Jam Donuts, With A Twist

I love jam donuts - you know, the ones with a big splodge of jam in the centre surrounded by donut-y yumminess and then dipped in sugar? Yes, I do know how 'not good' they are for you but I love 'em anyway. I have them only occasionally but every so often the taste and smell creep inside my head and I need to have them. I was rapidly reaching that point when I came across this recipe for Jam Donut Muffins. Serendipity is a grand thing!

I changed the recipe a little as some of the parts didn't work so well and required some on-the-spot-fiddling. The end result? Not quite like a jam donut but not bad. I probably wouldn't make them again simply because when I want a jam donut I only want one, not the batch of nine that I got out of this mix.

Jam Donut Muffins
Adapted slightly from Everyday Cooking
by Allan Campion and Michele Curtis

1 2/3 cups self-raising flour

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup caster sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

Lightly grease a muffin tray (1/2 cup capacity pans).

Sift the flour, salt and cinnamon together into a large bowl. Ina separate bowl, mix the oil, caster sugar, egg and milk together. Add to the flour and stir until just combined

Half fill the prepared muffin tins with the batter, add 1/2 teaspoon jam to each muffin then cover with more batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until risen and golden. Remove from oven.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. In a small bowl mix together 3 tablespoons caster sugar and 1/2 a teaspoon cinnamon. While the muffins are still hot dip their tops into the melted butter and then into the sugar and cinnamon mix. Place on a rack to cool.