Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

These muffins capture the essence of doughnuts with their cake-like interior and sugar-coated exterior. Flavoured with pumpkin purée, they take on the feel of fall.

For the batter:
10 Tbsp. (1¼ sticks) butter, room temperature
3 cups flour, unbleached (spooned and leveled)
2½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1/3 cup buttermilk
1¼ cups pure pumpkin purée (15 oz can)
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

For the sugar coating:
¾ cup sugar
2½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 12 servings.