Monday, May 26, 2014

Jam Doughnut Muffins

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Today is our Secret Recipe Club reveal, which means that I can now tell you the secret that I've been keeping for the last month ... the blog I was assigned this month was Food. Baby. Life.

I've had a month to poke around in Susan's blog, checking out lots of her posts, and getting to know her a little bit from afar.  And, actually as it turns out "afar" is not really that far, since Susan lives "just across the ditch" from me in Australia.

Susan started her blog nearly 5 years ago as a creative outlet during some major life changes, including the loss of her mother to cancer.  Since then she has married and has three wee boys, and what originally started out as a mostly baking blog has developed into a lot of family friendly fare, and a more healthy approach to her baking.


But, in the end, it was Susan's Jam Doughnut Muffins (and I love the fact that she spells doughnuts the same way I do) that stole my heart.  Let's face it, a muffin is great for breakfast, or a snack on the run.  A doughnut is even better ... actually, a whole lot better, but they can be a bit of a faff to make, and you have to wait a good deal longer for satisfaction, and I have to admit that delayed self gratification has never been my strong suit.  On the other hand, something that cooks up quick and easily like a muffin but tastes like a doughnut has got to be the best of both worlds.

Jam Doughnut Muffins 1

I made a couple of small changes, replacing caster sugar with brown sugar, and melted butter in the muffins with coconut oil.  Coconut oil does solidify at low temperatures, so chances are you might have to dissolve it first - no biggie.  What I did discover though, was that as soon as I added the cold milk, the coconut oil started to solidify a bit - not completely, but a bit.  The upshot of that was that when I added the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, there wasn't quite enough liquid, so I added another 1/2 cup of milk.  As it turned out, I don't think this was a bad thing - the combination of the coconut oil and the extra milk delivered a muffin with a beautiful, moist texture and which tasted just as good the second day as they did straight out of the oven, and this my friends, as you probably know, is a rare thing in the muffin world.  (The quantities given in the recipe below are what I actually used.)  I also froze half of the batch, and I can tell you that once thawed they are every bit as good as the fresh ones were.  Only other changes I made ... I didn't have any buttermilk, so I used a combination of regular milk with a bit of natural yoghurt;   and I used homemade plum jam instead of strawberry jam in the middle - really any jam would be great, or even a dollop of nutella if you wanted to go the chocolate route.  Lastly, Susan says the original recipe was for six large muffins, and that is what she made.  She did however recommend making smaller ones, and since I knew that I would want to eat two of these babies in one sitting (no matter what their size), I decided it would be more prudent to make the smaller, regular-sized ones - smaller ones also give you, I think, a better jam to muffin ratio, which makes me smile.

Once the baked muffins are brushed all over with melted butter, then rolled in sugar and cinnamon, they seriously do taste for all the world like a doughnut, and I know for sure that this has become my go-to muffin recipe.

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Jam Doughnut Muffins Recipe
Adapted from recipe from Food. Baby. Life.
Makes 12
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

300g (10-1/2 oz) self-raising flour
pinch of sea salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup natural yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
good-quality plum jam
100g unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) and grease a 12-hole regular-size muffin tin.

Sift the flour into a medium-sized bowl.  Add the salt and brown sugar, and stir to combine.

In separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, egg, milk, yoghurt and vanilla extract.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until only just combined.

Put a spoonful of mixture into each muffin hole and make an indent in the centre. Fill each indent with a generous dollop of jam.  Top with the remaining muffin mixture and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, melt the butter.  Combine the caster sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.

As soon as the muffins are just cool enough to handle, brush each muffin all over with the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar.

Serve while still a little warm (the jam in the middle really holds its heat so watch out!).

Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did, and visit the links below to check out all the other great dishes my Secret Recipe Club friends made.

Secret Recipe Club

Also linked to Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollam, Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads, and Sweet New Zealand hosted here at Couscous & Consciousness.


72 comments:

  1. Love my coconut oil I buy 40 ozs of organic & use it for all baking, even for sauteeing, put it in my breakfast muesli, make homemade granola with it, you name it ! And it is SO good for you, now research indicates it may help with neurological issues enabling the synapses to work better. I also grate up raw coconuts & freeze for use in baking etc & in my granola! Here in AZ the oil rarely ever solidifies, maybe for a week in the depths of what passes for "winter"!
    SO I may have to try your recipe of doughnut muffins, I have all sorts of homemade jam, including huckleberry! Might be really good with marmalade………..

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    1. Roslyn, I'm a fairly recent convert to coconut oil, but I am loving it. Love your idea for grating up raw coconut and freezing it - I'm definitely going to try that. Any homemade jam would be great in these. I've used homemade marmalade before in these Bitter Orange Doughnuts (http://couscous-consciousness.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/bitter-orange-doughnuts.html) and it was delicious, so I'm sure it would work well in these muffins.

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  2. We had major controversy over "duffins" here last year! This version looks fabulous. I like the sound of your bitter orange doughnuts too.

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    1. Thanks, Alicia. I love the idea of calling them "duffins" - kind of like the muffin version of cronuts :-)

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  3. I think we might be competing to win the "most decadent recipe" of this month's collection!

    awesome pick! I would love one right now to start my day! ;-)

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    1. Yes, that's a tight one, but I think your dulche de leche cheesecake bars might just edge these out in the decadence stakes :-)

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  4. I am always looking for new muffin recipes. I care for my Mom who suffers with Alzheimers and it is not always easy getting her to eat but I can usually coax her into a muffin.

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    1. Oh, Wendy, I'm so sorry to hear about your mum. I lost my Mum several years ago now and she suffered from Alzheimers for many years before that, so I know how emotionally challenging that care can be. I hope you might be able to lure her to try one of these muffins and bring a smile to her face.
      Hugs
      Sue xo

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  5. These look perfect. I have several friends and family members having babies in the next month and I love to bake them something for easy breakfasts. These would be perfect for just that! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thanks, Melissa. What a delightfully kind friend you are. These muffins would be absolutely perfect to share with some friends from them to have for easy breakfasts. I found that these kept beautifully fresh for at least two days. I froze half the batch and found that once thawed they were every bit as good as freshly baked.

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  6. These look really yummy and tasty! And I love that you made mini versions. Have a great week:)

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    1. Thanks, Rachel, and thanks for stopping by. Actually, these were really regular size muffins, but you've got me thinking now that little mini ones would be great too.

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  7. Those are so cute :) I love 'em - great choice for today - happy reveal day!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah - it was a great reveal day as always - thanks for all your hard work :-)

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  8. Come to mama for breakfast, you little dough boy! And hey, you can save a few letters if you just spell it donut. :) Great SRC pick!

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    1. You did make me smile, Dorothy. I still can't bring myself to call them "donuts", but I'd happily share some with you for brekkie :-)

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  9. doughnuts and muffins, what a great combinations. Daughter made us some lovely banana muffins with chocolate yesterday, what a treat.

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    1. What a lovely daughter, Heather. Banana and chocolate is a great combo - you were very spoiled :-)

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  10. These are so cute and look just like little jelly munchkins! They sound delicious!

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    1. I just had to google jelly munchkins to see what they were - these would be a great alternative. Thanks for visiting :-)

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  11. I go brew some tea and you bring some jam doughnut muffins over, will you? They look delicious!

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  12. These look delicious! Love the jam interior. Great pick this month!

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    1. Thanks, Tara. The jammy interior was definitely delicious. Thanks for stopping by.

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  13. These look so cute and tasty!! The only trouble with mini is that I'd probably justify having too many! =)

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    1. Thanks, Karen. Minis can be a bit treacherous like that :-)

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  14. I love using coconut oil, although as you found, it can take a little experimenting. But worth it! I just pinned and stumbled this one - it looks wonderful, and not difficult at all to make!

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    1. Thanks, Susan. I agree - coconut oil is a fantastic ingredient, but does take a little getting used to - but that aside these were very simple to make.

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  15. Wonderful pick - although I may be biased given that this pregnancy makes me want donuts (aka doughnuts) all day every day.

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    1. Thanks, Lauren. I'm thinking that being pregnant gives you carte blanche to eat as many doughnuts as you like, anytime you like.

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  16. There is nothing like a warm muffin for breakfast. These look great. Happy Reveal Day!

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    1. Thanks, Emily - you're right, a warm muffin is hard to beat for brekkie :-)

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  17. I'm so glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks for the lovely post, it's great to meet another local :)

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    1. Thanks, Susan. They were wonderful, and yes, it's lovely to meet another blogger who's practically a neighbour :-)

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  18. Those look WONDERFUL!! My son would have fun helping me make (and then subsequently eat) those!! Yummy!! Happy Reveal Day! :)

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    1. Thanks, Rebekah - these would be a great treat to make, and eat, with a "little person" :-)

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  19. Yum!! I love doughnut muffins, but these sound even better with the jam center!

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    1. Thanks. I've had doughnut muffins before, but these were definitely the best ones yet - I think it's the jam centre that definitely makes them. I can't wait to try them with chocolate centres next :-)

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  20. Sue - It is the middle of the night here and I am in bed with a bad case of the flu. However I must tell you that reading your post has made my night. The jam doughnut muffins looks heavenly, but I must say the word "faff" has me somewhat fascinated! I've never heard the word used before and I have to tell you that it brings a smile to my face and makes me giggle. I will have to introduce this word to my 13 year old daughter as it applies to her on a daily basis.

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    1. Oh, Kim, I'm so sorry to hear that you're a bit "under the weather" - I wish I could send one of these doughnut muffins straight over to you (actually make that two), as I'm sure they would make you feel so much better. Faff is a great word, isn't it - it's one of my favourites. Teenagers do an awful lot of "faffing around", so this is a great word to introduce to your daughter :-) Hope you're feeling better soon.
      Hugs
      Sue xo

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  21. Your jam muffins look fantastic. They remind me of the sugared doughnut holes my grandmother made for me when I was a little girl.
    Sam

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    1. Oooooh, sugared doughnut holes - yum!! Thanks for stopping by, Sam :-)

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  22. Love the idea of baking with coconut oil and using yogurt, I think it's a great way to keep baked goods moist. The jam muffins look delicious!

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    1. Thanks, Cheri. The coconut oil and yoghurt, definitely helped to make these nice and moist - I'll certainly been using them a lot more.

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  23. Oh wow, these muffins look SO amazing. Bookmarking to make ASAP!!

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Nicole - hope you stop my again :-)

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  25. Is this the new cronut? Looks delicious...YUM!!

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    1. I think it very well might be :-) Thanks for stopping by - I appreciate your visiti.

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  26. I continue to be in awe of your collaborative food blogging Sue. Every post is a delight. So thoughtfully put together and always with a great spin on the recipes.

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    1. Thanks, Julie - that is really, really kind. Actually I really enjoy all the different blog events in which I participate - they've led me to "meet" some incredibly lovely people which is what blogging is all about for me.

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  27. "something that cooks up quick and easily like a muffin but tastes like a doughnut has got to be the best of both worlds"

    Amen to that! I love the idea of using nutella in place of jam for a chocolatey version, too.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, JoAnn - I'm very excited about trying a nutella version. I reckon you could do a custard filling in these too.

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  28. Sounds yummy! And they turned out so pretty with cinnamon and sugar on the outside.

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    1. Thanks, Joy and thanks so much for stopping by - hope you'll visit again :-)

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  29. I've never heard of these before, but they sound and look amazing!

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    1. Thanks, Vicki - these were so good I think you might be hearing a lot about them in the future :-)

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  30. These look amazing! I don't bake (at all), so will see if I can bribe a baker friend (maybe my mother in law) to try these so I can taste them!

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    1. Thanks, Sarah. I can relate to being a non-baker. I certainly never used to bake at all. I still don't very much, and I lack a great deal of confidence in that area, but these are very easy. Of course, if you are lucky enough to have a mother-in-law who will bake for you, that is an added bonus.

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  31. It's just as well it's too early for these sorts of goodies! Cheers from Carole's Chatter

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  32. These muffins look so good! I can't wait to try them!

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    1. Thanks, Vasilly - hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

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  33. I've made doughnut muffins before, but never tried filling them. Yum! There are all kinds of jam that would be good in these.

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    1. Same, Janel. I had done something similar before, but last time they were only buttered and sugared on top - doing the whole muffin made a huge difference. Also, the jam filling really makes them even more doughnut-like.

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  34. Triple yum! I love jam filled doughnuts but don't like the idea of having to fry them. But a jam-filled doughnut muffin? Best of both worlds. Plus they're adorable. :)

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    1. My sentiments exactly, Jama. I love doughnuts, but I hate standing around frying things, plus there's the issue of having to raise the dough first. This is definitely the best of both worlds.

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  35. These look amazing!! It's a great idea baking them as muffins as there's no need to deep fry them. Love the jam filling too.Great SRC pick.

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  36. These sounds wonderful! And I like that the smaller doughnuts give you that perfect jam to cake ratio! Oh and the secret recipe club is a great idea!

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  37. These are so cute and fun with the jam surprise in the middle. I'm partial to blackberry. I like the idea of mini muffins on one hand, but on the other I think they would just be too darn "poppable!" Maybe best to stick with regular sized muffins!
    Thank you for sharing with See Ya in the Gumbo this week, Sue.

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  38. Hi Sue, this would be a great contribution to Food on Friday: Muffins & Cupcakes over at Carole's Chatter. Please do bring it over to join in the fun. Cheers

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