Pumpkin "Donut" Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar

Welp, it's nearly Halloween and I finally busted out the pumpkin puree.  Yay!  I had seen this recipe for "donuts" pop up on Pinterest and decided I needed to make them.  Only problem was that I did not have a donut pan on hand and I was not about to go out and buy one.  SO I used a regular muffin pan instead, and guess what?  They were still amazing!  I guess you could call these oversized donut holes...but really, they're muffins.  And they are spectacularly delicious.

Recipe via Blue-Eyed Bakers

{For Donuts:}

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoons ground cloves

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

{For Coating:}

1/2 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup sugar

1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (more if you're a cinnamon lover)

Preheat oven 350 F.  Butter a muffin pan and set aside.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices together and set aside.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the mixture and stir until just combined, careful not to over mix.

Using a ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cup with the batter.  The muffin cups should be fairly full, but not overflowing. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until muffins spring back when gently pressed.  Turn muffins out onto a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes.

While the muffins are cooling, melt butter in one bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in another.  When muffins are still hot (but not too hot to touch), quickly dip each muffin in melted butter, then coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Serve immediately.

*Note: If you're not going to serve the muffins immediately, you can bake them up to a day in advance and store them in an airtight container.  Do not coat them in the butter/cinnamon-sugar mixture until just before serving or they may get soggy.

I opted to dip the tops of the muffins in butter and sprinkle with the sugar cinnamon mixture and thought they were perfect just like that.  Serve with a nice cold glass of milk or some warm coffee in the am.  

Hope you enjoy!

xo natasha