Mini Doughnut Muffins

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN! Sorry, I’m just a little excited about these donut muffins. Reasons to make this recipe ASAP:

1. They were super fun to frost
2. they look adorable
3. they’re fun to eat
4. and they taste delicious!
   

Do you like baked donuts?

I don’t.

Sorry, I just don’t.

I LOVE donuts. Fried donuts. Nothing can beat a freshly made fried yeast donut. Baked are so far from the real thing that I just don’t enjoy them. At all. So when I was preparing to make this recipe, I was skeptical. BUT they are more than a baked donut. They are part muffin. Topped with a sweet glaze and tasty toppings, and the result is quite scrumptious. Maybe it’s not so different from a baked donut. But the state of mind one is in when one eats is important. And making a donut muffin is different than a baked donut. Maybe you’re thinking I’m crazy right about now. Maybe you would be right.

The recipe calls for butter flavor extract. I didn’t have any, but I did have butter flavored shortening. So, I just used that for the shortening. I would still try it with the extract if I had it though.

I made chocolate and vanilla glazes. I topped with sprinkles, coconut, and walnuts (separately, not on the same muffin). Oh and I also made a few sugar coated muffins by rolling them in melted butter and then rolling in a sugar/cinnamon mixture. Next time I may try a strawberry or almond glaze. But really the possibilities are endless. Go crazy.

The Goods:

⅓ cup shortening (not butter or margarine)

½ cup sugar

1 egg

1 ½ cup flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

¾ cup milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp butter flavor extract

Directions

Cream together the shortening and sugar. Blend in the egg until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add it to the sugar mixture along with the milk and extracts. Blend all until smooth.

(I also made a few chocolate muffins by adding some unsweetened cocoa powder to about half of the batter. I added a spoonful of cocoa at a time until I go the flavor I liked.)

Drop by spoonfuls into greased mini muffin pans. Fill about ¾ full. This recipe yielded 28 muffins for me. Bake for about 13-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. My oven always bakes quick, so I baked for 12-13 minutes. Let cool completely on a cooling rack. Then dip muffins in glaze and top with toppings of choice!

Chocolate glaze:

Melt 2 Tablespoons butter, 1 oz chopped chocolate (I just used choc. chips) 1 tsp light corn syrup, ½ tsp vanilla in microwave. Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon milk and ½ cup powdered sugar. Mix all until smooth.

Vanilla Glaze:

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter. Add ¼ tsp vanilla, ½ Tablespoon milk and ½ cup powdered sugar. Mix all until smooth.

What the rodeo taught me about Jesus

TBT to something I wrote over a year ago.

Joe and I went to a rodeo last week. It was a fun date night, and neither of us had been to a rodeo before. So, you could say it WAS my first rodeo (haha, sorry). Our favorite part was

the barrel racing. The horses looked so powerful, so beautiful as they took off

at top speed after rounding the last barrel. We enjoyed that even more than the

bull riding!

            Something I had never heard of before was mutton bustin. Young kids rode on top of sheep as

the sheep took off running from the gate. It was amusing at first, and it was kind of cute watching the kids cling on for dear life as the sheep dashed out, looking scared and confused. Most of the kids fell off after a couple seconds (amazingly, barely phased. I kept wanting to run out there and pick up the kids), and the sheep would just run off to some other part of the arena. The cowboys just let them be until the end of the round because they were out of the way anyway.

            I found it funny that the sheep all ran to each other, to the herd that was growing after

each run. They instinctively ran straight to the safety and familiarity of the herd.  Once they reached the herd, they stopped and just stood there, occasionally pooping or baa-ing (is that a word?). They looked so lost and pathetic all huddled there together. It struck me that they needed a leader. They would never go anywhere on their own- just keep standing together as one, in safety. The only way to move them was to herd them all together back into their pen.

            As I reflected on this during a Sunday afternoon motorcycle ride with my ruggedly handsome

husband, I made the connection of the sheep needing a leader to our need for a leader and Savior. In the Bible, we find several references to sheep and their shepherds, and to Jesus as our shepherd. Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” John 10:3, 4 “the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own

sheep by name and leads them out…his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Matthew 9:36 (I love this one): “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

            Like one of those sheep at the rodeo, I am helpless and harassed without my shepherd, my

Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Without a leader, I go nowhere and do nothing- but poop and make pointless, loud noises. I don’t know about you, but that does not sound like life to me. I want to follow a leader who loves me and has good things for me. A leader who will lead me out of the safety and familiarity that I get stuck in, too scared to leave by myself, into new places. A leader that I

can love and trust.

            Moving out here to Utah from Wisconsin/Michigan took courage and faith. Joe and I left all that was safe, familiar and stable to start a new life in a new place. Without God’s leading, I never could have done it. And it has not been easy. Making new friends is hard for me. Feeling at home at a new church is taking some time. It took me much longer than I expected to find a job. Learning the culture of a new place has been frustrating at times. But my shepherd has been with me through it all, giving me courage and the grace I need.

            I’ve been stretched and blessed by this experience, and I will continue to follow Christ

wherever He leads. Because without Him, I’m a little helpless and harassed sheep.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

Wow. Just wow. These cupcakes are spectacular. I absolutely adore the flavor combination of peanut butter, pumpkin and white chocolate. May sound strange, but believe me. It’s crazy good!

I’m really excited about this recipe, because it is the most me recipe I’ve made so far for this blog. Most of my recipes are from other people, but I had to get creative for these cupcakes. I wanted the three flavors in a cake or cupcake, but my pinterest searching revealed nothing. OH sure, lots of pumpkin and peanut butter recipes. But no white chocolate. Or pumpkin and white chocolate, but no peanut butter. I’ve topped my pumpkin muffins with pb before, and also with white chocolate frosting. Recently I tried both together and fell in love. But the muffin texture was a little too dense. So I found a recipe for spiced pumpkin buttermilk cake and swapped out some of the butter for peanut butter. The batter is so creamy good. When they were out of the oven, I topped the cupcakes with some leftover white chocolate frosting that I had from the previous post’s chocolate coffee cupcakes. I was so excited that I frosted them a tad too soon. As you can see, the frosting got a little melty. I guess the cupcakes weren't completely cool! Oh well... I can’t wait for Joe to come home and try them. I’m tempted to eat the rest right now though :)

The Goods:

2 and ¼ cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

4 ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice *

4 ½ tsp. salt

1 and ⅓ cups canned pumpkin

¾ cup buttermilk (I never buy buttermilk. I make my own with milk and lemon juice. For 1 cup of milk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let sit for 5 min)

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

⅓ cup peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

3 eggs

*  An alternative to pumpkin pie spice:

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground allspice

¾ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cupcake trays or cake pan of choice. 

Combine flour, soda, powder, salt, spice (or spices)

In another bowl, combine pumpkin, vanilla and milk.

Beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Then add flour mixture and pumpkin mixture, alternating between the two while mixing in.

Spoon cupcake trays about ¾ full and bake for about 18 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Crumbs are ok, but not wet gooey stuff.

If you’re making a cake, it will need longer in the oven. Maybe 45 minutes. This should make about 22-24 cupcakes

After cupcakes are cooled completely. Frost with white chocolate frosting. You can find the recipe in my last post: http://heidibakesforjoe.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-job-and-celebratory-chocolate-coffee.html