Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
83 comments » 
Growing up, my family didn’t do a lot of doughnut-eating. The popular treats were never in the house, so we’d only have them once in a while, usually if there was a function after church. As a result, I never became much of a doughnut connoisseur. That being said, I certainly did have my favorites when I was presented with a box of doughnuts. They were, in this order: Boston cream, the ones with chopped nuts around the outside, and cinnamon-sugar. Last year, I made my first batch of homemade buttermilk doughnuts and tried three different varieties – chocolate-glazed, vanilla-glazed and cinnamon-sugar coated. My favorite was, by far, the cinnamon-sugar variety.
Over the last month I’ve been filing up my Doughnuts board on Pinterest with tons of different awesome-sounding recipes, including pumpkin. When I came across a recipe for pumpkin muffins that mimic the texture and flavor of pumpkin doughnuts with a cinnamon-sugar coating, I knew I was in business!
Once I saw the recipe, I recalled other muffin recipes I had seen on some other sites that used the same type of technique to mimic the flavor of a doughnut. Once the muffins come out of the oven and are still warm, they’re brushed with melted butter and then immediately rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. The result is a fabulous pumpkin-flavored muffin with a doughnut-like cinnamon-sugar coating. They are every bit melt-in-your-mouth fantastic as you could imagine.
I love how much the pumpkin flavor in these shines through, and I love that these taste just like a pumpkin doughnut, but have the advantage of being baked, and not fried. Not as much fat, not as much effort, not as time-consuming, and not as much mess. That translates to a perfect Sunday morning treat!
One year ago: The Baked Brownie
Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Muffins:
10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup buttermilk
1¼ cups pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggsFor the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup granulated sugar
2½ teaspoons ground cinnamonDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups.
2. Make the Muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and pumpkin; set aside.
3. Beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low, then add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of the pumpkin mixture, beating until barely combined. Turn off the mixer and fold the batter a few times with a rubber spatula to catch any pockets of flour that weren't incorporated.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffins cups (about a heaping 1/3 cup batter). Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
5. Make the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating: While the muffins are resting, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Working with one muffin at a time, remove the muffins from the pan, brush all over with the melted butter, then toss to coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Return to the wire rack and let cool completely.
(Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)
print
save
email
All I can say is OMG!!
I swore off baking for 2 weeks on Friday, because last week from Tuesday to Friday afternoon I had made the Baked Brownie for myself and then volunteered to make 100 cupcakes to sell for my sons Fall Festival at school to raise money for his kindergarten class. Oy! And I couldn’t just do simple either. I did the chocolate salted caramel and Vanilla made to look like candy corn. WHAT WAS I THINKING!
I sold out of all 100 in just over an hour. The event lasted 3. OOPS!
Well, now it looks like I’ll be giving in and making these little treats tomorrow. Curse you, Michelle!
Reply
kim on October 8th, 2012 at 7:02 pm
I have a really simple recipe for pumpkin muffins if any one is inerested. Spice cake and a can of pumpkin, bake in mini muffin pans and then top with cinnamon sugar
Reply
I’ll let you know how they turn out. Yay!
Reply
I ate a lot of doughnuts growing up… And still do! I was always a jelly doughnut girl but now I like the ones with the crushed peanuts best! Totally gonna try these
Reply
Ive seen this recipe and many similar to it for little pumpkin muffins and donuts and was just telling a friend yesterday I want to try these and now you’ve got me convinced. They look great!
Reply
I love this! I have been dying to make donuts but I dont have a donut pan! But I DO have a muffin pan! These are so cute! Cant wait to try them out!
Reply
Yummy!!!! I have to say cinnamon and sugar on donuts is my favorite way to eat them!!!
Reply
Love the look of these pumpkin muffins and that crunchy sugar topping!
Reply
These are lovely!
Reply
Ive made a similar one without pumpkin. The “butter bath” is glorious!
Reply
I LOVE donut muffins! We used to make them at the bakery where I worked! Can’t wait to try a pumpkin version!
Reply
Oh yum! I wonder how this would translate into an apple cider doughnut muffin? Off to research…
Reply
Pat Nelson on October 13th, 2012 at 11:53 pm
There is a cider doughnut recipe on Kingarthurflour.com.
Reply
LOVE these!! Perfect for fall!
Reply
Oh my, yum!!!
Reply
I just made a similar version of these in my babycakes maker. They were shaped just like donut holes, and sooo good. Seeing yours makes me want to go make another batch!
Reply
It’s recipes like these that make me wish pumpkin season never ends! The possibilities are endless. These look totally delicious.
Reply
These look amazing!! I love how bright and orange the inside is too!
Reply
Wow. I made some “healthy” pumpkin muffins this week, which we devoured in nothing flat. I’m a little afraid to watch the feeding frenzy that these amazing-looking treats will create. Thanks for the great recipe.
Reply
I’ve made and posted the traditional doughnut muffins. I think the pumpkin version will be even better! Putting it on my must-make list.
Reply
I absolutely ADORE your blog. I use your recipes constantly and ALWAYS get rave reviews! We love both pumpkin and doughnuts at our house, so I think this recipe is going to be another winner – thank you!
Reply
Oh oh oh oh oh, these look tremendous. I love pumpkin spice doughnuts, and I know everyone is on a doughnut craze right now, but I can’t stand the idea of the mess in my tiny kitchen. These are the answer!! A local bakery makes something similarly rolled in cinnamon-sugar, but not with pumpkin. You win
Reply
luv the recipe
am going to try it
thankx alot
Reply
These sound amazing!! I just made pumpkin muffins yesterday, but suddenly they seem so inadequate
Reply
just yesterday my sister requested pumpkin donuts coated in sugar….i’m pretty sure these are close enough!
Reply
These are beautiful and so, so delectable looking! Perfect for eating while sitting at my desk with a nice hot cup of coffee
Reply
Do you think would translate well into a mini muffin? Would you just have to adjust the bake time?
Reply
Michelle on October 10th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Hi Connie, You could definitely do mini muffins! Just reduce the baking time (I would start checking around 6-8 minutes).
Reply
I love that these are completely coated! Yum
Reply
Your muffins look so delicious!
Reply
I made doughnut muffins stuffed with nutella a while ago, but these look so good. I’ll have to try them with pumpkin!
Reply
I have all of the ingredients and can’t wait to try these.
Reply
We have a bakery nearby that sells doughnut muffins, but I think yours look even better than theirs!
Reply
These look so good! My favorite are the apple cider cinnamon sugar donuts but these pumpkin flavored ones trying to hide as muffins look even better
Reply
Those look so comforting in this chilly fall weather! Wish I had one for the morning.
Reply
I’ve seen a lot of doughnut muffins around the web lately, but these look better than any I’ve seen so far! Yum!
Reply
looks delicious.
Reply
Made them mini sized yesterday. Have eaten 5 already. Need to get them out of my house.
Reply
I have a small amount of pumpkin puree in my fridge just begging to be used. I think a half batch of these made into minis might be the perfect solution!
Reply
These are so pretty! I love that the all-over cinnamon sugar looks like sparkles
Reply
Made these today. Despite my non-dairy substitutions, they were fabulous. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Reply
Made these today, they are awesome!
Reply
Do you think these would freeze well?
Reply
Michelle on October 10th, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Hi Natasha, These would freeze well before the butter/sugar coating. I don’t think that they’d thaw well if you do the butter/sugar coating. You could freeze, then reheat them in a warm oven and do a fresh butter/sugar coating before serving.
Reply
felicia on February 27th, 2013 at 11:35 am
What temperature do you use to reheat frozen baked goods? I’ve never done that.
Thanks!
Reply
felicia on February 27th, 2013 at 11:37 am
oh and while i’m at it… i guess i should also ask how you freeze the muffins to begin with! do you wrap them in foil, or something else?
Reply
Michelle on February 27th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Usually 325 or 350, but a lot of recipes have specific instructions. I wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag.
Reply
felicia on February 27th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
Thanks so much Michelle! I appreciate it.
Reply
Thank you soo much for this recipe i cant wait to try it!!Im 13 years old and you inspire me soo much!!
Reply
Just got back from upstate New York. Was disapponted in the pumpkin doughnut I bought. These look like a winner! Thanks Michelle. I am going to bake some and send them to my boy at school.
Reply
I did not wait in making these. A batch is on its way to my son away at school. They are soooooo good! Every bite is fall “deliciousness”. This recipe is a keeper.
Reply
is pumpkin pie filling different from a can of pure pumpkin (like Libby’s or One Pie)? Can I use these for puree?
Reply
I made these for breakfast this morning, and they were a big hit with my girls. =) Thanks for sharing them.
Reply
Wow. I’m no baker but these turned out DELISH. I added cinnamon chips to the batter and thought they were a favorable addition. Part donut/part muffin. 100% awesome. Not too heavy or fragile, they stood up to the butter bath and sugar coating. I just finished delivering them to my neighbors because left alone with these are dangerous. Sign of a successful recipe. Thanks, BEB.
Reply
They turned out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe.
Reply
Hi Michelle! Made these today & there are now glorious smells in my kitchen. Thank you, kindly! The one thing I did that was really helpful was to put the cinnamon sugar mixture in a doubled-up brown paper lunch bag, and then carefully roll it around. Less on my hands and more on the muffins!
Thanks again!
Reply
Yes, and I don’t even like donuts, but these are getting pinned and made.
Reply
Thanks for the recipe! My teenage boys and hubby gobbled them up! They were the perfect treat before our 2 hour drive on Saturday morning.
Reply
Yummy! Can you sub in allspice for the cloves, nutmeg & ginger?
Reply
Michelle on October 18th, 2012 at 11:11 pm
Yes, definitely!
Reply
Kayla on October 26th, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Silly, but would it be a full teaspoon of allspice?
Reply
Michelle on October 30th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Hi Kayla, It depends on how much spice you’d like. I personally find allspice to be a little more “spicy” than any of those other three so I would probably cut back on the amount to maybe 3/4 teaspoon. However, if you want to punch up the flavor you could do 1 full teaspoon.
Reply
Just in time for Halloween! Gotta try these soon!
While we’re on the topic of holiday cooking, this newsletter I read is putting on a recipe contest. It looks like the top three entrants win some sort of prize.
If you’re interested, here’s a link with more info: https://apps.facebook.com/whcontests/the-natural-knowledge-247-holiday-recipe-contest
Reply
Made these with soup for dinner the other night, and everyone loved them! My brother, the avid food critic of the family, ranked them right up with my lemon poppyseed muffins, which he adores. Everyone had two muffins and were eager for thirds.
Thanks for the great keeper!
Reply
These were great!! Next time I will put some chocolate chips in them. I had everything on hand except the buttermilk, so I used 2 % with a dash of lemon juice and it was a perfect substitute. These would be good for mini muffins as well, maybe even better that way because they are really big!!!
Reply
I just made these and they were incredible! Wouldn’t change a thing!
Reply
I made these muffins yesterday afternoon. They are amazing!!! My famiy gave them rave reviews!
Reply
I made these for work. The recipe made 35 using my mini muffin pan. I cooked them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. The pumpkin taste isn’t very strong but they were a hit!
Reply
Hi Michelle,
thank you for another wonderful recipe! They’re delicious and they even popped out of my silicon muffin forms easily.
Reply
These were sooooo great. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Reply
I just made these with fresh sugar pumpkin puree and they’re SO good! I lined the muffin pan and just sugared the tops because my Husband requested them that way (similar to something his mother made). We both loved them! Thanks for the recipe and I love the new site design.
Reply
Kat on November 5th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
I just wanted to follow up — these muffins kept well, we have two left and look forward to them. We both decided that only coated the top was a mistake and I’ll definitely coat the whole muffin next time. So good!
Reply
We tried these and they were scrumptiously delightful!!! We doubled the recipe, and the only problem was that they came out to 36 muffins instead of 24. Also, we only had to cook it for 23 minutes, not 30. Those were our only problems. Otherwise, the muffins themselves were heavenly! Perfect texture and we loved the coating. Thanks!
Reply
Made these today as minimuffins. I incorrectly assumed 12 muffins = 24 minimuffins, but I made 24 mini and 12 regular (on the small side) muffins. I always seem to have way more batter than the recipe calls for. The batter is very doughy, seemed like if you left it, it would rise. I cooked the minimuffins for 20 minutes, which seems just right (not over cooked). I had cinnamon sugar and butter left over after coating all 36 muffins. I found after you got your brush saturated with the butter, you could coat 2-3 muffins with it. As someone else noted, the pumpkin flavor is not pronounced. I used my 8c glass measuring cup for the sugar/cinnamon bath, and it worked out great, especially with the minimuffins because I could shake it around and not have the mixture go all over the place.
Reply
Am I blind or the only one not getting it… ?? step #3 says “beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed…” but the ingredient list goes from buttermilk to brown sugar… how much butter is supposed to be used in the recipe and if you’ve made it already without it butter do they turn out ok?? thanks!
Reply
Michelle on November 20th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Hi LeAnn, Butter is the first ingredient listed in the recipe.
Reply
These were awesome. I was a bit worried because the texture looked a little different than normal muffins, but they were perfect. I got 12 muffins plus a little extra I put in a ramekin and baked separate. DELICIOUS!!!
Reply
LOVED these muffins – so did my family! Making them again Thanksgiving morning. Shared on my blog!
http://tisablessingtobe.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-breakfast-treat.html
Reply
Could you make these in a mini donut maker?
Reply
Michelle on March 30th, 2013 at 11:25 am
Hi Katy, I’m not sure, as these are meant to be baked as muffins, not necessarily muffins. You could definitely give it a try!
Reply
Katy on May 18th, 2013 at 9:47 am
I did end up trying these in a mini donut maker. They came out great! They took about 4 minutes to cook. I didn’t want to stand there all day, so I made the rest in a mini muffin pan. They took about 12-14 minutes to cook.
I just used cinnamon because I was out of everything else, about a tablespoon. I think next time I’ll use Pumpkin Pie Spice. Also used soured milk instead of buttermilk because I didn’t have any on hand. YUMMY! Will definitely be making again!
Reply
I rarely leave comments for recipes. Usually, I just make sure I print that “good find” off and put it in my Top 100 and growing list of recipes. But THIS sweet crusty little GEM—Oh my Jesus.! And yes I believe in HIM. This muffin is SOOOO buttery, TENDER, moist, sweet and cinammonnn-yee. I know that’s not a word—but it is now. You have GOT to make this. Don’t comment and say stuff like “Oh this sounds delish or I have got to make this”. Quit wasting your time and make this tonight!!! Please! Although muffins are a bit denser than cupcakes and oven temps vary…I automatically set my timer for 15-18 minutes. It’s habit for little breads not knowing the specified minute to bake was…30??!. That seems like an extremely long time for such small delicious-ness…ness. My time was perfect. If in doubt do the tooth pick test. You won’t be sorry. Great, Great recipe for a muffin.
Reply
Hi Rebecca, Yes, pumpkin pie filling is different than a can of pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling includes sugar and spices, and is literally meant to go right into a pie shell. You don’t want to use this in recipes that just call for pure pumpkin puree.
Reply