LOafers & Hot Cocoa: Try It Tuesday - Muffins and Preference

Hola Everybody!

Hope you are all doing well! Today, I made some muffins from the-savvy-kitchen.com. These aren't just any muffins - these are Old-Fashioned Doughnut Muffins. I'll let you drool a bit before moving on. Doughnuts are delicious, it's a well known fact. And due to the fact that these are muffins, I feel like I've made a healthier choice, right.....? JK, these are by no means healthy - what they are though is delicious. In fact, these muffins seem more like cupcakes to me, due to the fact that they have icing on top.

Let's just take a minute to talk about this icing. It's simple, yet perfectly sweet. I've used icing sugar in icings plenty before, but I never put vanilla in. Word to the wise, don't skip it! It adds a whole other dimension I assure you. I swear I could like that whole bowl clean, but I may have resisted....

The muffins themselves are moist and fluffy. Definitely worth using for your "yolo" or cheat meal. I had one for dessert after lunch. The subtle hints of nutmeg and cinnamon make it perfect for these cold winter days. You might not have winter yet, but I live in Canada, where this season is more common than not....but regardless of the season, these are tasty! I might have eaten another, except these aren't actually for me (more on that below).

This is what you'll need:

For the Muffins

1/4 cup Butter, slightly softened

1/4 cup Canola Oil (or any other vegetable oil)

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1.5 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

3/4 tsp ground Nutmeg

1 tsp Cinnamon

3/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Vanilla extract

2 2/3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Almond Milk (any other milk would work fine also)

For the Icing

3 tbsp Butter, melted

1 cup Icing Sugar, sifted

3/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tbsp Hot Water

First things first, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. I prefer liners because they're cuter and it makes for less cleaning. Let's be practical people.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

With the mixer on low speed, add baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla just until combined. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and mixing until just combined. Do not overmix! Make sure to lick the paddle when finished. :)

Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing.

Once you ~~lick~~ clean the bowl, it's time to make the glaze! Mix together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water.

Whisk until smooth. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden. Serve and enjoy!

On another note! These are not for me. As much as it pains me not to keep them, I'm giving them to a good cause. The stomachs of hungry men. Specifically for Preference, as us Mormon's call it. Most other people call it Sadie-Hawkins though. Thinking of ideas for Preference can sometimes be difficult, so I've decided to put together a list for you to pick from.

Asking Ideas:

1. Muffins - Make some muffins and write "There's Muffin I'd like more than to go to Preference with you!" This could also be used as a reply.

2. This is cheesy but.... - Buy a pizza from anywhere. Open the inside and write, "I know this is cheesy, but will you go to Preference with me?" Classic. Plus it's affordable. Especially from Little Caesars. Which brings me to the next idea,

3. Go buy another pizza. Except it has to be from Little Caesars. Pick up a Hot n' Ready, open the lid and write, "You're hot, and I'm ready. Preference?" Nothing like a good ego boost to get the guys to say yes. :) Credit to my girl Ashley.

4. Memes. Who doesn't love a good meme? Exactly. This is what I did last year and it's a sure way to get em. ;) Plus it's super quick and easy. Just go search meme generator on google, type in the words you want, and save. Voila!

5. Dibs. There's a lot of things I'd like to call Dibs on. Free plane tickets, a pair of Louboutin's, Ian Somerhalder...(don't lie, we all would). But, calling Dibs on someone for preference is a great idea also! Just go buy some Dibs Ice Cream Balls from a corner store, and write out "I call dibs on you for preference!" It worked for me two years ago when a couple other girls asked the same guy. Do it!

6. Bake them anything. You could even use these handy muffins above! Once made, you can ice them with the letters P-R-E-F-E-R-E-N-C-E-? Cupcakes work best. Then write a note saying "I've heard the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. So, I thought I'd give this a try!" Credit to Ash again.

7. Fish in the sea! Go buy a tall, clear votive and fill it with Swedish Fish. Put one blue fish/shark in it. Then write on it, "Of all the fish in the sea, will you go to preference with me?" Super cute! Credit to Alena.

8. Classic Candy Gram. Go to a convenience store and pick up a few candy bars. Use your imagination. A while ago, I bought Smarties, a Mr. Big Deal, and some Pop Rocks. I ended up writing, "Brock, You Rock! And I'm kind of a Big Deal (Anchorman anyone??), so let's both be Smarties and go to the dance together!" I just blacked out the other letters on the candy to make the words work. Put that on a nice piece of paper and your set!

9. Last but not least. Bacon. Bacon itself would probably be good, but this idea is a real gem. I almost don't want to share it because it's so fetching great! But, in name of sisterhood, I've decided to share. The person who came up with this idea is a serious genius.