4.73 from 11 votes

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

Name: Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cup white sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; pinch nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 egg; 1 1/4 cup milk; 2 tablespoons butter (melted); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 stick butter (melted); 1 cup white sugar; 2 teaspoons cinnamon

ByKylee AyotteUpdated: July 17, 2021

Prep 10

Cook 15

Total 25

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These muffins are actually a FAIL. Well, a fail as donuts. I tried making them in my donut pan, but didn’t love the result. The next time I tried them, I put them in mini muffin pans, and … well, you can see how they are! Yum!

You can certainly make LESS muffins (but why on earth would you want to do that?) but these are so good for sharing, especially around the holidays.

I love to have baked goods hanging about for whenever people drop by. Granted, we live a fairly hermit lifestyle, but the intentions are good. Want to come over and drink coffee with me?

If you want ACTUAL donuts, try my mini baked donuts recipe. If you love Cinnamon Sugar, you’ll love these Pie Crust Cookies, too!

Step-by-step photos and instructions are below. Jump to the recipe card if you wish!

A plate of donut muffins coated with cinnamon sugar, arranged closely together.

Why you’ll love this

This is a great recipe for making a lot of muffins. They’re SO easy to make, and you’ll get around 48 mini muffins.
Easy to make with kids (fun to eat, too!)
Common ingredients. Nothing fancy, this recipe uses easily sourced ingredients.

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Step-by-step photos and tips and tricks are below. Jump to the full recipe card instead

Key Recipe Ingredients

Note: This highlights some ingredients. Full list is in the recipe card.

How to make Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

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This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.

Get prepped. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a mini muffin tin with paper liners.

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Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, butter, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients Fold in until JUST combined.

step by step photos making batter for muffins

Bake. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes, until they spring back when lightly touched. Place on a rack to cool while you prepare the topping

step by step instructions for scooping muffin batter

For the topping. Add the melted butter to a small bowl. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Dip each muffin first in the butter Dip in the cinnamon sugar.

step by step instructions for dipping muffins in topping

Kylee’s Notes

When adding the wet mixture to the flour mixture, mix until JUST combined. Overmixing will result in tough muffins. No good at all.

Instead of just dipping the top of the muffin in the topping, you could dip the entire muffin in the topping. YUM! Just peel the linters off and dip. You could also not use muffin liners at all – just be sure to grease the muffin tin really well.

How to store doughnut muffins

Store in a covered container at room temperature. They’ll be good for about 2-3 days.

Freezing muffins

You can freeze these muffins for up to 3 months. I recommend not doing the butter/cinnamon sugar topping until the day you plan to eat them though.

Substitutions/Additions

You can sub white sugar for cane sugar (like I did in the pictures), if you prefer.

More recipes to love

Raspberry Crumb Muffins. Delicate, vanilla-y muffins, with a buttery crumb topping, and a sweet jammy surprise inside, these won’t last long.
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins. Moist, fluffy, and loaded with chocolate chips, they feature perfect tall muffin tops for a delightful treat.
Easy Applesauce Muffins. These muffins are great for lunchboxes, after-school snacks, or lazy weekend mornings.
Fresh Cranberry Muffins. I love how easy these cranberry muffins are to make in just one bowl, so they’re perfect for busy mornings when you still want bakery vibes at home!

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If you make this recipe, please comment and let me know how it turned out and leave a star rating! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Update: This recipe was originally published in May of 2017. It was republished with updated photos in March of 2026.

About Kylee Ayotte

I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee

4.73 from 11 votes (5 ratings without comment)

17 Comments

Lynn Jaxon says:

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I do not own a mini muffin pan (yet). How do I concert baking time for a regular sized muffin? Any help will be appreciated.

Reply
1. Kylee says:
  
  at
  
  I’d have to experiment – but, I’d likely add 5-8 minutes to the 15 that you’d use for the minis. You want the muffins to spring back when touched lightly.
  Let me know how it goes?