I somehow ended up in a high school that has donuts in the breakroom nearly every Thursday. For many people, that would cause a problem. Not me. Donuts are not my jam and I can almost always skip them. That is, unless they are homemade. Then I am all over those babies. And the combination of cinnamon and sugar? YUM. So when I was inspired to put together a batch of baked cinnamon and sugar donuts, I didn’t think about it twice.
I can’t get over just how light and airy the sponge turns out. And the cinnamon and sugar combination brings me back to my childhood where cinnamon and sugar toast with butter was a special treat. Now we’ve just allowed that childhood classic to grow up a bit.
Ready to get baking? Let’s go!
Your Ingredients for Cinnamon and Sugar Donuts
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
- 2 ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Donut Toppings
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
Your Steps to Cinnamon and Sugar Donuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a regular donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine butter, oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in milk and yogurt. Whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. (Okay, that’s what you should do. But I hate extra dishes…so I refuse.) Add to wet ingredients and stir until fully incorporated.
Divide the batter among 16 donut cavities, filling ¾ of the way full. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until firm to the touch or passes the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the donuts from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
While the donuts finish cooling, melt butter. Combine additional cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl.
When cool, brush finished donuts with butter, one at a time. Dip donuts into the cinnamon and sugar mixture immediately following the butter. Continue until all donuts are covered. Optional: You can do both sides of the donuts, but we found that to be too messy at our house. We like to top just the tops. As we say, “You do you though!”
Tools of the Trade
If you’re baking donuts, you need a wonderful pan. I also LOVE my Pyrex mixing bowls with lids. They can go in the microwave to the counter to the fridge. How perfect!
Other breakfast recommendations
Maybe everyone at your house doesn’t have a sweet tooth and you need some savory inspiration! Here are a few of my favorite breakfast recipes!
Still need more recipes? Check out my baking page!
Cinnamon and Sugar Donuts
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Donut Topping Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a regular donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in milk and yogurt. Whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until fully incorporated.
- Divide the batter among 16 donut cavities, filling ¾ of the way full.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until firm to the touch or passes the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted comes out clean).
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the donuts from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
- While the donuts finish cooling, melt butter. Combine additional cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl.
- When cool, brush finished donuts with butter, one at a time. Dip donuts into the cinnamon and sugar mixture immediately following the butter. Continue until all donuts are covered.
