These mini powdered sugar donut muffins are dense cake-style donuts baked in a mini muffin pan. After baking, lightly dip the warm mini donut muffins in melted butter then dunk them in a bowl of powdered sugar. They’re surprisingly easy to make and especially fun for kids!
This recipe was originally published in 2013 and continues to be a favorite when we’re looking for a fun breakfast treat!
Do you make doughnuts at home? If you’re a homemade donut beginner, this recipe is a wonderful starting point because you don’t need to fry them and you don’t need a special donut pan. If you have a donut pan and are looking for more recipes, try these baked cinnamon sugar donuts or these baked maple glazed donuts. And if you’re looking for a fried doughnut recipe, I encourage you to try these homemade glazed doughnuts made with a soft and buttery yeasted dough.
Mini Powdered Sugar Donut Muffin Details
- Flavor: Lightly spiced with cinnamon and flavored with vanilla, these two-bite muffins are buttery and sweet like most traditional cake-style donuts.
- Texture: Unlike light and airy yeasted donuts, these baked donut muffins are cakey and slightly dense and definitely require a cup of coffee or milk to help wash it all down!
- Ease: Preparing the batter is a breeze—it comes together in just 1 bowl and an electric mixer makes the process even more effortless. Spoon the batter into a greased mini muffin pan and after the muffins have slightly cooled, dip in butter and powdered sugar. Because of its ease, this recipe most definitely fits under the beginner baking recipes category.
- Time: Set aside about 45 minutes to make this fun breakfast treat.
Overview: How to Make Mini Powdered Sugar Donut Muffins
Like my favorite infinitely adaptable muffin recipe, these mini donut muffins have a creamed butter and sugar base for the batter. Let me walk you through the steps so you know what to expect when it’s your turn to try the recipe. The full printable recipe is below.
- Preheat the oven. You’ll also need to prepare your mini muffin pan by greasing it. If you’re shopping for a mini muffin pan, I use and love (affiliate links) this one and this one. (Bonus: You can use it to make chocolate donut holes, too!)
- Make the batter. You need 9 basic baking ingredients including butter, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and milk. Feel free to use white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose (not regular whole wheat because that makes the donuts too heavy). And you can really use any milk such as dairy or nondairy like almond, soy, or oat.
- Spoon batter into pan. Use a regular spoon to transfer batter into each greased muffin well. By filling each only about 2/3 full with batter, you’ll get 24 mini donut muffins.
- Bake. Since they’re so small, the mini donut muffins cook pretty quickly. Keep a close eye on them after 11 minutes and once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, they’re done. Mine usually take 13 minutes.
- Coat them. As the muffins slightly cool, get your topping ready. Each muffin gets a quick dip in melted butter then a heavy dunk in powdered sugar. Use a medium bowl for the powdered sugar because this step can get messy in a small bowl. For an extra sprinkle, use a (affiliate link) fine mesh sieve to dust more powdered sugar on each. If you love cinnamon coated donuts, add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the powdered sugar.
Expect a thick batter:
Are These Donuts or Are These Muffins?
Both. I guess we could call them Monuts or Duffins. Ha! Whatever you call them, you can enjoy two breakfast recipe favorites by making cake-style donuts in a mini muffin pan.
Can I Make These in a Donut Pan?
Absolutely. If you have a donut pan, you can use this batter to make about 10 regular baked powdered sugar donuts. I also have a recipe for powdered sugar donuts in one of my cookbooks, but this version is a little cakier and yields more.
Can I Make These in a Regular Muffin Pan?
Yes. While this recipe instructs bakers to use a mini muffin pan, you can certainly use a standard 12-count muffin pan for larger donut muffins instead. This batter is similar to these Nutella cinnamon sugar muffins, so the baking instructions are the same. But I encourage you to use a mini muffin pan because the small size means every bite has plenty of powdered sugar coating!
Mini Powdered Sugar Donut Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 mini muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These mini powdered sugar donut muffins are dense cake-style donuts baked in a mini muffin pan. After baking, lightly dip the warm mini donut muffins in melted butter then dunk them in a bowl of powdered sugar. They’re surprisingly easy to make and especially fun for kids!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (5 Tablespoons; 72g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature*
Coating
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until creamy and combined, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat again as needed to combine. (Mixture may appear curdled– that’s ok.) Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Beat on low speed and with the mixer running, slowly pour in the milk and beat on low until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon batter into mini muffin wells filling 2/3 full.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or when lightly poked, the donut muffin bounces back. Remove from the oven and cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes.
- As the donut muffins cool, prepare the topping. Melt butter in a heatproof bowl in the microwave or melt over low heat on the stove. Pour the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Lightly dunk a muffin (they can still be warm at this point) in the melted butter. Submerge in the confectioners’ sugar to coat the surface generously. Set upright on cooling rack and repeat with remaining donut muffins.
- Donut muffins taste best eaten on the same day. Cover leftover donuts and store at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: It’s best to freeze the donut muffins before coating in butter and confectioners’ sugar. After cooling completely, place donut muffins in a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before coating. If needed, you can freeze after coating the donut muffins but the confectioners’ sugar coating may get a little moist as they thaw.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Mini Muffin Pan (this one or this one) | Fine Mesh Sieve
- Flour: You can use white whole wheat flour in this recipe instead of all-purpose flour. I do not recommend using regular whole wheat flour.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or non dairy, in this recipe.
- Can I Make These in a Donut Pan? Absolutely. If you have a regular donut pan, you can use this batter to make about 10 regular baked powdered sugar donuts. Fill donut pan wells 2/3 full with batter. The bake time is similar to the mini donut muffins or even a little shorter. Keep your eye on them. If the surface bounces back when lightly poked with your finger, they’re done. I also have a recipe for powdered sugar donuts in one of my cookbooks, but this version is a little cakier and yields more.
- Can I Make These in a Regular Muffin Pan? Yes, you can use a standard 12-count muffin pan for to make 10 donut muffins. Follow these instructions: Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Do not use muffin liners because these will stick. Spoon batter to fill each muffin well. Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Continue with the recipe above.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Confectioners’ sugar and powdered sugar are used interchangeably in recipes and are mostly the same thing, however confectioners’ sugar typically contains a little starch to prevent it from caking. You can use either in this recipe.
Keywords: mini powdered sugar donut muffins
Sally, these are amazing! I’ve made them a few times but have a curious question. I have zero issues using AP flour but how do you think cake flour would do? I’ve been using so many of your recipes and my cakes have turned out amazing when you suggest cake flour so just wondering.
Hi LC! I think it would make the donut holes even lighter-tasting. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing though! Let me know if you try it.
Omg these were awesome. Followed recipe exactly and I used my small cookies scoop slightly over filled and after coating them all the first time I had some 10x left in the bowl so I gave them all another roll in it. The few I had left over the next day were still nice and powdery. My husband loves those mini donuts from the store but these stole his heart. I told him this is what they are supposed to taste like, fresh and homemade. Thx again Sally
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Hello again,
My second time leaving a comment. I wanted to ask how the mini donuts turned out so nicely shaped. Mine looked the same as yours prebaked, but afterwards, they became mini muffins. I overlooked the instruction to use a regular spoon. Thank you for the quick and easy recipe.
Going back to your recipe, I must have overlooked your instruction on using a regular spoon, so, I will be making these again. Thank you for the quick and easy recipe.
j.chu
Hi Joyce, the shape will depend on the exact shape of your mini muffin pan. The tops are rounded and the bottoms are mini muffin shaped. Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Sally, I made these muffin donuts today and they came out perfectly, thanks so much for this recipe it’s truly a winner.Thanks so much.
My husband loves these powdered sugar donuts. I have been looking for a recipe for them for a long time that I thought I could accomplish. thank you so much.
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These are fantastic!
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Super quick and easy to put together, and the whole family loves them. The texture is a good cake-donut texture. I made them yesterday afternoon, and while the sugar isn’t as powdery this morning, the leftovers are still tasty.
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Can I dip the donuts into something else besides for butter when coating them at the end?
Hi Lea! Butter is really best for flavor and works great to help the sugar stick.
I couldn’t find any good nearby donut shops and I was looking for a recipe to make a baked donut versus fried. These hit the spot. I made half powdered and half with cinammon sugar
Hi Sally! I wanted to let you know that I just made your donuts and they are so delicious!
Your instructions were so easy to follow and it took no time to whip these up and now my husband and I are enjoying them with a cup of coffee ! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!
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My daughter made these tonight and they were delicious! Substituted freshly grated nutmeg for the cinnamon, to give them a traditional cake doughnut taste. Looking forward to leftovers for breakfast.
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Hello Sally. I love your baking blog! When I click on print, is there an option to allow the text of the recipe to take up less space? This donut recipe is 3 pages. I like to put my recipes in a page protector and it’s so nice when it only fills up one page.
Hi CC, Yes you have options! On the print page there is a button on the top that says “options.” You can change the font size to be smaller, uncheck any of the boxes so that it prints without images, notes, etc. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally, could these be made in a donut pan instead of mini muffin pan? My donut pan makes small donuts so thinking it would work and could be baked for same time.
Hi Gail, absolutely! Just keep a close eye on them to ensure they don’t over bake.
Hi! Can I use oil instead of butter?
Hi Sari, We haven’t tested it but you may be able to use coconut oil. You want to make sure it’s solid so that you can cream it with the sugar.
I just madeThese and they were absolutely delicious. I have a hard time sticking to a recipe and I cut out about an eighth of a cup of flour and used an eighth of a cup of cocoa powder to make chocolate donut holes. They turned out wonderful I’ll be using this recipe and mixing it up for an upcoming brunch baby shower for my daughter. One thing you do have to watch out for is the timing they cook very fast! Thank you Sally
These were a big hit with everyone. Easy to make. Thank you for a great recipe.
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Can gluten free flour be substituted for the all purpose flour?
Hi Marcia, we haven’t tested these donut muffins with gluten free flour so we’re unsure of the results. But let us know if you do.
So easy and delicious! Perfect snow day treat!
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As a college student, this recipe is great when I want to make something quick and easy to share with others! However, it can be hard keeping them on hand throughout a busy week. Is is possible to freeze them? If so, I long do you think they’ll last in the freezer? Thanks!
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Hi Ashlyn! So glad to read you enjoy these. See recipe for freezing instructions. For some reason, they were not displaying the other day.
Just made these and they are divine! So hard to eat just one. The perfect size too. Instantly become a favorite in my house and a recipe I’ll be keeping.
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Sally, I made these donuts tonight, I had to be the first to try, they are delicious taste like a gourmet bakery, the only thing that I had to do was make them in a regular muffin pan I will be buying a mini muffin pan tomorrow, the only other thing is that some of my friends and neighbors have to wait for the next batch because right now their are not enough to go around lol. Thank you again for another great recipe I am so glad I saw this one today.
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Made these for the first time this morning and they were a huge hit with my kiddos!
We made them in our mini muffin tin, so they were the perfect size for little hands.
Thanks for sharing this recipe; 100% will be making these, again! *Next time I’m going to try doing some cinnamon/sugar ones and chocolate iced, as well.
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I tried this recipe yesterday and I absolutely LOVED it! Thank you Sally for this delicious recipe again! My whole family enjoyed them.
I definitely will be making them again in the future.
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Sally, just a quick question, my mini muffin pan is in storage (we’re moving) is it possible to do these on a baking sheet or will they spread?
Thanks, your biggest fan!!!!
Hi Michele, unfortunately you’ll need the structure from a mini muffin pan for these. Best to wait until you have the pan to give these a try!
Hi Sally. These donut muffins turned out great! The Love’s Bakery donettes here in Hawaii has been discontinued and my husband wanted them so I found your recipe and gave it a try. He said it’s very similar and very good. I made powdered sugar ones, cinnamon sugar ones and some I dipped the top in ganache. I will be making them again.
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Sally I made these this morning and they were too die for!!! Thank you for such a delicious recipe!!!
Used a regular sized muffin pan and baked for 12 minutes. Made 9 muffins. A little hard to put butter and powdered sugar on. Ended up tasting amazing!! definitely using again!! Thanks!
I just made these and they were so delicious that you just can’t have one! Great baked treat to have for the christmas holiday. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Sally, what would you suggest as a dairy replacement for the butter? Shortnening?
Hi Ally, we haven’t tested a dairy free version of this recipe. We’d try a plant-based butter rather than shortening. Let us know if you give it a try!
I made these this morning and they were so good! The whole family loved them! Thanks for sharing.