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Mariel here. It wouldn’t be November without the obligatory pumpkin post. I had been ogling recipes for Pumpkin Donut Muffins circulating on Pinterest – most of which traced their heritage back to good old Martha – so when I was assigned Melissa’s Cuisine for this month’s Secret Recipe Club, I was only too happy to discover she had also fallen victim to this delicious doughy treat.
Cinnamon-&-Sugar-Dusted Doughnuts remind me of apple-picking up in North Salem – paired with a mug of hot cider, they were a well-earned reward after a day spent freezing your face off in an orchard, which is practically an autumnal rite of passage here in the Northeast. It should come as no surprise then that I was also tempted by her Slow-Cooked Apple Cobbler and Apple Cream Cheese Danishes…
These Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins are nothing short of sensational, and because they’re baked – not fried – I successfully tricked myself into thinking they weren’t too sinful (what they lack in deep-frying they make up for in butter, so dieters beware). Melissa was a total trooper and made hers with homemade pumpkin puree, but since the squirrels massacred the squash sitting on our front porch, I took the easy way out and used the canned variety.
I loved these so much that I made them for a bake sale at my son’s nursery school and I plan on revisiting them again for Friendsgiving next weekend…and then maybe again on actual Thanksgiving. For someone who takes holiday food pretty seriously, that’s about as high an accolade as I can offer.
Craving other pumpkin-spiced delights? Check out our Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes, Pumpkin Seed & Spinach Pesto, Pumpkin Risotto, Pumpkin & Ricotta Lasagna, and Curried Pumpkin Pie Soup
Print This Recipe
Cinnamon-&-Sugar-Dusted Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Makes 18
NOTE: Buttermilk Substitute (I never keep any on hand and always use this substitute): In a glass container, whisk together 1/3 cup milk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice, let stand for 5 minutes before using.
Ingredients for the Muffins:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature – stock
3 cups all-purpose flour – stock
2½ teaspoons baking powder – stock
¼ teaspoon baking soda – stock
½ teaspoon kosher salt – stock
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg – stock
¼ teaspoon ground allspice – stock
1/3 cup buttermilk (see note above for substitute info) – stock
1¼ cups 100% pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix/puree) – $2.19
¾-cup light brown sugar – stock
2 large eggs – stock
Ingredients for the Sugar Coating:
¾-cup granulated sugar – stock
2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon – stock
½ stick unsalted butter, melted – stock
Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $2.19
Cost per serving: $0.12
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard muffin pans with 18 paper cupcake/muffin cups, distributing evenly to ensure uniform baking.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice.
3. In a small bowl, whisk buttermilk and pumpkin puree.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed.
5. With the mixer on low/stir, alternate between gradually adding the flour mixture and the pumpkin mixture until combined.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling nearly to the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
7. While the muffins are baking, prepare the coating: combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Let the muffins cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then remove the paper muffin cups.
8. Working with one at a time, brush muffins all over with melted butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.
Woah, I’m coming over for breakfast! These look amazing, and I like the last touch of melted butter and more cinnamon/sugar on top. I hope you stop by my blog and see what I picked for this month’s reveal! 😉
Your muffins look wonderful! They wouldn’t last long in my house at all!
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My kids love muffins and love cinnamon. This would be an amazing treat for them. Your pictures are great and I’ve already printed it off!
Great minds think alike. We both made donut muffins 🙂
These looks so wonderful. I love that you toss them in cinnamon sugar. I need to make these (hopefully with some extra pumpkin from thanksgiving). Great SRC post
How could you go wrong with pumpkin this time of year! And cinnamon and all that warm deliciousness!
YUM – it’s been so long since I’ve made baked donut muffins and so digging the pumpkin version you got going on here 🙂