Muffins That Taste Like Donuts

These muffins come out of the oven soft and plain, then get the full donut treatment: a dunk in melted butter followed by a roll through cinnamon sugar. That hot-from-the-oven coating is what creates the sugary, slightly crunchy shell that makes you forget you’re eating a muffin.

Nutmeg is the secret ingredient that bridges the gap between muffin and donut. Old-fashioned cake donuts rely on nutmeg for that characteristic warm, slightly sweet aroma, and the same trick works here.

Stir the wet and dry ingredients together just until combined. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you tough, dense muffins instead of tender, cakey ones. A few lumps in the batter are exactly right.

Make 12 standard-sized muffins, not jumbo. Smaller muffins mean more surface area for the butter-and-sugar coating, and that coating is the whole point.

Pro Tips

• Shake muffins out of the pan immediately after baking; letting them cool in the tin creates soggy bottoms
• Dip in butter while still hot so the sugar sticks and forms a crust
• For the jam-filled version, use a thick jam like raspberry or strawberry that won’t run during baking

Variations

• Fill with lemon curd instead of jam for a citrus donut muffin
• Roll in powdered sugar instead of cinnamon sugar for a powdered donut look
• Add ¼ cup mini chocolate chips to the batter for a chocolate donut riff