Cinnamon Roll Donuts

I've been on a bit of a cinnamon kick lately. I really wanted to make (and eat) cinnamon rolls, but I do not get up before the sun. So, instead, I made these donuts. And they may even be BETTER than cinnamon rolls. A buttermilk donut is swirled with cinnamon sugar then baked in a sauce of brown sugar and cinnamon, then finished off with a delicious icing.

I took these to work to share, and they were gone in a matter of minutes.

And I can foresee that I'll be making them over and over again.

Start by making the cinnamon topping. The donuts are going to bake IN the topping, so you'll turn them upside down eventually. But for now, melt the butter over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan, then add the cinnamon and brown sugar,

milk and cornstarch.

Heat and stir until the mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Grease a donut pan well, then spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture into each donut well.

For the donut batter, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a measuring cup, combing the buttermilk, egg, vanilla and oil.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry,

and stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon the batter into the donut wells.

You'll probably have extra cinnamon sugar topping mixture, so dollop that on top of the donut batter, and swirl lightly to incorporate it. Bake the donuts for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the donut comes out clean. Let the donuts sit in the pan for a couple minutes, then take care to remove them from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack. I used a table knife to loosen the donuts from the edge of the pan. Because of the stickiness of the topping, you'll probably get a few pieces stuck, but that's ok. (you can just eat those! ha!)

(If you are doubling the recipe but only have one donut pan, you'll need to wash your pan before baking the second batch. Otherwise, the cinnamon sugar mixture that is left in the pan will burn. The cinnamon sugar mixture comes easily out of the pan if you let it sit in soapy water for a few minutes.)

While the donuts cool, make the glaze by whisking together the milk and powdered sugar. When the donuts are cool, drizzle the glaze over the donuts.

I like to put a cookie sheet under the wire rack to catch all the drips.

If you're not serving these on the day you make them (or even if you are!) they are absolutely wonderful warmed up briefly in a toaster oven! They are also quite delicious at room temperature. Just make them already.

One year ago: Pepper Poppers
Two years ago: Chocolate Banana Cake
Three years ago: Sesame Pork Tenderloin
Four years ago: Southwestern Pot Pie

Find more great stuff at Cast Party Wednesday, Whatcha Whipped Up, What's Cooking, Wednesday Extravaganza, Wicked Good Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday's Treasures, Foodie Friday, Food on Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Foodie Friday (#2).

Cinnamon Roll Donuts

Donuts:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil

Cinnamon topping:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
5 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. milk
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla

Glaze:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk

To make the cinnamon topping:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the cinnamon, brown sugar, milk, and cornstarch. Heat just until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour about 1 Tbsp. of the cinnamon topping evenly into each well of a greased donut pan.

To make the donuts:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. In a measuring cup, stir together the butter milk, egg, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the donut pan over the cinnamon topping. Use any leftover cinnamon mixture to dollop over the donut dough and lightly swirl in to the batter.

Bake at 325 for 10-14 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through. (A toothpick should come out clean.) Let the donuts cool in the pan for a few minutes and then carefully transfer them to a wire rack. (Running a table knife around the edges should help them loosen from the pan.)

To make the glaze:
Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the donuts once they have cooled. Makes 6 donuts.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Buns in My Oven