I actually bought buttermilk last week.  I’m one of those that usually use the classic substitutes of mixing either vinegar or lemon juice with milk, so actually buying buttermilk was a new thing for me.  The reason I decided to buy real buttermilk was because I was making Joy the Baker’s biscuit cinnamon rolls (my post on that will come later!) and I wanted to be sure not to mess it up by substituting this or that.  So when I was done making those (which were delicious, by the way), I had all this leftover buttermilk.  Sure, I could have frozen it.  But I came across this recipe for jam-filled donut muffins on taste.com.au.  Commenters on the recipe gave it glowing reviews, so I decided to give it a go.

I didn’t need to change anything about the ingredients, but I did need to change what I baked the muffins in.  The recipe says to bake these in one of those king-size 6-hole muffin tins, but I don’t have one of those.  So I used a standard-sized 12-hole muffin tin.  I also used muffin/cupcake liners.  It was a bit trickier doing it this way!  I put about a tablespoon (maybe a little bit more) of batter in the bottom of each liner.  I used a small plastic baby spoon to smooth the batter out so that it would completely cover the bottom (the batter is very, very thick) then put 1/2 teaspoon jam on top.  Using about another tablespoon of batter, I covered the little blob of jam completely so it wouldn’t seep out.  I used the baby spoon again to help get the batter to cover the jam.  I had *just exactly* enough for 12 muffins!

When the muffins were cool enough to handle, I peeled the liners off (don’t do this too soon, or the muffins will have trouble coming away from the liners), I brushed them with melted butter and rolled them in cinnamon-sugar.  They’re best eaten while they’re still warm, and they taste great with coffee!

I’ve made two batches of these since last week, but I didn’t have buttermilk for the second batch.  I decided to just use the plain skim milk that we normally drink, but added about a teaspoon of melted butter to it to make it resemble whole milk.  The muffins still baked up wonderfully, and in my opinion, they seemed to be a bit more tender, although they lacked the tanginess of the buttermilk from my first batch.  But still, my modified batch was without a doubt a winner.  I absolutely love these – buttermilk or not!

If you decide to make these and go with 12 standard-sized muffins, I recommend to use a *rounded* 1/2 cup of sugar to coat the muffins because I noticed there doesn’t seem to be quite enough to get through all 12 muffins.  Also, since you’re adding a bit more sugar, give a few extra shakes of ground cinnamon to the mix as well!

I highly recommend making these muffins.  They’re so simple and taste absolutely delicious!