Okay……I don’t normally eat cakes/muffins/biscuits  A. because I really don’t have a sweet tooth and B. I am forever watching the dreaded waistline and would rather count my calories at the end of the day with a nice, crisp, refreshing, rewarding,  relaxing glass of wine.  However……there is always an exception to every rule and the smell of these  baking babies emanating from the oven took me right back to my childhood and the days when I used to love Dunkin’ Donut.  I ate one.  I enjoyed every second of the vanilla laced, spongy muffin oozing with hot strawberry jam and topped with melted butter and cinnamon sugar AND I had my wine.  Naughty, naughty!!

Prep time: 15 minutes                  Cooking time: 25 minutes                 $ Low Budget

Makes 8 Large muffins

2 cups of self raising flour

2/3 cup of castor sugar

pinch of salt

1 egg

200ml of buttermilk

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

11/2 tsp of vanilla extract

4 tsp of Strawberry Jam

100gm of unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/2 cup of castor sugar, extra

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12 cup muffin pan with 8 muffin cases.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the salt and 2/3 cup of castor sugar.  In a large jug combine the buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla and whisk until just combined.  Pour the mix into the flour and stir to combine but don’t over mix…….a few lumps are ok!

Place a spoonful of mixture into each muffin case and place 1/2 a teaspoon of jam in each.  Top with the remaining mix and bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until springy to touch.  Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

When cooled enough, brush the melted butter on top of each muffin, generously.  Combine the cinnamon and remaining castor sugar and sprinkle liberally over the top.  I am pretty sure I don’t need to tell you what to do next!