup milk (I use 2%)

Combine the contents of each bowl well, stir what needs stirring and whisk what needs whisking.

ADD bowls 2 and 3 to bowl 1 in one batch.

I whisk but you can also stir if you want, just get it all combined.  It's a beautiful thick batter.

Scoop the batter (I use a portion scoop if I can find it, when I can't, I use a spoon) into the tins, fill each about 3/4 full.

Bake the muffins in the top third, way up the top, of a preheated oven for 16 minutes for the large muffins and 13 for the minis.  Cook until a knife comes out clean.

Take out of the tins immediately. Leave on a rack for a couple of minutes.

Coat each in melted butter and toss in cinnamon sugar.  I use about 1/2 cup of melted butter to do all of them and the cinnamon sugar is 1 cup of sugar with just shy of a tablespoon of cinnamon, well blended.

Leave them on a rack to cool completely and there you go.  Eat Eat Eat Eat.  Share Share Share.

Here are the pics:

The bowls of stuff, ready to be combined

   

 The mini muffin pan, well sprayed.  I got 24 minis and 6 regular muffins from this version of the recipe.  13 Minutes for the minis, 16 for the big ones... test with a toothpick

    

I mixed up about a cup of sugar with enough cinnamon to make it taste like cinnamon, adjust to your desires.  Melted butter in one bowl, sugar in another, ready to coat and dip

 

 Ok, here's the beauty shots... truly...  LOOK at the crumb here, wow, it's rich and tender and delicious

 

/enjoy

Apple Fritters. Quick and Easy. OH and if there's fruit in it, it's healthy and you can eat it for breakfast.

This is my recipe for  my quick, any day of the week, apple fritters.  I made them this am and am sitting here eating them.  I thought, absolutely, you'd like to make these and have them for yourself. 

Like most of my recipes, it's quick, it's easy and you will rock the fritters, plus, there's fruit so remember, they're healthy!  O_o  

TRACY'S QUICK APPLE FRITTERS

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3-4 Tablespoons of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
(any spice you like with your apples, cinnamon, nutmeg or nothing)
1/4 tsp dry yeast (OPTIONAL!)

1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 grated (small) apples, I use Gala which are quite small so I use two, if you have giant apples, use one

IF you want to drizzle them, then you need some icing sugar, 1/3 cup? and a dribble of milk.  OR you can just dust them with icing sugar, your call.

some fat to cook them in.  I use 1/2 clear vegetable oil and coconut oil, ya, I went there. 

Quick INSTRUCTIONS

Mix, fry, eat.  

*I got a complaint that my recipes (and blog in general) was too long winded, so I wanted to be sure there were short instructions for ya, sweetie  *hehehehe*

LONG WINDED INSTRUCTIONS WITH PICTURES  

This is seriously a dump, fry, eat experience

IN a bowl, or 4 cup measuring cup like me, combine all the dry ingredients, flip them around with a fork.  In another bowl, mix the milk and egg (add vanilla if you're one of those!)  Combine the wet into the dry into a very thick batter
   
   
Peel and grate one or two apples, depending on their size.  Add them to the batter.
   

Mmmmm, gooey thick and droppy fritter batter.  I throw a towel over it while I get the cooking station ready.   ON the days I use yeast in the batter, I think it makes it slightly poofier if it rests.  On the days I don't use yeast (I don't always) resting makes it lighter as well...  either way, let it sit there while you get the fat ready.
  

Heat some oil, any combination that you like, in a frying pan.  I use cast iron because it keeps a nice heat.  I pour in enough oil to be about 1/2 inch deep, this is a shallow deep fry.  I drop 1/4 tsp water in the fat and turn the heat onto medium.  When the fat spits, or 'speaks' then I know it's the right temperature.  I am SURE there's better ways, like with a thermometer but I don't use them.  I also use the "put a wooden chopstick in the fat and if there's bubbles then it's hot enough" method. 

DO NOT cook these unless the fat is hot, they'll be gross.

When the fat is hot, I coat my spoon, lightly, and scoop out the batter without having any stick to the spoon, cool and chefy!

Since the batter sat and waited, I like it to rest, it may have gotten thinner, if it has, feel free to add a little more flour, this should be thick!

Drop, carefully, by spoonfuls into the fat, not too many at a time and cook till they are brown on the bottom, flip carefully and wait another moment or two till they're cooked through and brown on the bottom too.
   

Mmmm, breakfast!  You can make them bigger or smaller, have at it!
     

Transfer them to a rack with a paper towel underneath to catch any residual fat, there shouldn't be much if your fat is hot enough.  Allow to cool for a while, seriously, as much as I hate to say this, I prefer them room temperature to screaming hot out of the pan.

When they are cool (ish) make a light drizzle with confectioners sugar and a few drops of milk to make a pouring consistency.  You can pour or dunk, again your personal choice.
   

Serve them up to those you love.  I have no idea if they keep or freeze, they never last the day.

Gratuitous beauty food porn shots

CRONUTS!

Ok, I just saw the cronut that is hitting the big city as the new craze. A croissant/donut hybrid.  Um, this isn't new?!  We have been frying up biscuit dough down here in the south forever... however, I have not fried croissant dough.

YET

I saw you can make them from crescent dough in a tube (euwww!) and simply deep fry them, which we ALL do down her all the time.  I think I can make a better one with my croissant dough!  YA!

Watch this space, the dough is rising and I have a free day tomorrow, I'm ALL over this!!

/tracy