Cinnamon Donut Muffins
These cinnamon donut muffins are light and fluffy and strike the perfect balance between a moist muffin and old-fashioned cinnamon sugar donut. Perfectly spiced and deliciously sweet, these muffins are a welcome addition to any brunch menu, snack break, or dessert!
Muffins are not fried like donuts, but they’ve got a cake-like consistency which gives you the idea of it without all the extra grease. Having a basket of freshly baked muffins is one of the best things about sitting down to enjoy a family breakfast or brunch. It’s the first thing that your kids will devour and the last thing they’ll forget!
I love a good glazed donut, with or without sprinkles, as much as the next person but there is just something a little extra fabulous about warm cinnamon donuts coated in sweet cinnamon sugar. That’s what I love about these muffins. It’s 2 treats in 1!
Donut muffins couldn’t be easier to make. This recipe uses basic pantry staples, no fancy ingredients, and things you’ve probably got in your cupboards already. Not only are they simple, but they’re very cost-effective. Make a couple of batches and freeze for a later date. They make great lunch box items and after-school snacks.
In just over half an hour, you’ll have a batch of these babies ready to be enjoyed warm fresh out of the oven, as a breakfast, snack, and (yes, I said and) dessert! Why stop at just one? So, whether you enjoy one in the morning with a hot cup of coffee or satisfy a sweet tooth at night, these muffins are sure to become a part of your baking rotation.
Table of Contents
What’s in these cinnamon muffins?
Start off with room-temperature ingredients. This means you’ll want to remove anything kept in the fridge about 45-60 minutes before beginning.
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Egg
- Milk
- For the coating – Butter, sugar, and cinnamon
How to make them
These muffins are so easy, they’re a great starter recipe for beginner bakers.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a large bowl.
Add the vegetable oil, egg, and milk and combine just until moist. Do not over mix, otherwise, your donuts will go from light and fluffy to dense and tough. A few lumps in your batter are good, you just want to make sure the flour is moistened.
Add the batter to the prepared muffin tin and bake in a preheated oven until your house smells amazing (about 20-25 minutes).
Remove the muffins from the oven and while they’re still warm, dip the tops (or the entire muffin) in the melted butter and roll them in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Allow cooling a bit before enjoying!
How to serve
- These are great to have on your breakfast or brunch table, especially for special occasions. Serve them alongside easy no-knead blueberry muffins, chocolate chip brioche buns, or homemade cinnamon rolls along with eggs, bacon, coffee, and juice (or mimosas!) for a complete meal idea.
- Enjoy one as a grab ‘n go snack or pack it in your lunch for an afternoon pick me up at work.
- My favorite way has to be slightly warm all on its own, but if you’re feeling indulgent add a scoop of no-churn ice cream beside it.
If you’re baking up a storm this weekend, don’t forget to add these sourdough lemon ricotta cookies and homemade Italian donuts to your plans!
Tips
- Make sure to remove your egg and milk from the fridge about 1 hour before. Using room temperature ingredients helps with even baking.
- Doing 15 turns of the batter once you’ve mixed the dry and wet ingredients together is a good way to make sure you’re not overmixing. Overmixing allows for too much of the air to be released, losing all of that light and fluffy texture we’re going for.
- Don’t allow your batter to sit for too long after mixing. You want the baking powder to act quickly for maximum rise and texture.
- Make a little extra cinnamon and sugar mixture and keep it stored in an airtight jar for later use. It’s great for sprinkling over french toast, pancakes, and just a plain piece of toast with butter.
- Any kind of milk will do. Generally speaking, the higher the fat content more moisture it brings.
FAQs
Once the muffins have slightly cooled, you can use your hands and roll them gently into the melted butter. Don’t keep it in there too long, you don’t want to soak up the butter it’s more to help the cinnamon sugar coating to stick.
Alternatively, you could use a pastry/basting brush to avoid buttery fingers.
There’s no need to get these into the fridge right away, in fact, they’ll probably be all gone before you even need to think about it. They’ll stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, but if you want to extend their freshness a little while longer, you can transfer them to the fridge for another 1 or 2 days.
I say, since these muffins are so easy to make, might as well make 2 or 3 batches at a time! Then, freeze them for up to 3 months and take as many out as you need along the way.
If you are looking for something tasty and easy to bring in September then I hope you try these Cinnamon Donut Muffins and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
More Tasty Muffin Recipes
Cinnamon Donut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup +1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- â…“ cup vegetable oil (I used corn or sunflower)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)*
- ¾ cup milk (room temperature)*
*Remove the ingredients 45-60 minutes from the fridge before using.
TOPPING
- ¼-½ cup butter (melted)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C). Grease and flour a 12 medium size muffin tin.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Add the vegetable oil, egg and milk and combine just until moist. To make sure you don't over mix, stir 15-16 turns.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.
- While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops (or the whole muffin if you prefer) in the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Cool and serve. Enjoy!
TOPPING
- In a small bowl combine well the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Can you make the muffins mini size? How long to bake? Gonna definitely try these!
Hi Donna, yes you can definitely make mini muffins and bake them for about 10 minutes. 🙂