Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

Rating: 3.76 stars
681 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 186
  • 4 star values: 240
  • 3 star values: 178
  • 2 star values: 57
  • 1 star values: 20

These Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins capture the essence of doughnuts with their cakelike interior and sugar-coated exterior. Flavored with pumpkin puree, they take on the feel of fall.

Everyday Food, November 2010

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary test

prep:
20 mins
total:
1 hr
Yield:
Makes 12
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Ingredients

For the batter
For the sugar coating

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups. Make batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture, and beat to combine.

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  • Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, brush all over with butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

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Reviews (37)

681 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 186
  • 4 star values: 240
  • 3 star values: 178
  • 2 star values: 57
  • 1 star values: 20
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5.0 stars
01/20/2020
These muffins are amazing. So flavorful. Everyone loved them. They really do resemble doughnuts in their texture but better. I did not have enough cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating on the outside of the muffins so I used pumpkin spice instead. I will definitely be making these again.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
10/14/2019
Love pumpkin muffins and this recipe. Is good
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 3 stars
12/09/2018
Correction needs to be made— says yields 12 muffins but anyone that has ever made muffins should know that much flour makes MORE than 12. Sure enough, after filling 12 muffins, I had enough left over to make a small loaf. This recipe probably makes 18-24 muffins.
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Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
11/22/2017
These are best fresh out of the oven. We have these every thanksgiving morning!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
01/24/2016
Omigoodness, I love these...The texture is so perfect.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
11/21/2014
Based on the empty basket after showing up to work with these, I'd say this recipe is a keeper. Its a great recipe for Fall and would be great for breakfast on the morning of Thanksgiving. I love sweet potato so I am going to try making them with that instead of pumpkin puree next time.
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Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
11/21/2014
I needed a quick & easy recipe to make to share before Fall Break, I came across this one. Encouraged by the many good reviews, I decided to make it myself. I made two batches and it yielded 36 muffins total (18 per batch). I didn't have a brush at home so I had to do a dunk and dip method but they came out just fine. I took them to work to share and within an hour all of them were gone. I baked them fresh in the morning before work so everyone enjoyed them hot and fresh for breakfast w/coffee.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/27/2013
I made a triple batch of these for a Thanksgiving luncheon and everyone adored them. The muffins are very cake-y, but not overly sweet, and the cinnamon-sugar coating is just perfect. I didn't alter the recipe at all, and found that they baked in about 23 minutes in a regular muffin tin. I think they'd start to dry out if there were in any longer than that. I'm actually thinking about making these with whole wheat flour (and skipping the sugar coating) as a breakfast muffin for the kids.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
11/13/2013
I made these for my wife to take to the office. I don't own a fancy blender like they use in the demo video -- I rarely bake so it's not worth it to me to buy one. I mixed everything by hand and it worked out just fine. These are really good muffins. I have no sweet tooth and even I thought they were delicious.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
10/25/2013
I have just finished a batch of these and they are AMAZING!! I used a large 1/3 cup ice cream scoop to fill my cup cake tin and I got 18 muffins.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
10/05/2013
Just made these for the first time today, it won't be the last! I used mini muffin pans and decreased the time to just about 17 minutes. What a simple, delicious recipe. Thanks again to the gang at Martha Stewart!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
03/14/2013
This is a delicious recipe! I've given out the recipe a few times! You won't be sorry!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
01/31/2013
I have made these a few times, with mouth-watering results! I think about these muffins more than any other I make, and I have to make them once I get them on my mind! The cakey-doughnuty texture just makes me so happy...Enjoy!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/26/2012
I made these on thanksgiving morning to rave reviews. I've been asked to make them again for Christmas.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/23/2012
I made these last year around Thanksgiving and they were delicious! Everyone in my house loved them, and the recipe is at the top of my list to make again this year.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/23/2012
I made these last year around Thanksgiving and they were delicious! Everyone in my house loved them, and the recipe is at the top of my list to make again this year.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/03/2012
pumpkin muffin
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 1 stars
10/16/2012
I followed the directions exactly, and even watched the video, but these muffins turned out horribly! Once out of the oven, the tops immediately dropped and flattened. The were also burnt on the outsides, but the batter wasn't cooked all the way on the inside. Needless to say, they were sadly thrown out.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
10/14/2012
Just made these today and turned out great--even though I used tablespoons instead of teaspoons for baking soda and baking powder.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
03/20/2012
I am not a big fan of Martha Stewart, she complicates recipes IMO, but this recipe looks good, I'll just have to simplify it a bit.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
12/23/2011
Addictive!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
12/21/2011
I don't know why there are negative reviews. These tasted just like donuts! My husband said to never make them again as he couldn't stop eating them. I had that problem also. The kids loved them also. Making them for Christmas as an added desert.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/17/2011
These were delicious!!! They are very moist and I love the added sugar/cinnamon 2.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/09/2011
My family loves these muffins. I must admit I did add about 1/4 cup more pumpkin and reapplied the sugar coating three days after first application. They turned out great and went fast in our house.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/06/2011
As I was preparing this recipe, I read a few of the negative reviews and decided to make a few adjustments. Instead of allspice, I used cinnamon and I doubled the amount. I also increased the brown sugar by a half a cup. Because this is a doughnut muffin, I didn’t expect it to be as sweet and moist as a muffin. However, if you have a sweet tooth or just want to try something different, spread with a bit of cream cheese frosting from Martha’s Carrot Cake Cookie recipe.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
10/30/2011
I guess I overreacted to my muffins. My husband just ate them and said they were delicious. I guess I tried them when they were too hot and they tasted pastey to me. Now they taste better, but they do need extra flavoring in the batter, very bland if you dont use the cinnamon/sugar dredge.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
10/30/2011
Made these muffins today and they came out awful. Very dry and floury tasting. Not sure what I did wrong if anything. Followed the recipe exactly, only used egg whites instead. They would be totally tasteless without the cinnamon/sugar. Seems like there is too much flour in the recipe. It says 12 muffins and I got about 16. Won't make these again...
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
10/28/2011
I have to agree with many of the other reviewers who felt that the mix was a bit bland. I even added a little bit more allspice & nutmeg than the recipe called for, but it still wasn't enough for me. Next time I may double the amount of allspice & nutmeg, or add some cinnamon directly to the mix instead of just the coating. But the consistency came out nice. I also used a mini muffin pan (because I like bite-size snacks!) and it cut the baking time down to about 15 mins.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
10/28/2011
My kids and I made this recipe before work/ school this morning. It was so easy, and tasted delish! They had a blast helping to coat the muffins with butter and sugar. My co-workers were in awe over how moist the muffin was, and how crunchy the sugar stayed despite eating them almost 2 hours later. This recipe is a success!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
10/20/2011
These little muffins were a HIT!!! I was amazed at how much they really tasted like cake doughnuts. Kids loved them. Will make again for sure.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
09/22/2011
Definitely very doughtnut like. Next time I'd add more spice into the batter and maybe some chocolate chips. They are a touch blan. Also definitely need the cinnamon sugar on top at least!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: 5 stars
09/21/2011
Yummy! I love doughnuts - so this is a great substitute! I made them using my mini-muffin pan and was able to cut the bake time down to about 12 minutes and get about 5 1/2 dozen little guys. I just dipped the tops in the butter than the sugar mixture. I froze half the batch and gobbled up the rest!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
01/24/2011
These came out wonderful! I actually made a mistake and used to whole sticks of butter, probably why they came out so good! Also, just used Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of allspice and nutmeg.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
12/24/2010
Just made these for the family and they ate them up! Really, really yummy! There is a local pumpkin farm that makes pumpkin doughnuts and I crave them. These really put those cravings to rest! Definitely something to eat hot. I didn't have any to try cold...which is a good sign! YUMMY and very, very easy. Must try! Thank you for the recipe!
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/27/2010
I made these muffins, followed the recipe to the letter and they came out horribly, I was so disappointed. They were completely dry, were very thick and no flavor in the muffin. Not sure what went wrong, I read the recipe over and over, truly not sure what went wrong.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/21/2010
I thought these muffins were just perfect. The batter is very thick but don't be put off by that. They bake wonderfully and, once buttered and tossed with the cinnamon sugar, are simply delicious. They are wonderfully dense and moist and I thought the flavor was very nice - exactly what I expected - and though it wouldn't hurt to try pumpkin pie spice or ground ginger, I think it would compete too much with the cinnamon sugar coating.
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/21/2010
I too saw these on the Today show and wanted to give them a try. I went to the Today Show website for the recipe, and the method for prepration is sadly lacking and you know how you get a feeling that somethings not right? Well, they're in the oven with too much butter and sugar. Won't trust the Today show recipe site again. This one looks right. Those will be a "new" muffin. :0(
Martha Stewart Member
Rating: Unrated
11/21/2010
Martha was on the Today Show yesterday and prepared these during her segment. So, I thought I'd give them a try. I love anything pumpkin so I had high hopes. These were very easy, quick to make and they came out looking rustic and beautiful. My disappointment was that the muffin itself tasted bland...the only real flavor came from the cinammon/sugar coating. If I make these again, I'll add some pumpkin pie spice for more flare.
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