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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.
Erica from Cooking for Seven says
How can you make me so hungry?! Those look so delicious.
HaB says
Oh…I think I need a moment….and I think this is what we will be having for breakfast in my house tomorrow.
Niki says
Wow, these look fantastic! I love the little cinnamom sugar donut holes from Dunkin Donuts! You know, these would probably be good if you left out any spice and piped jelly in the middle, then rolled them in just sugar. I think when I make these for my co-workers, I will make half cinnamon sugar and half jelly filled! They’d love them!
Diane says
My kids love these when I make them without the nutmeg.
Nooschi says
Mmmm…those look delicious. They do look like donuts in muffin form.
ABowlOfMush says
aww these are so incredible cute!!
Memoria says
*scratches head* I don’t understand how children eating cold cereal is a bad thing. Well, anyway, your muffins look delicious! I would love some!
Emily says
These sound great! I definitely will be trying them next time I get a donut craving.
Aliceson says
This recipe couldn’t have come at a better time. My grandparents are staying with us for a few weeks and my grandfather’s must have treat is a plain cake donut. It seems that the bakeries around here only sell cake donuts with glaze, frosting, etc. on them. I will make these and leave half plain for him but do the cinnamon sugar for the rest of us.
Yumm, thank you!
Jill says
Oh, sweet mother of God, I love you. I love you more than I love my husband right now.
Anh says
These look amazing! I love the spices and the sugar!
Karly says
Nancy,
The nutmeg probably does make them a bit tastier, but I wouldn’t hesitate to make them if I was out. I’d probably substitute either cinnamon, mace, or ginger in place of it, just to give it a little spice.
Karly
Nancy says
Any chance they taste just as delicious without the nutmeg?
Danielle says
Loving these! I am going to have to try them out one of these days!
Thanks for the recipe!
MamaBug says
I think you want to make sure I stay chubby. 😉