Muffnuts - sounds wrong, tastes great!

KB passed this recipe onto me the other day.  It's been floating around Facebook for a while, so was about time I gave it a try.  I love a cinnamon donut.  But I wouldn't have a clue how to make them.  And, frankly, I'm not overly inclined to learn.  But muffins that taste like a jam donut, yes, that I can try!  

You can use whichever jam you like, I went with raspberry.  That was partly preference, and partly what we had in the fridge.  I also did a few with maple syrup in the centre.  Yum.  I am sure other jams would be equally good.  The recipe I used recommended a fairly small amount of jam in the centre, but I reckon you need a little more.  If it comes out the side a bit, who cares eh?  

So, without further ado - duffins, muffnuts, uh jammy donut-muffins... 

Makes about 18 standard-size muffins 

Donut-muffins:
4 cups SR flour
1 + 1/3 castor sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
2/3 cup oil (I used Lupi Organic Olive and it wasn't too strong in flavour)
2 large eggs 
350 ml buttermilk (or normal milk with 2 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar added) 
2 tsp vanilla essence
jam 
Topping:
50 g butter 
1/2 cup castor sugar 
1 tsp cinnamon 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Spray muffin tins, or line with cupcake cases. 
2. If making your own buttermilk, add the lemon to the milk and set aside for 5 minutes.  
3. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients (except jam).  
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine gently - only until the mixture just comes together and no flour is showing.  You don't want to overmix muffins.  
5. Place some into each muffin tray (about 1/3 of the way up).  Place a dollop of jam in the centre.  Cover with more muffin mix.  You want them to fill about 3/4 of the way up the tin.  
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes (I used fan-bake and 15 minutes was enough).  
7. Remove from oven and set aside for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. 
8. Once the muffins are cool enough to handle, melt butter and put sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.  
9. Brush tops of muffins with butter and roll around in the sugar, coating the tops with tastiness.  
10. Enjoy warm, or keep in an airtight container for another day.  Buon appetit!