Donut Muffin
intro
Fluffy, tender baked muffins coated in buttery cinnamon sugar, with the spiced, nostalgic flavor of old-fashioned cake donuts—no deep frying required.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat oven and prep tin
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rack positioned in the middle for even baking. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease each cup with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Mix dry ingredients
In a medium glass mixing bowl, whisk together 240g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon fine table salt for 30 seconds until evenly combined, with no visible clumps of spice or leavening.
Combine wet ingredients
In a separate large ceramic mixing bowl, whisk 100g granulated sugar, 1 room-temperature large egg, 57g cooled melted unsalted butter, 180ml room-temperature whole milk, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for 1 minute until the mixture is smooth, pale golden, and fully homogeneous with no streaks of raw egg remaining.
Combine and portion batter
Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir gently with a rubber spatula only just until no dry flour streaks remain — do not overmix, as this will create tough muffins. Scoop 3 tablespoons of batter into each prepared muffin cup, filling each cup roughly 2/3 full to leave room for rising as the muffins bake.
Bake the muffins
Place the filled muffin tin on the middle oven rack, and bake for 16 to 18 minutes at 190°C (375°F). Muffins are done when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the tallest muffin comes out with 1 to 2 moist crumbs attached, not raw wet batter. Remove the tin from the oven and let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Coat in cinnamon sugar
While muffins cool slightly, mix the remaining 100g granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in a small shallow bowl until evenly blended. Dip the top and sides of each warm muffin in the remaining 57g melted unsalted butter, letting excess butter drip off for 2 seconds, then roll the buttered muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture until fully coated. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips
2.Coat muffins while they are warm (5 minutes out of the oven, not piping hot): this helps melted butter stick properly so cinnamon sugar adheres evenly instead of sliding off smooth muffin tops.
3.For an extra classic old-fashioned donut flavor, add 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest to the dry ingredients to brighten the warm spices and cut through richness.
Wait did anyone else’s muffins come out a little denser than expected? I followed the recipe exactly but they didn’t rise as much as I thought they would, still tasted amazing though! My whole family ate the entire batch in one sitting after dinner, so it’s not a total loss lol. Just trying to figure out what I tweaked wrong for next time.
Full transparency, I burn almost everything I try to bake, so I was super nervous to test this recipe out. It was SO easy! 35 minutes total start to finish, I didn’t even have to run to the store for fancy ingredients. My only tiny note is that the cinnamon sugar coating didn’t stick great to the first few muffins I dipped, so I’ll adjust that next time. 10/10 for beginner bakers!
These are now my non-negotiable weekly meal prep for after school snacks! I bake a double batch every Sunday, toss them in an airtight container, and they stay perfectly moist all week. My kids have started trading their friends’ store-bought granola bars for these at lunch, I’ve already had three other parents text me asking for the recipe lmao. Absolute household staple now.
I brought these to my office potluck earlier this week and they were gone in 10 minutes flat! Multiple people chased me down to ask for the recipe, one guy on my team even said they were better than the glazed donuts from the fancy donut shop down the street from our building. Quick question though — can I swap regular whole milk for oat milk to make a dairy-free batch for my coworker next week?
Wait these are so perfect for dorm baking? I only have a tiny countertop oven and a beat up old muffin tin, no fancy mixers or equipment, and they came out flawless. Way cheaper than grabbing a donut on my walk to class every morning, and my roommate already stole half the batch before I could even put the lid on the container lmao.
Has anyone tried making these with a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour? I have celiac and have been hunting for a good donut muffin recipe that doesn’t have that weird gritty, cardboard texture a lot of GF baked goods have. These look so good I’m dying to try them!
These are the perfect pairing with my morning iced coffee! Not overly sweet, just the right amount of warm cinnamon, and that crunchy cinnamon sugar coating is *chef’s kiss*. I was worried they’d be dry like so many basic muffin recipes, but they were so soft and buttery, exactly like an old fashioned cake donut. 10/10, will be making these at least once a week.
Made these for a post-hike snack with my trail group last weekend and everyone raved. They’re super portable, not sticky or messy to eat on the go, and the warm cinnamon sugar hit is exactly what we needed after 5 miles uphill. I added a tiny dash of fresh nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar mix and it was chef’s kiss, highly recommend that little tweak!
Made these for our family Sunday brunch alongside scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit, and they were the undisputed star of the table. My mom, who is the pickiest eater I know and swears she doesn’t like “sweet breakfast food,” ate two and asked for the recipe to make for her book club next month. That’s the highest possible endorsement if you ask me.
OMG these cinnamon sugar donut muffins are a total GAME CHANGER for my weekday school breakfast prep! Took barely any effort (perfect for chaotic mornings), tasted exactly like the old fashioned cake donuts I got as a kid at the county fair. My 7 year old asked for thirds before I even finished pouring the milk. SO good, already added this to my permanent recipe rotation.