Want a donut but without as much time and effort? With this delicious recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins, you get that irresistible donut flavor with the ease of baking a pan of muffins. Enjoy these muffins with a mug of coffee, or keep a batch in the freezer instead. It’s handy for both donut and muffin emergencies!
The batter for these donut muffins is made simply with all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, whole milk, buttermilk, sugar, eggs, butter, and spices like cardamom and nutmeg. Once the batter is combined, scoop it into the muffin cups. Bake until the tops are firm to the touch and deliciously golden. These muffins keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them once baked and cooled. Skip the butter and cinnamon-sugar coating before freezing, and then dunk them in melted butter and roll them through cinnamon sugar once defrosted.
To make these Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins, you will need the following ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F and lightly spray a large 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Sift together 3 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly grated whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In another medium bowl, combine ¾ cup whole milk plus 2 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer on medium speed, cream 8 tablespoons unsalted until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Turn the speed to low and gradually add ¾ cup granulated sugar and beat until light in color.
Add 2 large eggs one at a time, beating until just combined.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture, mixing just until smooth for the lightest doughnut-like texture. Don't overmix.
Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups about ⅔ of the way full.
Bake the muffins until the tops are firm to the touch and lightly golden, 20-25 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool enough to handle them.
While the muffins cool, prepare two bowls to dip them in. To one bowl, add 8 tablespoons melted butter. In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
Dunk still-warm muffins into the bowl with melted butter, then roll them through cinnamon sugar.
Serve and enjoy!
Why choose between a donut and a muffin when you can bake these Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins that have the best of both worlds? If you've made these treats, let us know how you liked them, and drop us a comment down below!
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