I love all the fried things. But I’d prefer it if someone else did the dirty work for me. Not to say there aren’t exceptions, but under normal circumstances if the oil is measured in cups rather than spoonfuls…well GrubHub exists for a reason. So I’ve managed to move through life without a ton of at-home deep frying, and it’s worked out well for me. I usually only pull out the stops if we’re having a party because then the effort, smell, mess, etc all seem worth it.
But doughnuts, people! What do I do about doughnuts??? I’m certainly not going to fry a dozen or more at home just for little, old me (I mean I might, but I shouldn’t). I know I could go out and buy one or two, but then there’s the whole shoes, shirt, service thing to contend with. So that brings me to these innocent, little things. Honestly, they look pretty dull. There are no blueberries, chocolate chips or other fun baubles hiding inside – juuuuuust muffin. So how does that help ANYTHING? Well you know what you get when you take a lightly spiced, sweet and fluffy muffin, dunk it in melted butter and roll it in crunchy sugar? Unicorn, double-rainbow, Harry Potter level magic – that’s what. No, it’s not a proper doughnut, but it does hit all those sweet spots without making an epic mess, involving hot oil, having to put shoes on, you get the idea. And come on…just look at them.
Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins
These are really fast to put together and bake. The only time sensitive thing is making sure you can get the melted butter on them while they’re still a bit warm. It seals in the moisture and keeps them delicious for at least a couple of days. Also, rolling muffins in butter, sprinkling with sugar and licking the crunchy, buttery remnants off your fingers is a really fun job, so if you have kids – tell them to do go do their homework so you can roll, sprinkle, and lick in peace.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 30 mini muffins 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the muffins:
2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
½ C brown sugar
½ C granulated sugar
3 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/3 C vegetable oil
2 eggs
¾ C milk
1 tsp vanilla
For the topping:
½ C turbinado or granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400° F
Grease a standard (12) or mini muffin (24) tin with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In a smaller bowl combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla until homogenous.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combines (a couple of small lumps are totally fine).
Portion evenly into greased muffin tin. For a standard tin use a ¼ C measure. For minis use about two tablespoons. The batter should fill the tins about 2/3rds full.
Bake on the center rack – 18 to 20 minutes for standard and 12 to 13 minutes for mini muffins, or until a toothpick comes out clean (a crumb attached is ok as long as it’s not wet).
While the muffins bake, prepare the topping by mixing the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl or on a small plate.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer muffins to a cooling rack.
While they are still warm, brush each muffin with melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. For the mini muffins I coated the entire thing with butter and cinnamon sugar. For the larger muffins I only did the tops – baker’s choice.
Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container for a few days.
Keywords: cinnamon sugar donut muffins, donut muffins, baked donuts, donuts without a donut pan
