Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
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.
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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!
More Pumpkin Breakfast Goodies:
- Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze
- Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips & Scones
- Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins with Pecan Streusel
- Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Ingredients
For the Muffins:
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, (5 ounces)
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons (2.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cloves
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) buttermilk
- 1¼ cups (306.25 g) pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2½ teaspoons (2.5 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
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. :)
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!
These were sooooo great. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Hi Michelle,
thank you for another wonderful recipe! They’re delicious and they even popped out of my silicon muffin forms easily.
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!
I made these muffins yesterday afternoon. They are amazing!!! My famiy gave them rave reviews!
I just made these and they were incredible! Wouldn’t change a thing!
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!!!
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!
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
Yummy! Can you sub in allspice for the cloves, nutmeg & ginger?
Yes, definitely!
Silly, but would it be a full teaspoon of allspice?
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.
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.
Yes, and I don’t even like donuts, but these are getting pinned and made.
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!
They turned out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe. :)
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.
I made these for breakfast this morning, and they were a big hit with my girls. =) Thanks for sharing them.
is pumpkin pie filling different from a can of pure pumpkin (like Libby’s or One Pie)? Can I use these for puree?
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.
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.
Thank you soo much for this recipe i cant wait to try it!!Im 13 years old and you inspire me soo much!!
Do you think these would freeze well?
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.
What temperature do you use to reheat frozen baked goods? I’ve never done that.
Thanks!
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?
Usually 325 or 350, but a lot of recipes have specific instructions. I wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag.
Thanks so much Michelle! I appreciate it.
Made these today, they are awesome!
Made these today. Despite my non-dairy substitutions, they were fabulous. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
These are so pretty! I love that the all-over cinnamon sugar looks like sparkles :)
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!
Made them mini sized yesterday. Have eaten 5 already. Need to get them out of my house.
looks delicious.
I’ve seen a lot of doughnut muffins around the web lately, but these look better than any I’ve seen so far! Yum!
Those look so comforting in this chilly fall weather! Wish I had one for the morning.
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