These Donut Muffins are donuts disguised as mini muffins. Baked until tender, brushed with butter, then rolled in cinnamon-sugar, and bite-sized! You’ll need to show serious restraint to only eat a couple.
Double your mini food, cinnamon-sugar enjoyment with a handful of these Mini Doughnut Hot Buttered Cheerios!
Easy Cinnamon-Sugar Mini Muffins
If it’s smothered in chocolate frosting, dipped in caramel sauce, mixed with candy, covered with whipped cream, or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar like these donut muffins, chances are I’m going to love it. I get that from my Dad. We both love sugar – the only thing better is a combination of sugar and cinnamon together.
These mini muffins have a tender crumb and all the flavor of a cinnamon-sugar donut. This recipe make 24 bite-sized donut muffins…and naturally I want to eat all of them. You will, too.
Ingredients for Donut Muffins
Here’s what you’ll need to make these mini donut muffins.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for all the measurements and details.)
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt and nutmeg
- Whole milk
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Cinnamon-Sugar Coating: sugar, cinnamon, and unsalted butter.
Tips for Success
- Measure the flour accurately. Make sure you spoon and level the flour when measuring, don’t scoop. Too much flour will result in a dry, crumbly muffin.
- Room temperature ingredients. Several of the ingredients need to be at room temperature before incorporating, so take note and plan accordingly!
- You need a mini muffin tin. These are mini muffins and for proper results, they need to be baked in a mini muffin tin. If you don’t already own one, it’s worth the price. We use ours a lot! Try these mini cinnamon rolls and mini chocolate zucchini cakes.
- Use nonstick spray and flour for the muffin tin. Make sure you not only spray your mini muffin tin, but also dust it with flour. This will help them release effortlessly.
Recipe Variation
Want to make Jelly Donut Muffins? Us too! After the muffins are coated with the sugar/cinnamon mixture, use a small pastry tip to make a hole in the bottom of each muffin. Fill the pastry bag with your favorite jam and gently squeeze into the muffin. YUMMY.
How to Store Donut Muffins
These are best enjoyed fresh, but will remain soft at room temperature for a couple days, stored in an airtight container. And they freeze well up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if preferred. If freezing for later, we do suggest leaving off the melted butter and cinnamon-sugar coating until after they’re thawed and applying that right before serving.
Other Ways to Use that Mini Muffin Tin:
More Cinnamon-Sugar Recipes:
- Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
- Banana Bread – this has a cinnamon sugar crust that is amazing!
- Apple Fritter Rings
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Mini Donut Muffins
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 3 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup whole milk , at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk , at room temperature
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs , at room temperature
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 24-cup mini muffin tin.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and buttermilk.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. With the mixer set on low speed, beat in one fourth of the dry ingredients. Then beat in one third of the milk mixture. Continue to alternate until all ingredients are incorporated, finishing with dry ingredients. (Do not over mix. The batter will be heavy, it’s ok.)
- Fill the prepared muffin cups just to the rim with batter.
- Bake until lightly golden and firm to the touch, 15-20 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin and transfer to plate.
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a resealable plastic bag.
- Brush each muffin generously with melted butter. Then place a few muffins in the bag with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Shake well to coat the muffins. Repeat.
- Serve and enjoy!
I am not a baker by any means… I wanted a quick and easy dessert recipe and came across this. I just made them and they are OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! so delicious and easy to make! I will definitely be making these for years to come! LOVE THEM! YUMMMM
These were AMAZING.
well, it looks AWESOME! Hope your dad has a happy fathers’ day!
Made these for my daughters and they were a huge success. If I can make them, anyone can.
Mmm, I love cinnamon donuts. These look so yummy and I love that they are bite size!
Sign me up for some of those.
these were truly amazing. i have a donut lover in my life as well and these were loved 1000%
I love “disguised” desserts! My absolute favorite is black forest brownie cheesecake angel food muffin chai latte!
I made these and I must agree – they’re fantastic. I think it’s the melted butter brushed on top at the end that does it :-)
these look great. And eating 4/5 minis doesn’t make you feel nearly as guilty as eating 4/5 full size.
These did not disappoint! It was difficult to only eat a couple. Also, you don’t use all the sugar-cinnamon that they’re coated in. I saved the excess and used it in my morning coffee!
I got the sweets gene from my dad too. It’s the best DNA.
I’m drooling right now and can’t wait to sample these on Sunday. I must agree that you have an awesome Dad and how nice of you to share with your readers.
A breakfast recipe and a dessert recipe. Score!
YUMSERS!
Mmmmm…donuts! The second greatest food in the world {after pie, of course.} I MUST try these soon. A FABulous idea! Thank you, Amy! I hope you’re having a good week. *hugs*
I’m waiting for the croissant beignet recipe next.
Hey Paul, I’m guessing Trevor could best you by shoving at least two in his little pie hole at once.
I’m so happy to see that overstimulating you two at bedtime resulted in the two greatest kids in the world who, because of my efforts, graduated with honors, learned to become gourmet cooks, married well, and brought up their dogs and kids as they should be. The only question I have is why my grandkids must go to sleep with the absence of sound and absolutely no tickling at bedtime. Hmmmm.
As for mini-donut muffins with cinnamon sugar, I can eat six in one bite! So there, Paul. Of course, I’ll pay for it by spending the rest of the week sitting overstuffed in my overstuffed chair, barely able to look at a treadmill. Oh, wait, we don’t have a treadmill. Okay, I’m set.
Love you both.
Yum. Donut muffins rock. And so do awesome dads. Sounds like you guys got a keeper!
I’m enjoying one (or two!) of these with my morning coffee as I write this. Love them!
My dad would love those, too! Except I think he would like a glaze coating. Nothing better than a glazed donut for him. Plus it has fruit in the middle, has to be healthy! I love this post, mostly because I feel the same way about my daddy.
I’m thinking your dad might like an I ? Very Culinary.com bumper sticker to go with his mini donuts. Actually, I would like one, too, but this is all about DAD, Dad, Dad. One day, perhaps we can meet Dad in a VC video.
These are making my cereal seem like a sad way to start the morning. I can smell the cinnamon from here.
I think awesome dads warrant some excess thinking and bowl washing. And yours sounds like he fits the bill. I’m sure he will absolutely adore these! I know I would.
Actually I know I will. Because I will make these. And be very very happy about it.