These glazed buttermilk doughnut muffins have that soft, cakey old-fashioned doughnut texture I love ~ no frying required.
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If you love an old-fashioned cake doughnut, these are for you. The buttermilk gives the muffins that soft, tender crumb, and the glaze sets up sweet and slightly crackly on top. You get all the best parts of a glazed doughnut in a much easier muffin.
➡ My doughnut themed bakes are a big deal here in the Great Island kitchen and this little muffins started it all off. If you like this idea you need to try my Glazed Old Fashioned Doughnut Cake too!
What makes a doughnut muffin taste like a doughnut?
➡ Buttermilk does more than add moisture. Its acidity helps create a soft, tender crumb with that slight tang you get in an old-fashioned cake doughnut. It works with the baking soda to give the muffins a nice rise, too.
➡ Nutmeg is one of those background flavors you may not consciously notice, but you’d miss it if it weren’t there. It’s a classic flavor in all doughnuts and gives these muffins that unmistakable doughnut-shop taste. I love to grate mine fresh ~ the aroma is incredible.
Muffin glazing technique
These muffins rise beautifully with high domed tops, which gives you plenty of surface area for the glaze. I dip them twice for a nice thick coating.
- Make sure your muffins are completely cool before glazing.
- Put the glaze into a small deep bowl.
- Dip the muffin top down into the bowl and lift straight up.
- Let the excess glaze drip off and then set on a rack to dry.
- You can give them a second dip for a richer glaze.
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Glazed Buttermilk Doughnut Muffins
Equipment
- muffin pan
- paper muffin liners
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoons ground nutmeg, or more, to taste (I used freshly grated)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk, you can use regular milk
glaze
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Cream the butter, oil and sugars together. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla. Beat well.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together, and add them, alternately with the buttermilk, to the butter and eggs. Begin and end with the dry ingredients.
- Grease your muffin tin and fill the cups. They will be full.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t over bake.
- Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely on a rack before glazing.
- Dip the cooled muffins, top down, into the glaze, swirling it around a bit to insure you get a good coating. Set them back on the rack. After you’ve dipped all the muffins, go around and dip them a second time.
- To make the glaze, heat the milk in a small saucepan and then, off the heat, add the extract and sugar, whisking into a smooth glaze.
Nutrition
More doughnut inspired breakfast treats
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Pumpkin Churro Doughnuts with Warm Chocolate Sauce!
Pumpkin churro doughnuts are baked to perfection and dunked in thick warm chocolate dipping sauce ~ who needs a PSL?
Apple Cider Doughnut Muffins
These Apple Cider Doughnut Muffins are here for you when you just can’t wait another second for Fall. They’re soft and tender inside, with that classic cider doughnut cinnamon sugar crust…so good!
Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Pumpkin doughnut muffins are pillowy little pumpkin spice muffins coated in a crisp cinnamon sugar crust. This pumpkin doughnut remix is the best thing to happen to Fall since the PSL!
Glazed Chocolate Doughnut Cake
Glazed Chocolate Doughnut Cake is a moist chocolate buttermilk bundt topped with that perfect sweet glaze that crackles when you bite into it!
This was a great recipe. I added glaze to the bottom of the muffins and they reminded me of donut sticks! Next time I will try baking them in a mini loaf pan and cover them with glaze.
You have to try my Glazed Old Fashioned Doughnut Cake
Does this glaze harden? I bake for our outdoor coffee group every Sunday and it will be easier to pass around and eat with a hardened glaze.
PS love Madison – our daughter and son in law are moving back in Sept – can’t wait to go to the best farmers market again when we visit!
Yes, the glaze hardens. It doesn’t get literally hard, but it’s firm and not sticky. Hope to see you at a future farmers market!!
Hi. I love your recipes. Cant wait to try these. I was wondering can oat flour (as in your donut bundt cake) can be substituted for some of the regular flour here ? If so, how much ? We love the donut bundt cake but I didn’t have enough oat flour on hand … thanks !!
I would say you could substitute up to a cup of oat flour here Stephie.
Thank you for responding so quickly !!
These rock!
Just found this today via a link from facebook and made them immediately. Hubby and I don’t care for Dunkin nor cake donuts usually but these were great muffins. Thanks so much for satisfying our sweet tooth.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Joan!
Made them
This morning. Absolutely delightful. Halved the batch and dipped tops in salted kerrygold melted butter before glazing. Also added one shake of cinnnamon to glaze and a teaspoon of strawberry jam just to be weird.
You’ve just made my mouth water 😉
I made these last year. My advice, don’t! Could not stop eating them. If you like cake donuts, you will devour these. Great recipe and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing. Wonderful as always
Sue, these are just so gorgeous!
I should definitely say I’m impressed with your blog. These are amazing!
i got addicted to dunkin donuts when i lived in ny, but they’re so few and far between down here in va–we’re talking serious withdrawal! love this idea for muffins, sue.
There are always donuts in our house. This muffin version looks to die for!