Yields about 24 medium muffins.
To learn more, read:
by Kathleen Stewart
from Fine Cooking
They may look like muffins, but a dunk in melted butter and a roll in cinnamon-sugar makes these luscious morsels taste more like donuts, without the hassle of deep-frying. We sell out of these muffins every morning at my .
more about:
For the muffins:
12 oz. (24 Tbs.) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
1-3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 lb. 11 oz. (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-2/3 cups milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
For dipping:
8 oz. (16 Tbs.) more as needed
2 cups sugar
2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
To make the muffins
Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Combine the milk and buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't overmix. Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. (A #16 ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes.
Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.
Make Ahead Tips
You don't have to bake all th the batter will keep, covered and chilled, for up to three days in the refrigerator.
nutrition information (per serving):
per muffin;
Fat Calories
Saturated Fat
Monounsaturated Fat
Carbohydrates
Polyunsaturated Fat
Cholesterol
cholesterol mg
Photo: Steve Hunter
More Recipes Like This
by ChefattheJerseyShore, 6/26/2012
I found this recipe by chance and have just had a great time with different aspects of it. From the original cinnamon sugar to jelly filled, to chocolate topped, with great response from my guests. After making the original muffins, I went and found mini doughnut muffin pans in which I can pipe the batter into and get the look as well as the taste of the "doughnut".
by FransFavs, 5/24/2012
After making these delicious muffins, I understand why the bakery sells out of them every morning!
They are my favorite cake donut rolled in cinnamon sugar in muffin form.
Moist and delicious, they are just as good the next day.
Only "frantastic" recipes get posted on my blog, and this more than qualifies!
/2012/05/donut-muffins/#more-3497
by alina, 5/6/2012
These were wonderful. Half the recipe yielded 60 minis. I used Splenda for the topping. By mistake, I added the Splenda and Penzeys Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon to the melted butter so I rolled them once in that. The next batch I used the same but dipped in the melted butter first and then rolled in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. No difference in taste, the first way was easier. I never have whole milk so I used 2 1/2
tsps. of heavy cream and 11 TBS. milk for the halved recipe. I also added
tsp. vanilla and
tsp. Fiori di Sicilia to the batter, reduced sugar to
cup in the batter, and the muffins were good plain. Definitely will make again but will scale recipe again to fit 4 minis. (48 minis instead of 60).
by perilla, 4/30/2012
Very good!
I took all the suggestions from previous reviewers (using mini muffin tins, making only half the recipe) and they were a hit!
Brunch with a bunch of moms and kids and they loved it.
Baking them a little longer than you think creates a thick crust with a tender middle.
Definitely a keeper recipe!
My husband loved it too!
by SueCole, 4/30/2012
I made these this weekend and I am very pleased with the recipe.
The muffins are light and airy.
I had some batter left over and decided to try an experiment.
I filled the tins half-way, spread a layer of Nutella on, and then put the rest of the batter in the tins.
Success!!!!!
by gsisson, 4/23/2012
I halved the recipe and it still made too many for us. After reading the other reviews, I realized I should have done mini muffins as they are pretty filling. Downside of this recipe is that the muffins dried out really fast. I used 6 of them today in a apple bread pudding. It smells wonderful - at least I used them before they had to be thrown away. Will not make these muffins again.
by zebraz103, 4/21/2012
As the recipe is, I have to take away a few stars.
I made the muffins as minis - glad I did, because the actual muffins would have been WAY too much.
I halved the batter, which was a great decision.
I also, stupidly, lined the muffin tins with paper liners, so I wasn't able to toss them fully in butter and cinnamon sugar - but that revealed what some other reviewers said, which is that without the butter/cinnamon sugar, the muffin itself is quite bland (even though I did NOT reduce the nutmeg, and actually added 1/2 tsp. cinnamon), and not really sweet enough.
I found the texture to be more like a cupcake than a doughnut.
A note for those making the muffins with a mini muffin tin - use a small cookie scoop.
I tried small AND medium, and the medium made the muffin too large.
I got 24 medium and 23 small scoop muffins.
These are nice, but not remarkable, and won't be going in my personal recipe book.
by apartment522, 4/16/2012
I would rate and review this recipe. Doughnut Muffins. Written rather well, I used the recipe for doughnut muffins. I am interested in the doughnut muffin phenomena. Thank you. I am glad to share. I gave it a 5 star rating. I think that Kathleen Stewart is really exceptional here. I made the doughnut muffins. I am not sure to what conclusive stance so far. Though, I made the recipe! I feel it was wonderful. I got a lot of good learning out of the recipe. I feel as though I could follow the ingredients easily. The baking I remember doing when I was younger. A traditional recipe style. I enjoyed making the doughnut muffins. I am glad I baked doughnut muffins. Good recipe.
by allsbrow, 2/13/2012
My family and I like this recipe.
I halved it and got 16 standard size muffins.
I thought the nutmeg flavor was a little strong, so I would probably use less next time.
I did add vanilla to the cake.
My husband thought these should be called snickerdoodle cupcakes instead of doughnut muffins.
I agree that they are much more a cupcake than a muffin.
by SierraC, 1/16/2012
Sinfully good!
Loved them just as they are!
by swpotts, 4/28/2011
Really delicious and pretty too! I halved the recipe and baked them in mini muffin tins. Half the recipe made 48.
They were perfect for a morning meeting with women, although my husband made pretty good work of half a dozen when they first came out of the oven!
This is a great recipe.
by bfongpor, 3/22/2011
Family keeper!
Mini-muffin pan a must.
To help minimize the butter at the end I used fine baking sugar+cinnamon to coat these yummy morsels.
Also added diced apples to the batter - reminded me of the apple doughnuts we would always get during apple picking season.
Next attempt - bananas.
by mamagma, 2/25/2011
Good using mini cupcake pan. I use paperliners to hold together better. I also add vanilla and nutmeg to batter.
Have tried using different flavorings such as orange, rum, maple, etc. Very good!
by RLPeterson, 2/21/2011
FANTASTIC!
I just made these.
It is a rainy nasty day here and these with a cup of coffee sure hit the spot.
I decided to do them as mini muffins and am very glad I did.
The size of the mini is perfect.
I double dipped in butter and sugar as one other review mentioned.
The extra dipping allowed more butter to soak into the muffin and then hold extra cinnamon sugar.
I will have these on every breakfast buffet from now on.
Thank you!
by achevres, 2/13/2011
Finally tried these, but what a disappointment. The texture is OK, a little too eggy to remind me of any doughnut, but the problem is that they are tasteless. They need more sugar and more spice.
The butter/sugar/cinnamon on the outside tastes good, but do not rescue the actual muffin.
I have the bowl with the batter in the fridge right now, if anyone has any ideas on how to fix it.
by sarahmarg, 2/13/2011
would be better to bake as mini muffins. too heavy. cool idea, but was not impressed.
by choffman, 1/17/2011
Outstanding! I followed the advice listed by previous reviews and made some small changes: I cut the recipe in half, added 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the batter, and baked them as mini-muffins. I also reduced the butter ratio a bit to make them a little less decadent. Once baked, I rolled the entire muffin in the cinnamon sugar. A few suggestions- first, this recipe is HUGE; I think half the batter is more than enough. As mini-muffins my yield was 58, so we had plenty. I also recommend making the muffins a bit smaller than you might normally as these rise quite a bit. As minis they looked very much like DD minis, but tasted MUCH better.
The recipe recommends baking them until the tops feel firm and are golden brown and I agree. I took the first batch out a little earlier because who likes dry muffins? But these remain moist in the interior and when they are too tender they fall apart in the rolling process. Following the recipe's suggestion, I also made the batter the night before and baked them the following morning. This worked very well. The baked muffins also keep surprisingly well compared to regular muffins that need to be enjoyed right away. These were just as yummy cold the following morning.
My family is already begging me to make more. The next time I bake them, however, instead of dipping the muffins in butter and rolling in the cinnamon sugar, I will try spraying them with butter and rolling to reduce some of the saturated fat. My other plan is to try to freeze some of the batter in order to bake a few on demand. Served with hot cocoa, my kids think that this is the ultimate post-sledding snack!
by morguene, 10/25/2010
OH. MY. GOD!
These are SOOO good.
Very dangerous to have around...Next time will do as mini-muffins - better size for snacking.
My husband wants me to do some rolled in icing sugar next time instead of the cinnamon/sugar mixture as he loves the powdered doughnuts. Will post how that turns out.
by JMMMMMMMM, 9/26/2010
Good balance between sweet and flavorful w/medium density and open-crumb texture that you can spread a bit of jelly on. Check a few minutes earlier than the minimum amount of time specified, as they are best if baked just to doneness. The only thing I would change, a personal preference, would be to add a teaspoon or so of vanilla.
by trevino923, 9/11/2010
OMG!!!! these are way better than a doughnut.
heaven in a muffin.
thank you!!!
by cemmca, 9/3/2010
by wineandine, 6/8/2010
This is sooo good!!! Everyone just loved them. Thanks you for sharing, I would have kept this a secret!lol
Will make this all the time!
by Maureen9788, 6/6/2010
These muffins are great!!
by EnnaW, 6/4/2010
Unbelievably delicious. We make about half the cinnamon-sugar mixture and just coat the tops rather than the whole thing. Next time will try making mini ones and coating all sides. Really good!
by ThePinkMeasuringCup, 4/30/2010
Just made these- sooo delicious! 5 star recipe- no alterations needed!
by aprilmay, 4/28/2010
by jen2045, 4/4/2010
Just made these and cut the recipe in half to make mini muffins.
I ended up with about 58 mini muffins so realize the quantities are not small even cut in half.
They are wonderful however so I will be making some deliveries to the neighbors!
by adamma21, 4/3/2010
Wonderful! Even better than doughnuts.
by michelle1009, 4/3/2010
This recipe was average. The top was good with the cinnamon and sugar mixture but once you ate it off the top the rest of the muffin was very plain tasting. I'm glad I tried it but won"t be making it again
by designermillion, 2/28/2010
These muffins were one of the best I've ever tasted, however I had a problem with them falling apart.
Did anyone else encounter that?
I flipped them out of the muffin pan, and alot of the bottoms cracked away from the top or the tops just started to break apart.
I'm wondering if I did something wrong!
I really want to make these again, but not if they're just going to fall apart.
by Schmunko, 10/17/2009
These muffins really taste like a cake doughnut and are sooo good! Everyone inhales them whenever I make them. They are moist and cinnamon-y!
by hansons, 8/8/2009
Made these for a Ladies Brunch at Church.
There wasn't a one left.
My husband said that the muffin did indeed taste like his favorite doughnut (Cinnamon/Sugar Cake Doughnut.)
by cookykamp, 6/5/2009
These are "slap yo-self silly" GOOD!!!!
They really taste like a cake donut.
I cut the recipe in half and made them in mini muffin tins.
Can't wait to make more!
by DoughGrl, 2/23/2009
To die for, really really good muffins!
Perfect texture and just sweet enough without being over-the-top.
The two best muffin recipes I've ever tried are this one and Joanne Chang's recipe, on this site.
I will be making the doughnut muffins often -- next time I may add a teaspoon of seedless black raspberry preserves to the middle of each muffin.
by DKB, 2/21/2009
This has to be my favorite muffin recipe. It has a finer crumb than most muffins, moist and yummy with lots of cinnamon flavor. I like to add 1 tsp of vanilla and bake them in a mini muffin pan. That way you get a higher cinnamon-sugar to muffin ratio. : ) The recipe makes about 52 mini muffins.
I also have made half a recipe and that works out great too.
Another thing I like to do for even more cinnamon impact is to make a filling by combining 1/3 cup granulated white sugar, 2 T flour, 1 T melted butter, 2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp water. Put half the batter in the pan, add some filling and top with remaining batter. I use about 1/4 tsp in my mini muffins.
by malahaller, 2/12/2009
This recipe is perfect. The muffins taste even better the next day when reheated until a bit crispy on the crust.
by kels4paws, 1/26/2009
This is a fantastic recipe!
My husband loves these and they do taste just like donuts.
I also used the recipe to bake a cake for my dad for his birthday this week.
He is a donut fanatic and I wanted to bake a cake that not only looked like a donut but tasted like one and this did the trick!
I had enough to bake a full cake and 6 of the muffins as well.
Great recipe :) Thank you for sharing!
by jaffybishop, 7/8/2008
One of my favorite muffin recipes - they taste like cake donuts. The recipe makes a good amount for sharing.
by bradhaddon, 6/24/2008
by DJ, 5/25/2008
Fine and soft textured-similar to crumb cake. Since it uses a creamed mixture, not the standard muffin technique, it is "cake". With the cinnamon sugar coating, the flavor is that of cake doughtnuts.
A truly delicous morning treat.
by fcar, 5/4/2008
Yummy Just Yummy..... They taste like heaven. I cut the recipe in half and they turned out perfect.
Served with Raspberry preservers which made them like a sugared jelly donut.
My family gobbled these up.
by mtcricket, 4/10/2008
OUTSTANDING!
The whole family loves these!
by jng000, 2/26/2008
They really do taste like doughnuts!
A favorite of my daughter for breakfast.
by taller45, 10/5/2007
Delicious - I found that the topping adheres better (and is thicker)if you dip and sugar twice.
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Cutting down on dates, Saudi food firm seeks long-term relationship with western tastes
From Leone Lakhani, CNN
July 25, 2014 -- Updated 0233 GMT (1033 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Bateel is a Saudi gourmet food company founded in 1992
Company started by manufacturing dates but now has numerous food products in its line
CEO says aim is to become major international brand
Watch every week on CNN International. Click
for the show times.
(CNN) -- French baguettes and pastries aren't the traditional bread of choice in the Middle East.
But a bakery opened by a one of the region's foremost gourmet food companies is aiming to change that.
Saudi Arabian firm, Bateel, hopes that by providing an international flavor to their offerings they will be able to further entice customers to their branded stores and cafes across the Middle East.
The group has certainly come a long way from its early days as a humble date producer.
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Bateel first started manufacturing gourmet dates in 1992, adding nuts and chocolate to the traditionally popular fruit and selling them in upmarket boutique stores.
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A little more than 20 years later and Bateel is now operating in 17 countries with Saudi Arabia and the UAE representing its biggest markets.
Drinks, oils and jams have also been added to its product repertoire during this time.
"Surprisingly, dates is not as big of a business for us (any more)," said Atmar. "We are now a very much integrated premium food company. About 25% to 30% of our business comes from dates."
To help market its food products the company launched the Bateel Cafe in 2007, featuring its ingredients on the menu.
It also carried on selling its goods through its shops and other outlets like hotels and airports.
This carefully calculated strategy of diversification has paid dividends.
"We just signed with Qatar, the new terminal, so in a way the airport is an extension of our retail business," Atmar said.
"In the (Dubai Duty Free) we are the number one food market here ... so there is a major presence."
Atmar says Bateel has seen 20% to 30% growth in the past five years. But he said that this is not enough for what he eventually envisions for the company.
"Outside the Middle East, or outside the Gulf, we are going on a franchise business," he said.
"I'd like to see when you go to Beijing, you say it's time to go out and have a cup of coffee and you say 'oh, there's a Bateel here, let's go to Bateel.' Just as you do that in Dubai or Abu Dhabi."
Perhaps this is the next stage of the Bateel story, transforming a homegrown Middle Eastern group into a truly global brand.
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