Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins

Buttery, sweet tops truly make these simple yet utterly delightful cinnamon sugar doughnut muffins stand out. They are just perfect for breakfast or a tasty snack.

Growing up, my mom often made these wonderful little muffins. They are an absolute classic in my memory. While definitely leaning more towards a muffin in texture, the “doughnut” part of their name is a sweet nod to that glorious buttery cinnamon and sugar topping they wear so well.

Mixing the Simple Muffin Batter

The batter for these muffins couldn’t be easier. It’s really just a straightforward mix of dry ingredients meeting wet ingredients to create pure muffin magic.

Lightly spiced with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, the basic vanilla muffin base is about as simple as you can get. And trust me, simple is a wonderful thing here.

If you’re looking to incorporate some whole grains, these muffins adapt beautifully. You can swap the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. I’ve found using white whole wheat flour gives them a lovely lighter texture compared to regular whole wheat. There’s a note in the recipe card for a few more details on this swap.

Mixing dry ingredients into wet ingredients for doughnut muffins.

Skip the Muffin Liners

For these cinnamon sugar doughnut muffins, I really recommend baking them directly in a greased muffin tin without any paper liners.

Because the tops of the muffins get a dip in melted butter and then a generous roll in cinnamon sugar after baking, using a liner just gets in the way. It makes it tricky to get that full, even coverage of the topping. Plus, it tends to make everything just a bit messier than it needs to be.

So, skip the liners. Enjoy a bit more peace and get a much better muffin topping. Sound good?

Scooping muffin batter into greased muffin tin.

It’s All About That Topping

Honestly, these muffins would be perfectly tasty without the topping, but they’d just be average. What transforms them into something truly special is that irresistible cinnamon and sugar coating.

After the muffins have baked and cooled down a bit (they don’t need to be completely cold), you simply dip the top of each muffin into melted butter. Then, immediately roll that buttery top around in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Make sure they get a nice, even coat all around the top.

Now, if you’re feeling particularly indulgent, you could dip the entire muffin in butter and then cover the whole thing in cinnamon and sugar. While that sounds incredibly tempting, it does create quite a bit of mess for me. So, I usually stick with just sugaring the tops. It saves my kitchen floor some anxiety, you know?

Dipping baked muffin into butter and then dipping in cinnamon and sugar.

The Charm of a Tasty Little Muffin

These cinnamon sugar doughnut muffins truly stand the test of time. They were one of my absolute favorites when I was growing up, and now my own kids adore them too.

There’s nothing complicated or fussy about them at all. But they are a beautiful reminder that sometimes, the simplest things in life are the ones that bring the most happiness. Try eating one warm, maybe with a tall glass of cold milk. That’s basically after-school snack heaven right there.

A note on mini muffins: If you happen to have a craving for mini versions, this batter works wonderfully in a mini muffin tin. The baked and dipped mini muffins end up looking and tasting just like little doughnut holes. They are utterly irresistible. It’s genuinely impossible to stop at eating just one.

How to Make These Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins

Making these delicious muffins is a straightforward process. Just follow these steps, and you’ll have warm, coated muffins ready to enjoy.

1. Start by getting your oven ready. Set its temperature to 350 degrees F. Prepare a standard 12-cup muffin tin by lightly greasing each cup with cooking spray. You can set this aside for a moment. If you plan to use a mini muffin tin, there’s a helpful note below about that.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, you’ll combine all the dry ingredients. This includes the all-purpose flour, both granulated and light brown sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Give these a good whisk together until they are well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. This includes the large egg, vanilla extract, milk (or buttermilk if you’re using that), and your chosen fat like vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted butter.
4. Now, pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl holding the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir everything together. You want to mix just until there are no longer any dry flour spots visible. Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this can make muffins tough.
5. Use a scoop to fill each prepared muffin cup about two-thirds full with the batter. Place the tin into your preheated oven. Bake for approximately 15 to 18 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the tops spring back gently when you lightly touch them.
6. Let the muffins cool in their tin for just a few minutes after they come out of the oven. Then, carefully remove them from the tin and place them onto a wire rack to cool completely before you add the topping.

Adding the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

The topping is what makes these muffins special. Make sure the muffins are cool before starting this part.

1. For the topping, grab a small bowl and whisk together the granulated sugar and the ground cinnamon until they are fully combined. Melt the butter in a separate small bowl.
2. Once your muffins are completely cool, take one muffin at a time. Dip the top of the muffin into the bowl of melted butter, allowing any excess to drip off briefly.
3. Immediately after dipping in butter, roll the buttered top of the muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Make sure the top gets a generous and even coating all around. Place the coated muffin back on the wire rack. Repeat with all the muffins.

Frequently Asked Questions

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