Doughnut Muffins

I'll admit it I have a doughnut problem. What can be better than fried dough, slightly sweet with a hint of nutmeg dusted in cinnamon and sugar, parked along side a steaming fresh cup of coffee? Some may say a muffin of some sort or maybe you are in the middle somewhere between the hole and the paper. Regardless of your stance on one thing we can all agree, they are both pretty tasty.
As much as I like doughnuts I would rather let some one else do all the frying I don't like all the cleanup involved and during my last check up the Dr. gave me the long face over my cholesterol. So looking for ways to get it under control and still satisfy my cravings I went in search of a recipe that would solve the problem. That is when I discovered Doughnut Muffins.  The resulting recipe is a collimation of ideas from several recipes along with some personal imitative to reduce the calories and the bad fats but retain all the good taste and texture. Enjoy!

Prep time:  10- 12 min                          Bake time: 15 min                  Yield: 1 dz 


Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter flavor vegetable oil
1/2 cup splenda
2 tbl + 2 tsp splenda brown sugar subistute
1 egg + 2 egg whites
1 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup water
2 2/3 cup Universal Baking mix

Topping
3 tbl melted unsalted butter
2 tbl sugar + 1 tsp cinnamon combined


Tools: Muffin tin, paper liners, pastry brush


Directions:

Preheat  your oven to 425º F, put the paper liners in the muffin tin and set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer combine, light & dark splenda, eggs, oil and vanilla. beat on med speed for 2 min

Slow the mixer to the slowest speed and add 1/3 of the baking mix and 1/3 of the water mix 1 min then repeat until all of the baking mix and water are in. Beat on med for 3 min.

Spoon the batter into the liners filling 3/4 full, bake on the center rack 15  min. remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan 10 min then remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temp

.
Brush the top of each muffin with melted butter and dust the tops generously with the cinnamon sugar, or inject with your favorite jam for jelly doughnut muffins.

Chocolate Expresso Thumb Print Cookies

Chocolate it should be the 6th food group. I am an addict, a true "Chocolaholic".There are times when I not only have to have my "fix" but I want something other than that luxurious feeling of a piece creamy 70% cacao melting on my tongue. I must have it in a chewy bite with out delay. It is at times like these I reach for this quick and easy recipe for double Chocolate & Espresso Thumb Print Cookies. Small little nuggets of chocolaty goodness that can be made during 1/2 time and consumed during the 3rd quarter with a big cold glass of  chocolate milk or hot Cocoa[I really do have a  Chocolate problem].
These are so easy to prepare you will find yourself making them often as they can be addicting themselves.This recipe uses the Universal Baking Mix so it comes together very quickly with only a few ingredients.
These cookies are delicious as the are straight from the oven or you can jazz these up and put a Tex - Mex twist on them as I sometimes do, by adding a little cinnamon and some Ancho Chili powder to the mix and a dollop of Dulce de Leche on top, or top with some Nutella and crushed Hazel nuts  for an Italian flair or a dusting of cocoa powder just because you can .Enjoy!


Prep Time: 5 min                      Cook Time: 8 Min              Makes: 1 doz

Ingredients:                                                 

3/4 cup Baking Mix
1pkg instant pudding
1 lrg egg
1/4 cup oil (any light oil)
1 tsp vanilla
3tbl sugar (Splenda )
3 tbl semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 Instant Espresso powder or 1tsp instant coffee



Tools: 1 Medium  and 1 Small mixing Bowl, Whisk or a Fork, Measuring cup and spoons, Cookie sheet.


  Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F (I usually make these in the toaster oven).

In a med mixing bowl add the Universal Baking Mix, chocolate chips,sugar,espresso powder and instant pudding stir to combine create a small well in the middle.
In a small bowl beat the egg with the oil and vanilla. Pour into the well in the dry ingredients and mix until it looks like wet sand and forms into a ball ( I find using my finger to mix works best).
Pull of about 1 tsp. at a time and roll into a ball, place the balls on to a parchment lined or un-greased sheet pan about 3" apart. with your thumb press on each ball to form a disc.

Bake at 350º F for 8 min. Remove to a cooling rack. These cookies will be cool in about 5 min.

This basic recipe may be adapted for use with any flavor of instant pudding.

The Bakers Secret > Universal Baking mix

Baking mixes such as name brand " Bisquick, " "Jiffy" have been available for years on the shelves in grocery stores across the country. While they work alright and speed things up when your pressed for time, there are some folks making a pile of cash providing these for your convenience. With the prices steadily climbing in the grocery stores and the state of the economy being what it is, we are all looking for ways to make our dollars go farther and still provide good meals. You can make 5Lb. of baking mix that works as good as the pre-packaged stuff for less and do it in about 20 min for a fraction of the cost. It can be used to create all manner of  delicious baked goods.
I keep this on hand as a staple in my pantry as a time saver for those times when I need to bang out something fast. It is very easy and only minimal tools are required. Lets make some.

Time: 20 min                          Shelf Life: 6 months                       Makes: 5 lb


Ingredients:
 
 5 lb All Purpose flour
2 1/2 cups Powdered milk
3/4 cup Baking powder
3 tbl Salt
2 tbl Cream of Tarter
1/2 cup Sugar
2 lb Shortening


Tools: 2 large bowls, Measuring cup & spoons, Strainer, Larger storage container.


Directions:

Place 5 lb A/P flour into a Large bowl mix the rest of the ingredients together and add to the  flour.

Sift all together add in the shortening and rub through the flour until you can squeeze it together  and it forms a clump(like damp sand).

 Transfer to a large air tight storage container and store on pantry shelf up to 6 months. This can be used exactly like the commercial mixes. Be looking for some easy recipes in the near future using this mix.