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Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins

Oven-baked muffins with vanilla, a little nutmeg and buttery cinnamon-sugar tops. Doughnut-shop flavor without a pot of frying oil.

Prep20 minutesBake25 minutesTotal45 minutesMakes12 muffins
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Recipe-development draft. This recipe has not been kitchen-tested. Confirm the yield, bake time, texture and storage quality before publishing.

These muffins borrow their finish from a cinnamon-sugar doughnut: a little melted butter, a quick dip and a top that catches the light. They bake in a standard muffin pan, so there is no frying oil or special ring pan to manage.

The doughnut-style part

Vanilla and a little nutmeg go into the batter. The cinnamon-sugar coating goes on after baking, while the muffin tops are still slightly warm. This is a muffin recipe with that familiar finish, not a fried or yeast-raised doughnut.

Two bowls and a gentle fold

Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Once they meet, fold only until the flour disappears. A few small lumps are better than continuing to beat a muffin batter in search of a perfectly smooth surface.

Butter is listed twice on purpose

The batter gets 85 g melted butter. Another 28 g is reserved for brushing the baked tops. Together those amounts use one standard 113 g stick, which makes the shopping list easier to manage.

Coat the tops, not the whole muffin

Let the muffins cool enough to handle before brushing on a thin layer of butter. Dip only the tops into the cinnamon sugar. The recipe provides a little more sugar than will stick, so do not keep dipping just to use it all up.

For a slower morning

Make the batter while the oven heats, then mix the coating as the muffins bake. Use the cooling window to clear the counter and set out a plate. The topping is the last small job before serving.

Saving a few for later

Cool leftovers completely before covering. For freezing, set aside a few uncoated muffins and add the buttery cinnamon-sugar finish after thawing and warming. The recipe card includes the development storage plan to check against your actual results.

Sweetsies Recipe

Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins

Oven-baked muffins with vanilla, a little nutmeg and buttery cinnamon-sugar tops. Doughnut-shop flavor without a pot of frying oil.

Prep20 min
Cook25 min
Total45 min
Yield12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar, for the batter
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for the batter
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 180 ml (3/4 cup) whole milk, at room temperature
  • 60 g (about 1/4 cup) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
  • 85 g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, for the batter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 28 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing the tops
  • 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, for coating; some will remain
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, for coating

Instructions

  1. Heat a conventional oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or grease the wells thoroughly. Grease the top rim of the pan lightly as well.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, 150 g sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sour cream, 85 g melted and cooled butter and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold with a spatula just until no dry flour remains, scraping the bottom. A slightly lumpy batter is fine; do not beat until smooth.
  5. Divide evenly among the 12 wells, approximately three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, checking at 20 minutes, until the tops spring back lightly and a toothpick from a center muffin comes out without wet batter.
  6. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack for another 5 minutes. The muffins should still be slightly warm but firm enough to handle before coating.
  7. Mix the remaining 100 g sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Brush each muffin top lightly with the 28 g melted topping butter, then dip just the top in cinnamon sugar. Some coating sugar will remain; do not force all of it onto the muffins.
  8. Let the coated muffins rest on the rack for about 15 minutes. Serve slightly warm, or cool completely before storing. Assess the crumb after cooling as well as when warm.

Sweetsies notes

Not fried: These are muffins with a cinnamon-sugar doughnut-style topping, not yeast doughnuts. A standard muffin pan is the intended pan for this first test.

Butter portions: The batter uses 85 g and the topping uses another 28 g. The total butter for the recipe is 113 g, or 1/2 cup.

Coating: Dip only the tops. Some cinnamon sugar is intentionally left over to make dipping possible. Discard coating contaminated by wet butter and crumbs rather than returning it to your sugar container.

Storage plan: Best texture is expected the day of baking, to be checked in testing. Once fully cool, keep covered at cool room temperature and plan to serve within 2 days. Freeze uncoated, cooled muffins for up to 2 months as a quality target; thaw, warm gently and coat close to serving.

Allergens: Contains wheat, eggs and milk.

Grams are the reference measurements. U.S. cups and spoon measures are approximate; spoon flour into the cup and level it rather than scooping.

Do not taste raw dough or batter. Wash hands, equipment and work surfaces after handling raw flour and eggs.

Development status: Not kitchen-tested. Timings, yield and quality notes are estimates to verify before publication.