A Marriage of Donuts and Muffins

Eileen here. Of all the fall baked goods that I have concocted in the last few months, the one that stands out as the most additively delectable would have to be The Donut Muffin. It's not very autumn-y, not an ounce of pumpkin in sight (thought that WOULD be good... challenge acCEPted!), although I did take it upon myself to add 2-3 times more cinnamon than this recipe call for.

For your viewing/baking pleasure:

Donut Muffins:
* 1 3/4 cup flour
* 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp nutmeg
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 3/4 cup milk

For the topping:

* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. In another medium bowl, stir together the oil, sugar, egg, and milk.Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan and bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While the muffins are baking, melt the butter. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar. When the muffins are done, carefully remove them from the pan. While they are still warm, dip each one first into the melted butter, and then in the cinnamon-sugar to coat. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

(Adapted from http://sugarcrafter.net)

In other news, my new job at Mt Holyoke College is amazing! I love my classes, my co-workers, my office and my view!





The only downside is that the college is 90 miles away from Waltham, so I drive out there on Monday mornings and don't come back till Thursday evening. The upside to this downside is that the Hills have generously allowed me to stay in their guest house "The Barn" in East Longmeadow, which cuts down on my commute time by about 2 hours per day! This set up has also taught me to not take my time with Matt for granted, and I always get really excited to drive home on Thursdays! With all the driving I've been doing these last few months, Zippy (aka The Plum), my trusty Honda Civic recently rolled over to 100,000 thousand miles!



Also, I had to inform Matt that since this is a) my dream job, and b) in the most beautiful part of Massachusetts, he may want to consider a post-doc or faculty job our here once he graduates. I mean, I picked out our future house and everything, so how can he argue?