Jelly Swirled Egg Free Dairy Free Donut Muffins: Finding those things in plain view

Son and Daughters lose something everyday.  I seem to spend an inordinate amount of my day looking for those things that are lost.  It usually happens first thing in the morning, when I'm trying to rush out the door to get to various places on time, and suddenly I'll hear the shrieks, yelps, cries, or whimpers from one child proclaiming, "My OBJECT is missing!" and suddenly I have to whip around the house looking for whatever is missing, and often find it in the most obvious place to my frustration.  Missing shoe?  By the front door of course.  Missing computer game? In the shelf, just tucked in the back.  Swim goggles?  In the bathtub where they were last used. (The BEST trick for getting your child used to having their hair and head wet with the shower.)  Son and Daughters seem to miss finding those things and I'll spend time doing it.

It's probably not their priority to actually go out and hunt for what is missing.  Even with my prodding, "I think I saw it upstairs" or the usual, "Open your eyes and LOOK" Son and Daughter cannot find those things that are missing. It's like they are hidden, even if they are in plain sight.  And as much as I'd like to point fingers at Son and Daughters for not being able to find those things that are in plain view, I realize that I am just as guilty.

I fail to see the smile of Son when he sees me walk through the door.  I miss the look of sadness on Daughter #2's face when she goes into school, missing me.  I don't feel the touch of Daughter's #1's hand as she reaches for me, asking me to slow down.  My own business, my own inability to slow down, my own personal chaos makes me miss those things that are in plain view.

I'm trying harder not to miss out on those things.  Tonight, Son and Daughters cleaned their plates at dinner.  A lovely moment.  I didn't miss that.  I found myself smiling when I heard Son farting and then laughing at his body's ability to make those loud crazy sounds.  I saw the look of enjoyment in Daughter #1's eyes as she read a book and I found myself staring at Daughter #2's intense look of concentration as she tried to get over her fear of putting her head in the water.  The small moments, in plain view, yet often hidden to me, I tried to find today.

And somehow, it made me think about jelly filled donuts.  Why?  A jelly donut has the jelly middle, which you can't really see, but on the side, it's in plain view.  You know the donut is filled with something because there is the telltale sign of red on the side.  So I thought I'd try and make some, only they'd have to be baked and they would have to be dairy and egg free (vegan).  They aren't really like your traditional jelly donut, but they are a funky imitation, copying the basic flavors.  Son and Daughters really liked them, and exclaimed, "OOOH I can see something inside!"  They are not difficult to make, and are a fun muffin to add to your repertoire.

Jelly Swirled Egg Free Dairy Free (Vegan) Donut MuffinsMakes between 11-12 regular muffins

1/2 cup sugar
1 banana, mashed

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil (do not be tempted to change this to butter - it will change the texture of the doffin)
3/4 cup coconut milk (which adds wonderful flavor) OR soy milk OR almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup your choice of jam or jelly

1/2 cup powdered sugar (confectioners)

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil. (Do not be tempted to use liners - the point of doing these directly in the muffin tin is to have them pop out and be able to get sugar to stick to the sides without the addition of butter.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar and mashed banana until well incorporated. Pour in vegetable oil, coconut milk milk and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Pour into wet mixture and stir to combine.

Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Dollop the top of each muffin with about 1 teaspoon of jelly/jam.

Swirl with a spoon.

Bake for 20 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, pour confectioners sugar into a small bowl.

When muffins are done, allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.  Pop them out of the pan and then roll them in confectioners sugar, coating all the sides until it is completely covered.  Repeat until all muffins are done.


Printable recipe

A little something hidden in plain view.