Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts (Printable version)

Soft, fluffy baked donuts with a sweet cinnamon-sugar coating—ideal for a quick, delightful treat.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 3/4 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar)
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Coating

11 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
12 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
13 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a donut pan.
02 - Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
03 - Whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla in a separate bowl until smooth.
04 - Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir gently until just blended; avoid overmixing.
05 - Spoon or pipe batter into prepared pan cavities, filling each about three-quarters full.
06 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until donuts spring back when pressed lightly.
07 - Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
08 - Mix sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Brush each warm donut with melted butter, then coat thoroughly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
09 - Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These bake in minutes, not fry, so your kitchen stays clean and your hands don't smell like oil for days.
  • One bowl of batter makes a dozen donuts, so you get that bakery magic without the time commitment.
  • The warm cinnamon coating is addictive, and somehow it tastes even better than the deep-fried versions you're craving.
02 -
  • Overmixing is the quickest way to tough donuts—it's not like cake where you want everything smooth; here, a few lumps mean tender crumbs.
  • Timing matters on the coating: if the donuts cool too much, the butter won't stick and the sugar slides right off.
  • The 375°F temperature is the sweet spot; higher and they brown too fast outside while staying raw inside.
03 -
  • Room-temperature eggs and buttermilk mix more evenly, but truly, straight-from-the-fridge works fine—this isn't a temperamental recipe.
  • If your donut pan is dark or nonstick, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees so the bottoms don't overbake.
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