House favorite: Donut muffins.

by in Breads, muffins, scones

Yes, you read that correctly. Donuts + muffins = donut muffins.


A bit of backstory: One of our favorite places on earth (besides the Side Porch Cafe, of course) is Sonoma County, Calif.—specifically, the town of Healdsburg. It’s where Rob and I spent part of our honeymoon many moons ago, and where we’ve stored up fond memories on many subsequent visits. And one of our favorite nosh spots in Healdsburg is the Downtown Bakery and Creamery. Their baked goods are simply ridiculous (they also sell at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market in San Francisco), and it’s usually all I can do to refrain from not only buying everything in the bakery case, but also stocking up on the frozen pastry dough and other bake-at-home products.

One of our favorite Downtown Bakery goodies is their donut muffins. And one of our favorite cookbooks (from another of our favorite Healdsburg-area places, The Jimtown Store), includes a recipe for those donut muffins. I’ve adapted it quite a bit—primarily, cutting it in half because the published recipe makes 24 muffins.

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donut muffin recipe

makes 12

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 + 1/3 cup milk
2 Tbsp. buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a standard muffin pan (12 muffins). Do not use baking papers.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk in nutmeg. In a glass measuring cup, stir together milk and buttermilk. In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed just until combined. Add 1/4 of the flour mixture and mix to blend, then add 1/3 of the milk mixture; add another 1/4 of the dry ingredients, then 1/3 of the milk, and so on, ending with the last of the flour. Mix no more than necessary; you just want the batter to be smooth and combined, but not over-mixed.

Pour 1/2 cup of batter into each of the 12 muffin cups; they should be nearly full. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the muffins have risen and turned a golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and set on a rack to cool for a few minutes.

for the topping: (this is the very best part)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar

While the muffins are cooling, melt the butter and whisk together the cinnamon-sugar in a shallow bowl. Brush each warm muffin with melted butter, then roll in cinnamon-sugar. Heaven.

 

7 thoughts on “House favorite: Donut muffins.”

  3. These look so good – I can’t wait to try out the recipe! I’ve loved all of your breakfast-related posts, particularly the granola, which we make all the time. Just curious, do you have a favorite pancake recipe?

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  6. I made these for New Year’s Day brunch and they were a HIT!!!! I used vanilla sugar & cinnamon instead of nutmeg. My guests were excited to take some home!

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