glazed donut muffins

we've been pretty lucky with winn. while the first couple months were rough - he was and still is most days, as a friend of ours has coined the term for her son, an 'ultimate sleep fighter' - once we got past them, he sleeps a solid 12 hours every night and very rarely wakes up. which is why it almost killed the two of us a couple weeks ago when he decided, for a reason we still don't know, to wake up and be generally miserable every two hours. all. night. long. and then be up for the day around 5:00. a full two and a half hours earlier than usual.

needless to say none of us were happy that morning. luckily it was a wednesday night so i didn't have to work, but was not looking forward to spending a day with a cranky, tired toddler. after refusing every single thing i offered to him for breakfast and the offer to skip breakfast all together and go straight to toys, i offered the one thing i knew would make him happy: let's cook, you can sit on the counter & mix.

it worked. as soon as i sat him next to the mixer he calmed down. and for the next 15 minutes, while we dumped ingredients in the mixer and watched our batter come together, he was a totally different kid. enthralled with the whole process, excited to help. being a parent is a pretty unbelievable thing. sometimes i have to stop and remind myself that something as seemingly small as making muffins with mama can make his day. it didn't hurt that the muffins were delicious to boot.

glazed donut muffins
adapted from the savvy kitchen
30 minutes, makes 12

for the muffins
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup milk

for the glaze
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
hot water

1. preheat your oven to 425F. grease or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners & set aside.
2. in a large bowl, beat the butter, oil, and sugar until smooth. mix in the eggs one at a time, until incorporated.
3. add the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla and mix until combined.
4. alternate adding the flour and milk in three additions, mixing after each addition. mix until combined.
5. divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes before removing & cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
6. make the glaze right before you want to glaze the muffins. whisk the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. if the glaze is too thick, add hot water, a teaspoon or so at a time, whisking after each addition, until it's the consistency you want.
7. when the muffins are cool, dip the top into the glaze. repeat with all of the muffins. if you have glaze left over, let the muffins dry, and dip a second time. store loosely covered. storing in an airtight container will soften the glaze and make it gummy.