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These MINI DONUT MUFINS are the ultimate breakfast treat! We dunk the tops of these donut muffins in melted butter and then dip them in a mixture of cinnamon sugar for a buttery, sweet crust on top.
I have a confession to make. Before I do, please promise me that you won’t shun me. Are you ready?
My children eat cold cereal for breakfast almost every morning. And they aren’t eating the healthy shredded wheat stuff either.
They eat the cereal that is basically dessert. And, while I want to be ashamed of it, I just don’t really have the bandwidth for that. They eat healthier the rest of the day, so it’s fiiiiiiiine. Right?
Of course, other days they get surprised with things like homemade biscuits and sausage gravy. Or I whip up my Belgian waffle recipe. Or we do my Amish breakfast casserole.
But, of course, sometimes we want donuts…and not just any donuts!
Donut Muffins – the kind that you dip in melted butter, roll in cinnamon sugar, and devour with a cup of hot coffee.
We’re obsessed with these little donut muffins and I think you will be too!
What We Love About This Recipe:
These little donut muffins bake up quickly and only take about 25 minutes from start to finish. They remind us of donuts with that crackly cinnamon sugar topping, but they’re baked instead of fried.
Ingredient Notes:
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Vanilla Extract – A must in any baked goods. We love this brand.
Nutmeg – The nutmeg gives these a warm, delicious flavor.
What Readers are Saying!
“Made these this morning for the family, and the were great. They all loved them. The tasted almost like snicker-doodles, so that was a major plus also. Thanks for the amazing recipe! ^_^” – Sara
How to Make Muffins:
Muffin Batter: This cinnamon sugar donut muffin batter is simple to make and you probably have most, if not all, of the ingredients at home! First up we’ll need to do some mixing. In a large bowl beat together the milk, sugar, egg, and oil.
In a separate bowl start mix the dry ingredients; some flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Combine those with the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
Bake: When you’ve prepared the donut muffin batter you can start pouring it into a greased mini muffin tin. There should be enough batter for 24 mini muffins, and you’ll only need to fill each tin about 3/4 of the way full.
Mini Muffin Tin
This mini muffin tin gets a workout in our kitchen. It’s perfect for making smaller sized muffins, but we also use it make homemade tots and baked quiche bites.
They’ll rise in the oven and should be finished in about fifteen minutes. Once they’ve finished baking let them cool for a few minutes before you move on to the final (and my favorite!) step.
Dunk: These muffins are good as they are right out of the oven, but we’re going to make them even better!
Once the muffins have cooled enough to handle, melt some butter in the microwave and then mix together some cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl.
This will make the perfect topping for the muffins! Start dunking each muffin top into the melted butter, and then into the cinnamon and sugar mix. Finally, they are ready to eat!
Why Do We Call These Donut Muffins?
The richness of the butter and the crackle of the cinnamon and sugar topping gives these that deep fried cake donut vibe. These are the best mash-up between muffins and donuts!
FAQs:
Nope, you can use a regular sized muffin tin, though you’ll need to adjust bake time accordingly. These should take closer to 20-25 minutes in a full size muffin tin.
I’ve not tested it myself but these should work well with any 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
Sure! They will keep best in an airtight container for a few days. Place a paper towel in the bottom of the container. Add your muffins. Place a second paper towel over the top. This will help keep them from getting too soggy in the container.
More Breakfast Recipes:
More Muffin Recipes!
We love muffins for breakfast or just as a snack or treat any time of the day! Check out the muffin recipe category to find all of our muffin recipes. Below are a few of our favorites:
- Applesauce Donut Muffins
- Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Muffins
- Monkey Bread Muffins with Icing
- Blackberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
- Pigs in a Blanket Pancake Muffins
Sugar Donut Muffins
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup melted butter for dipping
- 1/2 cup sugar for rolling
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon for rolling
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl beat together milk, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg until well combined.
- In small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Pour into muffin tins, filling each about 3/4 full.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
- Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave.
- Stir together sugar and cinnamon in another small bowl.
- When the muffins are done allow to cool for a few minutes, until you are able to handle them easily.
- Dunk the tops of each muffin into the melted butter and then the cinnamon sugar. Set aside to cool.
patty petrone says
Five big stars!
This recipe is easily converted to vegan by using plant-based milk and butter. For the egg use one tbsp. of ground golden flax seed and three tablespoons of water. I think it works better than converting most recipes because of the order in which you mix the ingredients. I definitely recommend it. The recipe made 12 full size muffins/cupcakes. It tasted just as good as it did when I made the non-vegan version you have presented here. What a stroke of luck!! Good job!
Karly says
Thanks for sharing that, Patty! Glad to hear they worked well with vegan products. 🙂
becky says
i’m assuming this recipe is for using a “mini” muffin tin (not stated in the recipe), and not a regular size muffin tin. only by reading the comments did it look like the 24 comes from using a mini muffin tin. i made these, and to make the regular size, with 3/4 full batter, it only made 10. but they are delicious!
Karly says
Hi Becky! So sorry about that – this is indeed written for a mini muffin tin. It’s an old recipe that clearly needs a little updating now that I know more what I’m doing. 😉
Jamie says
I made these yesterday using a mini muffin pan, they turned out awesome. I have a son who is the king of picky and he loved them. Thanks
Karly says
Glad you guys enjoyed them!
Brenda F says
I just made these gluten free for my son who has Celiac disease. I used gluten free all purpose almond flour and used only half of the suggested amount of nutmeg. They turned out delicious and very moist and fluffy. I am confident that he will ask for these again.
Karly says
Glad to hear they worked out for you!