My Powdered Sugar Donut Holes are tiny morsels of happiness waiting to brighten your day. Simply made with basic pantry ingredients in the oven and no frying, this recipe for mini powdered donuts is certain to become a family favorite. Prepare to impress yourself with some culinary wizardry!
Preheat oven: Arrange your oven rack to the middle position. Preheat your oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit for mini muffins and 425-degrees Fahrenheit for standard size muffins. Lightly grease the tins of your muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter and set aside. (Why? Greasing your muffin tin will ensure your muffins release easily. Liners will stick to the donut holes, so I don't recommend using those.)
Cream butter with sugars: In a medium size bowl with a hand-held mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on HIGH speed for 1 minute. Stop and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Then, continue to beat the mixture on high until creamy and smooth, about 2 additional minutes.
Add remaining wet ingredients: Add the eggs (2 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk), yogurt, and the vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat the mixture on MEDIUM speed for 1 minute. Stop and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Continue to beat on medium speed for 1 additional minute, or until combined. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl again before moving on to the next step.
Add leaveners and spices: To the bowl, add the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and cinnamon. Mix on LOW until combined.
Add flour and milk, alternating the two: To the bowl, add half of the flour (1 ½ cups) and mix on LOW to barely combine. Then, add half of the milk (½ cup) and mix again on low to barely combine. Repeat, adding the remaining flour, barely mixing, and adding the remaining milk, before mixing again – but this time mix until the batter until the ingredients are JUST combined. The batter should be thick and relatively lumpy. (Tip: Take care not to over-mix the donut muffin batter. Over-beating will lead to dense, dry muffins. I like to pulse the ingredients together to prevent over-mixing.)
Add batter to prepared muffin pan: Carefully spoon or pour the doughnut muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins. If making mini muffins, fill each about ¾ full. If making standard muffins, fill the cups all the way up to the top, but don’t overflow them.
Bake the muffins according to the instructions below:a. Mini muffins: Transfer the raw donut muffin batter to the oven and bake at 350-degrees Fahrenheit for 11-13 minutes, or until the mini muffins are pale golden in color and a toothpick inserted into the center of a doughnut bit comes out clean.b. Standard muffins: Transfer the raw doughnut muffins to the oven and bake at 425-degrees for 5 minutes. Keeping the oven door closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350-degrees. Continue to the bake muffins at 350-degrees for 14-16 minutes, or until the donut muffins are pale golden in color and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Cool: Remove the donut muffins from the oven and place the muffin pan on a wire rack. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tins.
While doughnut muffins are cooling, prepare the coating: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with cornstarch until thoroughly combined.
Roll powdered sugar: Working with a few donut muffins at a time, submerge and roll the muffin in the powdered sugar mixture. Then, transfer the powdered sugar donut holes to the wire rack, arranging them right side up. Repeat the process with the remaining muffins.
Serve and enjoy: Serve your sugared doughnut muffins warm or at room temperature. Alternatively, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple days.
Notes
Flour: These powdered sugar donut holes are very soft and tender in texture, like a cupcake. If you prefer a traditional denser donut, omit the cake flour, and use 2 2/3 cup All Purpose Flour (321 grams) instead.
Powdered Sugar: Confectioner's sugar has a tendency to disappear from the donut holes during storage. To prevent this, use "no-melt powdered sugar" or "non-melting snow sugar" and follow the storage tip below.
Storage: Line the top and bottom of an airtight container with paper towels before storing leftover donuts. Alternatively, store mini donuts in a cardboard bakery box. A build up of moisture will cause the powdered sugar to "disappear". Lining with paper towels to soak up excess moisture or using a breathable storage box helps prevent this. If the powdered sugar is completely absorbed into the donut hole and looks "naked", just roll it around in the mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch again.
Nutritional information is an estimate based upon 36 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.