These delicious little treats are quick and easy to do. I made them for a coffee morning and watched them disappear in a blink of an eye. The cinnamon sugar and the chopped hazelnuts give these soft and fluffy muffins a wonderful crunch.

Doughnut Muffins

INGREDIENTS

For the Muffins

• 150g plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 50g ground roasted hazelnuts
• 150g caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 190ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 60ml hazelnut or sunflower oil
• 30g chopped roasted hazelnuts
• 30g chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella

For the Topping

• 70g butter, melted
• 100g light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Grease the sides of a 12-hole muffin tin with butter and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl then stir in the ground hazelnuts, sugar and salt.
3. In a large jug, beat together the egg, buttermilk, vanilla essence and oil.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix to keep the muffins light.
5. Spoon 2 – 3 tbsp of the batter into a small bowl and stir in the chopped nuts and the chocolate hazelnut spread.
6. Divide half of the plain batter between the muffin tins then spoon a tsp of the chocolate batter into the centre of each muffin.
7. Top with the remaining batter and use a toothpick to swirl the mixture together.
8. Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 18 – 20 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Leave the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack removing any of the baking parchment still attached to the muffins.
10. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
11. Brush the still warm muffins with the melted butter and roll them in the cinnamon sugar.
12. Leave to cool completely.