Strawberry Rhubarb Doughnut Muffins

I have such a profound love of doughnuts that I’m sure I’ve written about it more than I should on this blog, but it’s a love that will never die because I’ll never say no to a doughnut. I’ve always stated that the tried and true traditional fried version will always be 100 times better than the baked variety, and I still hold to that statement. These Strawberry Rhubarb Doughnut Muffins, however, are here to change my mind, and I’d be lying if I said they weren’t doing a good job of convincing me. They’re soft and moist muffins dipped in melted butter, rolled around in cinnamon sugar and filled with a delicious homemade quick strawberry rhubarb jam. They’re a doughnut dream come true and you need to make them ASAP. The jam is from this streusel shortcake recipe that was great in the cake, but even better in these doughnuts. 

These are made like any other muffin recipe, to start we need to combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

**Note: Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it’s all as well-combined as possible!**

Stir in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract until well-combined.

**Tip: Whenever you’re baking, I always recommend using room temperature ingredients because they blend into the batter or dough much better this way. Using room temperature eggs will make a better doughnut muffin in this case!**

Add the dry ingredients, alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix until just combined after each addition. Do not over mix at this point or you’ll end up with dry tough doughnuts. 

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the pans nearly full. Bake until pale golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pour the melted butter into a small dish. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush each muffin with the melted butter and then roll around in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the coated doughnuts onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Transfer the cooled jam to a disposable piping bag, fitted with a plain circle tip. Using a sharp pairing knife, cut out a small hole on top of each doughnut. Pipe out about a tablespoon of filling into each. It’s also important to note that the doughnuts are just as delicious plain, without the jam filling!

**Tip: You can also use a plastic food-storage bag and just snip off the end. I always use pastry bags for so many tasks in the kitchen and highly recommend these disposable bags!**

As for the jam, I’m using the quick strawberry rhubarb jam from this streusel shortcake post from a while back, but if you’d like you can use whatever jam you have on hand or whatever you like from the store!

If you do decide to go the homemade route and use the recipe I listed below (it’s delicious and I highly recommend it), keep in mind that you’ll have leftover jam, but you can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Serve the doughnuts immediately, or wrap them in plastic wrap (or store in an airtight container) and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. 

This is such a versatile recipe that you can make over and over again, and each time you do, you can switch up the flavors and not get bored of it. If you happen to have some fresh rhubarb and strawberries on hand and are just tired of making pie with them, then these are a must. Whether you’re making them for breakfast or dessert, you wont be able to stop eating them, I assure you.

Strawberry Rhubarb Doughnut Muffins

These Strawberry Rhubarb Doughnut Muffins are a great breakfast or sweet treat, which are a lot easier to make than frying traditional doughnuts!

Servings 12 doughnuts

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

Jam:

• 1½ pounds fresh rhubarb
• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup cornstarch

Doughnut Muffins:

• 2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

Topping:

• 1/4 cup 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• To make the jam, cut the rhubarb into a 1-inch dice and place in a medium saucepan. Hull the strawberries and slice into a bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, roughly mash the berries until chunky. Throw into the pot with the rhubarb, along with the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch and stir into the saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a standard muffin pan with melted butter or non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract until well-combined.
• Add the dry ingredients, alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix until just combined after each addition. Do not over mix at this point. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the pans nearly full. Bake until pale golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Pour the melted butter into a small dish. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush each muffin with the melted butter and then roll around in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the coated doughnuts onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Transfer the cooled jam to a disposable piping bag, fitted with a plain circle tip. Using a sharp pairing knife, cut out a small hole on top of each doughnut. Pipe out about a tablespoon of filling into each. You'll have leftover jam but you can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Serve the doughnuts immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. Enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite