Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins

Hello old friends. I've got a good one for you to make up for my prolonged absence. It involves sugar, cinnamon, and everyone's favorite ingredient: butter. Lots of it too. I like the simple things in life: a nice cold beer, snuggles from dogs, Netflix, and butter. 

Let's discuss one other thing in life that makes me happy. Doughnuts. Side note: it's doughnut not donut, because doughnuts are made from dough not do. I love doughnuts. Any type of doughnut. Big, small, sugary, filled, round, square, fried, baked: bring them to me. Bring them ALL to me. When I found this recipe that combined muffins and doughnuts it was meant to be. Meant to be like, coffee and mornings, or milk and cookies, or bacon and, well, anything really. I belong with these cinnamon sugar doughnut muffins. 

These guys are super simple, and the recipe doesn't make too many muffins, so it's perfect for someone like me who wants to hoard all of them without feeling too guilty. Make them. Go on. Get you some doughnut muffins. 

Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 large egg

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350F. 

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and nutmeg. Use the freshly grated stuff. It's so much better. Plus, the inside of nutmeg looks like brains (as pictured above). Brains! Isn't food cool? Add the wet ingredients, and stir until combined. Don't over mix on this step. The batter will still be slightly lumpy.

Scoop the batter into a greased muffin tin using a large ice cream scoop. I only got about seven muffins out of the batter. If you want more, and I'm sure you will, double it, or triple it. I'm not here to judge. 

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. While the muffins are in the oven, mix together the cinnamon sugar concoction, and melt the butter.

When the muffins are done, and while they're still warm, dip them in the butter and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake

Well, howdy folks! It has been a hot minute, and I truly apologize for that. I'll give you a quick update as to why it has taken me an era to post again. Since my last post, I have accepted a full-time job at a wonderful company called Applied Measurement Professionals. It has been busy, but incredibly rewarding. I have also signed up to run the Walt Disney World Half Marathon with my stepmother this January 10th (yes, I'm nuts). I'm also raising money for The Leukemia Lymphoma Society to go along with it. If you'd like to help me reach my goal, click HERE. Shameless plugin. You know you love me! In all seriousness, any little bit helps. Let's eliminate blood cancers!

All that being said, I know why you're really here. That cake. More like, THE cake. This cake goes by many names. I call it Texas Sheet Cake, others call it Funeral Cake. No matter what you call it, one thing is for certain; it is delicious.

This cake is one of my father's many claims to fame. He has perfected it from the fudgey icing, down to sifting the dry ingredients three times for the silkiest texture. This cake is simple, but fantastically delicious, and I urge you to try it. I mean, it's chocolate on chocolate with pecans. How can you resist? Just give into the temptation.

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Texas Sheet Cake
Ingredients
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ICING
  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsley chopped
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375º F, and grease and flour a jelly-roll sheet pan. 2. Sift together the sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Repeat the sifting process three times. May seem overkill, but trust me, it makes the cake so incredibly silky. 3. in a medium saucepan combine the water, vegetable oil, butter, and cocoa. Bring it to a boil and stir constantly. 4. Once completely combined, pour the hot mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until just smooth. 5. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Then incorporate this mixture into the batter. 6. Pour batter into the sheet pan evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes. 7. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter. Once melted, take off heat, and stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Place the mixture back on the double boiler. Add the powdered sugar, and heat the icing for 10 minutes. Finally, remove from heat, and continue stirring until spreadable. Don't fret if you feel like your icing isn't coming together. Give it time. 8. Spread the icing over the entire cake, and before the icing sets, sprinkle the pecans over the entire cake.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 20 servings

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cheesecake is one of those things I'll never be able to resist. When Oreos are added to the mix I go weak at the knees. Seriously. These little beauts are perfect for easy transportation, and they're the perfect size for a quick bite. And you guys, cheesecake and Oreos. I should just stop writing there. You should be convinced. I mean an entire Oreo cookie is the crust. Duh. No brainer.

I've brought these to tailgates, and other events, and they always get rave reviews. They're wonderfully decadent without being too rich. AND OREOS. OK I'm done. These little guys don't need any further introduction. OREOS.

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Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes
Ingredients
  • 42 Oreos (30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped)
  • 4-8oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line cupcake tin with liners, and place an entire Oreo cookie in the bottom of each liner. 2. In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the sugar, scraping down the sides as needed. Beat in vanilla. 3. Slowly and gradually pour in the eggs. Beat in sour cream and salt. Finally, stir in chopped cookies by hand. 4. Fill the cookie-lined cups with the batter evenly. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until the cupcakes are set. Move to wire wracks to cool completely, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before eating.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 30 Cupcakes