Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
from Everyday Food, November 2010, Adapted by Kristin Sumption

Makes 12 regular or 36 mini muffins

For the Batter:
2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup buttermilk (regular milk, with a few good squeezes of lemon juice, let stand for 5 min.)
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree ( I still can only find this at Whole Foods)
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
For the Sugar Coating:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups. Make batter. 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 (15 minutes if using mini cups). Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated 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.