I wanted to make donut muffins for breakfast this morning, but I didn’t really feel like cinnamon. Crazy, I know. I’ve done chocolate frosted, vanilla frosted and powdered sugar donut muffins. They were all delicious. But, what could I do to make these different? Ooo, how about cookies and cream? Don’t Oreos make just about everything better? I decided to use the recipe for donut muffins from Back in the Day Bakery as the starting point, omit the spices, and fold in crushed Oreos. Then I added a thick vanilla frosting and some crushed Oreos on top for garnish. Okay, so maybe these look like cupcakes. But, they really do have the texture of cake donuts and those are considered breakfast. So, I am going to go ahead, take it upon myself and declare these perfectly acceptable for breakfast. I mean, definitely not for everyday, but as a special treat when you want to see your kids eyes light up like it was Christmas. If you ever wondered why I bake, this is it. ♥
Cookies and Cream Donut Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins (I would have gotten 13, but I wasn’t going to bake 1 extra muffin)
For the muffins:
3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons buttermilk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
8 Oreos, coarsely chopped
To make the muffins:
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350◦F. Lightly spray 12 large muffin cups with vegetable oil spray.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the milk and buttermilk.
In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, cream the butter for 2 to 3 minutes. I used my Kitchen Aid. Turn the speed to low and gradually add the sugar. Continue to mix until the mixture lightens in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until combined. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture, mixing just until smooth. Fold in the chopped Oreos. Do not overmix or your muffins will be dense.
With a large ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them approximately two-thirds full. I had a bit of leftover batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch and lightly golden. Let the donuts cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
For the frosting or glaze:
In small bowl, stir together sugar, milk (or heavy cream- start with 1Tbsp) and vanilla extract. Add more cream or milk, a bit at a time, and whisk until incorporated. Continue to add more milk or cream until you get the consistency you want. Use immediately to frost/glaze the doughnuts. Sprinkle the Oreos on top of the frosting before it sets.
Source: the donut muffin is adapted from Back in the Day Bakery. The frosting is adapted from Sprinkle Bakes.
The book really is that good. The other day, I bought three pints of blueberries because they were super cheap. We ate some, froze some, and I decided that I had to make the Back in the Day Bakery’s blueberry buckle with the rest. But, I had to get rid of at least half of this cake or else I would be eating the whole dang thing. There are worse problems I suppose. But, I convinced my father in law to swing by and pick some up. It really didn’t take much convincing. And, he was nice enough to give me some raspberries that he picked from his garden in exchange. Sounds like a fair trade to me.
