I like doughnuts. I also like muffins. In both cases, I’m more of a simple pleasures kind of person. There are some pretty darn fancy doughnuts out there. I’ve seen ’em topped with fruity pebbles, made with brownies and whipped cream, filled with cheesecake filling and dipped in chocolate…

I’m not here to judge, and I don’t have anything against those doughnuts, but give me a good old-fashioned glazed donut any day. I feel the same about muffins, too. A fresh blueberry muffin and a hot coffee and I’m happy as can be.

Luckily, these aren’t too hard to come by, thanks to the number of bakeries all over the place. Is there anything better than walking into a bakery first thing when they open? It smells like heaven. But I digress, because we aren’t going to bakeries. We’ll save the bakery tour for another time. For now, we’re making our own breakfast treats!

Which brings us to this recipe for old-fashioned doughnut muffins. As you can perhaps guess, I had some reservations about this. Why on earth would I want a doughnut muffin? Well, I can tell you I’m glad I decided to try this.

There are a few things I like about this recipe. To begin with, it calls for a mini-muffin pan, so these are not ridiculously large. Second, even though there are several steps, this isn’t a complicated recipe. There are no hard-to-find ingredients, unusual cooking equipment, or obscure culinary techniques. In fact, you could even make this without a mixer, although that does require a bit more effort. I’d stick with the mixer.

Of course, it’s the taste that’s really the ultimate judge of a recipe, and these are delightful. They’re certainly sweet, but not overly so, and as muffins go (or doughnuts), these are nice and light.

Old-Fashioned Doughnut Muffins

Part doughnut, part muffin, these old-fashioned doughnut muffins are the best of both breakfast pastry worlds.

• Author: Addie Gundry
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 24 mini muffins 1x
• Category: Breakfast

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 large egg
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 24-well mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the egg, softened butter, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the buttermilk and mix until combined.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the salt. Beat on low just until combined.
5. Using a small ice cream scoop (about 2 tablespoons), drop batter into each muffin cup.
6. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, until the muffins are set. Test using a cake tester or wooden toothpick.
7. Set the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
8. Place the melted butter in a small bowl. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in another medium bowl.
9. Remove the muffins from the pan, brush the melted butter on the top and sides of each muffin, then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat.

Keywords: doughnut, muffins

Have you made this recipe? How did it turn out for you?