Doughnut or Muffin?

Marge Standish was commonly referenced in our house growing up. Mostly she was reference for using way too much butter but is that really a bad thing? Marjorie Standish is a Maine (from Gardiner!) cookbook author who is quite famous within the state. I remember my grandmother using her cookbook often and my father still has the one that was my mothers. While writing this post I dug it out and inside the front cover in my mothers handwriting is her name and the date, January 22, 1979, and a note that it is from her dear friend Elaine. Throughout the book are notes from my mother. "Good 3/81," "Small cake 8/79," "Tony's favorite". If I thought I'd live through it I'd try to steal it from my father as it is quite treasured by all of us. Her cooking is simple and uses the local ingredients of Maine. Lots of butter, potatoes, seafood, and cream!

One of the first things I made as a kid was doughnut muffins. These are a plain muffin with nutmeg and a cinnamon sugar topping giving it that doughnut like flavor. As an adult I discovered doughnut muffins at the Market Basket in Camden, Maine. My hope in my most recent batch of muffins was to replicate those at the Market Basket. They sell two sizes, one regular muffin size and one smaller with a dent in the bottom to more resemble a doughnut (I guess). I don't know how they achieve the crispiness of the outside of the muffin. A Marge Standish doughnut muffin has a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar on the top but those at Market Basket are doused in it. In my attempt I brushed the entire muffin with butter and then rolled them in cinnamon and sugar which resulted in something delicious but not quite the same as the perfection of the Market Basket.

Doughnut Muffins

Source: Marjorie Standish

Yield: One dozen medium sized muffins

1 egg

1/3 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar

Beat egg and then add oil and milk. Beat. Sift the dry ingredients. Add dry to wet and stir with forks. Pour into greased muffin tin. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and dot with butter. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

• Optional: Once the muffins came out of the oven I brushed each with melted butter then rolled completely in cinnamon and sugar.