Jelly Doughnut Muffins

As usual, my family took its annual trip this Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with our longtime friends, who welcome us into their homes and kitchens. We saw one unusual development this year — aside from one dish simply dripping with cheese, this Thanksgiving catered almost entirely to our sole vegan diner. We had a lovely array of vegetables, casseroles, and desserts that omitted dairy and eggs. My cranberry cornmeal-crumb tart was one such sweet. And the morning before we left for home (in a desperate attempt to prolong our departure, I admit), I made these muffins. That is, I made jelly doughnut muffins.

Come to think of it, perhaps I ought to have tackled actual jelly doughnuts. They would have taken considerably longer to make. But these muffins did the trick, providing us all with a sweet bite as we ran out the door and keeping at bay any grumbles about getting home too late. And they really do taste like they are in the jelly doughnut family. (I'd go for a tight-knit cousin, if not a blood brother.) The keys to success are a heavy dash of vanilla in the batter, viscuous jelly (which I didn't use, but more anon), and a smattering of powdered sugar that melts across the newly formed crowns of the baked muffins. This trifecta carries along the lusciously sweet, sugary flavor of the doughnut while avoiding the necessity of heating up a vat of oil. And they're vegan.

According to the recipe, these need to sit out overnight to form the crisp coat that doughnuts naturally develop from their time in the afore-mentioned vat of oil. But we didn't have time for that, and they looked too tasty right out of the oven. Actually, I missed those part of the directions until I'd already begun to mix the batter. Once there's batter, there's no going back.  But if you have the patience and plan accordingly, the doughnut-like quality of these should only improve with time.

Jelly Doughnut Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup soymilk

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

2 TBSP cornstarch

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup jelly (as alluded to earlier, the trick here is to use sugary, thick jelly. I used homemade jam, which was a bit too liquidy and wouldn't stay in its hole, preventing the muffin batter from rising to properly cover the jelly.)

powdered sugar

Directions:

--Mix together soymilk, vinegar and cornstarch until cornstarch has dissolved. Let sit while you prepare other ingredients.

--Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin pan (or a 12 cup regular sized muffin pan, or combination of the two) with cooking spray or line with muffin papers.

--Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center. Add oil, soymilk mixture, sugar and vanilla to well and stir until combined.

--Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Using a teaspoon, perch a dollop of jelly on top of each muffin. Don't worry about pressing it into the center; the muffin dough will rise to (mostly) cover the jelly.

--Bake mini-muffins for 12 minutes and large muffins for 20, or until tops are springy but firm to the touch (a toothpick test won't work, as the jelly gets in the way). Remove as soon as possible from the tin and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

(Again, I ate these immediately upon removing them from the oven. But supposedly letting them rest overnight lends the muffins a doughnut-like, crispy outer shell. Experiment as you will, and as your power to resist allows.)