My favourite donuts are those ones filled with jam, with a thick coating of cinnamon sugar that sticks to your fingers and lips, and gives a crunch when you bite into the soft donut. When I want that in a hurry, I make these Jam-filled Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins. Muffins are always a winner and for so many reasons. They are super speedy and super easy to make – just two bowls, a muffin tin – nothing fancy or difficult.
If you’re a muffin lover like me, you’ll also love these Caramel Apple Muffins and these Carrot Cake Muffins.
A batch of cinnamon sugar muffins on a black cooling rack on a marble surface Muffins are a little like easier, smaller cakes – perfectly portioned for one and, while I love my frosting, it just doesn’t have a place on muffins IMO (unless it’s just a light icing drizzle like my coffee cake muffins). These easy muffins taste just like donuts but are lighter and no need to deep-fry.

How to make cinnamon sugar donut muffins

Two bowls - one showing dry ingredients, the other showing the wet ingredients added for muffin batter

  1. These cinnamon sugar muffins start with a simple cinnamon muffin batter that you can make in roughly 10 minutes or less. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, whisk the wet in another, then combine them (images 1&2)

Filling a grey muffin tin with muffin batter with jam in the centre.

  1. Fill muffin tin holes, nearly halfway with the batter, then add your favourite jam and top it with more batter (images 3&4). That’s right, the jam is baked inside so there is no messing around with trying to pipe jam in after they’re baked.

Two images showing brushing a muffin with melted butter then rolling it in cinnamon sugar

  1. Brush them with a little butter – I don’t dunk them in butter so they don’t soak it all in, just brush it over the outside – then roll them in a mix of white granulated sugar and cinnamon (images 5&6).
These muffins are glorious when eaten still warm (given just long enough for the molten lava jam to cool slightly) and this is definitely the best way to enjoy them. They will keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature in an airtight container, if you have any left, and stay relatively fluffy too. Feel free to give them a 5 second pep up in the microwave before you eat them too. Try these easy baked donuts – Cinnamon Baked Cake Donuts and Baked Strawberry Doughnuts

A batch of cinnamon sugar muffins on a black wire rack on a marble surface. One is broken in half showing the jam centre.

Tips and tricks for cinnamon muffins

  • Measure your ingredients properly as too much or not enough of anything can change the results. Weighing, using kitchen scales, is best but you can also spoon the ingredients into cup measures and level off with a knife. Never scoop.
  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately before combining. This helps everything incorporate evenly.
  • Grease your pan well or use muffin papers in your tin. I like to just grease the pan, so the muffins are sealed all around when you brush on the butter.
  • All ovens vary, so check them 1-2 minutes before the time is up.
  • Let them cool for about 10 minutes in the tin before trying to remove them – this helps them release a little easier.
  • Remove them from the pan with care as they can break open if you’re too rough. If they aren’t coming away from the sides easily, run a flexible plastic knife around the edge to help.
  • It helps to make more cinnamon sugar than the recipe calls for so that you can easily roll the muffins through it.

Variations and Substitutions

  • Jam: use any flavour jam you like or even swap it for Nutella or peanut butter.
  • Miniature muffins: you can make mini muffins in a mini muffin tin using this muffin recipe. It will make about 36 muffins though so feel free to halve the recipe and bake them for only 9 minutes. To fit more jam in, leave it out before baking and instead cut a hole in the top of the muffin and fill it with jam at the end.

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Two cinnamon sugar muffins stacked with other muffins around, on a marble bench top So are you craving cinnamon sugar donuts in muffin form yet? I know I am and since they’re so quick to make, I might just go and make another batch right now.

More muffin recipes you’ll love

More delicious cinnamon recipes

 

A batch of cinnamon sugar muffins on a black cooling rack on a marble surface.

Jam-filled Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
5 from 9 ratings
These Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins taste like a jam donut but are as easy to make as muffins. Soft, cinnamon sugar muffins made from scratch, filled with raspberry jam, made in 30 minutes.
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Ingredients

FOR THE BATTER

  • 295 g plain (all-purp) flour (2 ¼ cups / 10.4oz)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup white granulated sugar (150g / 5.3oz)
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • ¾ cup milk, room temp (180ml)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (125ml)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup raspberry jam

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 57 g unsalted butter, melted (¼ cup / ½ stick)
  • ⅓ cup white granulated sugar (66g / 2.3oz)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • PREP: Preheat the oven to 200C / 375F / 180C fan forced. Generously grease a standard 12 hole muffin tin, or line with muffin liners.
  • DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar until thoroughly combined.
  • WET INGREDIENTS: Whisk the eggs together until frothy on top. Add the milk, oil and vanilla and whisk thoroughly to combine.
  • COMBINE INGREDIENTS: Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a spatula until just combined.
  • ASSEMBLE: Spoon a 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup, then make a small well in the centre of each. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of jam to each well, then top with batter right up to the top
  • BAKE: Bake for roughly 15-16 minutes - a toothpick should come out clean. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes.
  • TO COAT: Brush the muffins with the 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then roll the muffins in the mix to coat.

Notes

  1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equivalent to 4 teaspoons worldwide)
  2. For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
  3. All ovens vary – always test for doneness 1-3 minutes before the recipe suggest
  4. It helps to make more cinnamon sugar than the recipe calls for so that you can easily roll the muffins through it.
For more muffins and cakes, click here
Calories: 313kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Morning Tea, Sweets
Cuisine: American, World
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.

A batch of cinnamon sugar muffins on a black cooling rack on a marble surface