Pumpkin Spice Donut Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Get out your muffin tins – this recipe makes 18 standard sized muffins.

1. In large bowl or mixing cup combine dry ingredients (except the sugar).
2. In a separate bowl mix Crisco, sugar and eggs.
3. Add pumpkin to the sugar mixture.
4. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk into the pumpkin/sugar mixture. Mix well. Scrape down sides of the bowl often. Mix for 3 minutes.
5. Grease muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. Fill tins 2/3 full with muffin batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
6. While the muffins are baking, Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a container. While that is melting, mix the 1 1/2 cup of sugar with the 3 teaspoons of cinnamon in a separate container. Place a clean cookie sheet beside these two containers.
8. As soon as you remove muffins from oven tip out onto the cookie sheet adjacent to the butter and sugar containers. Let muffins cool just long enough to be able to handle them, around 30 seconds. Dip warm muffins in butter, coat completely. Directly from butter dredge muffins in cinnamon sugar. Make sure muffins are completely covered with sugar mixture.

NOTE: If you do not have buttermilk on hand you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to just under 1 cup of milk to make 1 cup of buttermilk.