Let’s be real for a second, shall we?

I just have something to put out there into the void of the internets.

Did I ever tell y’all about the time that I almost bought house?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

I imagine one day it will be a great story to tell but right now it is a little too soon to try to fill that void.

Or is it?

I bet y’all could fill a void in your soul with these.

These here pumpkin doughnut muffins.

Yeah.

Pumpkin. DOUGHNUT. Muffins.

That’s real.  

I will admit that the time spent between painting kitchen cabinets all weekend and going through the mildly irritating process of home buying it didn’t leave me much time to get this up and to y’all in time for an inspirational Sunday Brunch addition.

These bad boys–or ladies–however you want to look at it–are a good filler for when things just don’t work out just quite right. They are dunked in butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar right when they come out of the oven. What better to start your Sunday or in this case your Wednesday. 

Think of it as the hump day, I chickened-out-on-life-kind of blues soul-filler.

Crap. We’re talking about it again.

Keepin’ it real–between Otis Redding and this lovely lady–I just might make it. As a matter of fact I suggest you listen to both while in the kitchen. It will do your soul right. 

Just right.

We all got dreams and sometimes those dreams get postponed.

In what seems like forever.And there ain’t no guarantees either.We’re in the process of gathering all the ingredients together. Who knows how long before they setup.

One thing’s for sure, I bet y’all didn’t think you would get a little kitchen metaphor or philosophy with your muffins–did you? Not really breakfast talk but hey it is Wednesday.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

(adapted slightly from Martha, good ol’ Martha) 

Yield: 12 deliciously dense, slightly sweet muffins

Prep: 15 minutes

Preheat your oven to 350 before y’all do any-dang-thing else.

Take 1 ¼ sticks of unsalted butter and place on the stove while your oven is coming up to temp. Why? Because at least this way it will be a room temp when you go to use it.

Next, grab a large mixing bowl. Take 3 cups of flour, 2 ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp allspice and ¼ tsp cardamon. Whisk it all together.

Here’s where you will want to use your pumpkin puree. It is better if you had decided to spice it up however it won’t be that much of difference.  In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup of milk and 1 ¼ cups of pumpkin puree (or if you didn’t make your own–one 15 ounce can from the store will work out just fine).  Set aside.

Chop 2 ounces of crystallized ginger. Set aside. We’ll get to that in a minute.

Now break out your electric mixer and grab the room temp unsalted butter along with ½ cup light brown sugar packed and ½ cup of white cane sugar to cream together. Add two eggs total, one at a time. Go ahead and add your chopped ginger. You can if you like, add 2 TBSP of whiskey to the mix if you like. I suggest that you do.

I also suggest that if you haven’t already made yourself a drink to do so now or top off the one you already have.

I digress.

Now that all you have your most of your ‘wet’ mix ready go– add the puree mixture as well as your flour mixture in alternating amounts. Beat on low.

Add a bit of puree milk mix. Add a bit of the flour mix. Add a bit of puree mix… I think y’all got it–until well combined.

Take your 12 cup muffin tin, lube it up with a bit of olive oil in each cup. Spoon batter into each cup until there. Ain’t. no. more. Left.

Lick bowl.

Place the muffins in the oven for 30 minutes. 

While they are baking take another ¼ stick of butter and in an oven safe bowl, slide into the oven for 3 to 5 minutes until melted.

Now you got to make your cinnamon sugar: ¼ cup white cane sugar,  3 tsp of light brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp of nutmeg.

Once your muffins are ready, allow to cool just enough so that you can handle them. Dunk the muffins (tops) into the melted butter and then. Then roll these ladies in the bowl of cinnamon sugar mixture.

Eat. Good Lord! What are you waiting for?!

E-A-T.