This post is dedicated to my friend Michelle - "Optimista," if you will - who has been very excited about this recipe after seeing my Instagram photos. Hi Michelle.
I've had some time off from work over the holidays and have been doing a lot of cooking and baking lately. Man, my interns are missing out.
This afternoon (because I now wake at 11:00am or sometimes 1:00pm) I made Orangette's Nutmeg Doughnut Muffins for breakfast. You read that correctly, doughnut-muffin hybrid. Baked in a muffin pan, tasting like a doughnut.
Orangette is one of my favorite food blogs. Ever. I was lucky enough to see hear her speak at SXSWi last year. Here are my Orangette sketchnotes.
I saw so excited about the recipe, I got all spirited and wore my Doughnut Plant NYC shirt. Wearing doughnut clothes while making doughnut muffins is totally my style. Wearing a pizza costume while recruiting for Whole Grains Pizza Iron Chef competition entrants: apparently also my style.
You can find the Nutmeg Doughnut Muffin recipe on Orangette's blog. I've also included the recipe below with my comments in grey.
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
Scant 1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg *Mine was not freshly ground. I'm sure it would have been even better if it were
¾ cup plus 1 Tbs whole milk
2 Tbs buttermilk
1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 Tbs granulated sugar
2 large eggs
For topping:
4 - 6 Tbs unsalted butter
1 ½ - 2 cups powdered sugar
*I used organic eggs, butter, milk, and flour. OMG organic dairy tastes amazing.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and set a rack to the middle position. Spray a standard-size muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, and whisk to mix them thoroughly. Set aside.
Combine the milk and the buttermilk in a measuring cup, and set aside.
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or, alternatively, in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters nearby) *I actually had a KitchenAid stand mixer with an electric beater next to it, and beat on medium speed for a few seconds, until the butter is soft and creamy. With the motor running, add the sugar in a steady stream. Continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the mixture increases in volume and lightens to pale yellow. It should look light, fluffy, and wonderfully creamy, like frosting. This could take a couple of minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until they are just combined.
*Is anyone else scared of cracking eggs? After years of baking I'm still frightened. I have some sort of egg shell fear.
With a wooden spoon, mix ¼ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue to add the dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dries. Mix until the dough is smooth and well combined, but do not overmix.
*I refrigerated the dough overnight so I could eat my doughnut muffin brunch at 1pm. I knew I wouldn't be waking up earlier than 10am. Orangette wasn't lying the dough does keep well in the fridge.
Divide the batter between the cups of the muffin tin. *I tried to use a scoop. My scoop was too small so I had to put multiple scoops of batter in each muffin circle. It did make for a nice picture. Bake until the muffins are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-32 minutes.
When the muffins are cool enough to handle, prepare the topping: melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop, and pour the powdered sugar into a deep bowl. Using a pastry brush and working one muffin at a time, lightly brush the entire outside of the muffin with butter, and then roll it in the powdered sugar. *During the brushing, I accidentally buttered my hand. Mmm...organic buttered hand.
Shake off any excess, and place the finished muffins on a rack or serving platter. Serve.
This is the second time I've baked these muffins and they are best on first day. Next time, I'll probably divide the batch and bake half one day and the other half the next. Twelve nutmeg doughnut muffins in one day, though quite delicious, may be too many. I ate three today.
Lil Phan loved these so much she's now looking for a way to make enough money to support me so I can just cook and bake for her every day while she works.
She looks like she's eating a snowball, but I can attest to it being a doughnut muffin covered in Imperial powerdered sugar. I will testify to this in a court of law. I can only hope it would be televised and called Confection Court and feature characters from Candy Land with court-related titles. But I digress...
I am now scrambling to find ways to use the rest of my buttermilk before it goes bad. Maybe I'll try Orangette's buttermilk cookies with lemon zest before I have to go back to work next week. I seriously Googled "orangette buttermilk" hoping for positive search results. Thanks SEO.
