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Bon Appétit

Dirt Bombs

3.9

(573)

Image may contain Food Bread and Bun
Matt Duckor

Like a cinnamon-sugar doughnut in muffin form. You’ve been warned.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients

muffins

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2¼

cups all-purpose flour

2

teaspoons baking powder

1

teaspoon kosher salt

½

teaspoon ground nutmeg

½

cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾

cup sugar

1

large egg

1

cup whole milk

topping and assembly

½

cup sugar

1

teaspoon ground cinnamon

6

tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preparation

  1. Muffins

    Step 1

    Preheat oven to 375°. Coat a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

    Step 2

    Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

    Step 3

    Divide batter among muffin cups and bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 30–35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack.

  2. Topping and Assembly

    Step 4

    Mix sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Working one at a time, dip tops of muffins in melted butter, then cinnamon sugar.

    Step 5

    Do Ahead: Muffins can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories (kcal) 260 Fat (g) 14 Saturated Fat (g) 9 Cholesterol (mg) 55 Carbohydrates (g) 33 Dietary Fiber (g) 0 Total Sugars (g) 17 Protein (g) 3 Sodium (mg) 230
Explore Bon AppétitMuffinPastriesDessertAmericanCinnamonSnackNut-FreeVegetarianBakingBreakfast
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Reviews (573)

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  • The Cottage Street Bakery in Orleans, MA makes Dirt Bombs. Their recipe is in Lora Brody's The Cape Cod Table and they are delicious. The recipe is a bit different, they are dipped two times in the cinnamon and sugar dip. Might be worth a look. I love them when I am on the Cape and now I can have them while I am at home.

    • Anonymous

    • Lafayette, CA

    • 1/27/2022

  • Even better with blueberries!

    • Laura K

    • Baltimore, MD

    • 10/5/2021

  • I am not sure what this is. Something in between a donut (stop complaining about not being a true donut, you saw the recipe calling for baking not frying), cake and muffin. But it does not matter. It is delicious and very easy to make. I used the electric mixer and followed the instructions as opposed to manually mixing. One batch plain, one with vanilla paste - not sure it makes a huge difference. But I agree with lowering time to 28 minutes (at least for my Breville super convection oven). The second batch at lower temperature came fluffier and less dry. Adding this to my list of quick deserts.

    • MB

    • Liberty Lake, WA

    • 9/21/2021

  • Delicious, a few suggestions: use a spoon, no need for an electric mixer. Mix the dry ingredients together, then mix the wet ingredients together (add 1 tsp vanilla, and use neutral oil instead of butter). Mix the wet and dry together, being careful not to overmix. Made like this, these are fluffy and have a delicious donut taste, with the texture of a soft and airy cupcake.

    • Solenne

    • Canada

    • 4/25/2020

  • I love this recipe! They taste great, and are soft and cinammony. This is my second time baking them. We have to have them for brunch because we always forget to do it later so we can eat them the next day. Last time they were soft inside, but extra brown outside. I’m only just starting to bake, but I was told it was because the pan was dark and thirty minutes was too long. This time I’m putting it in for twenty eight minutes. Regardless, this is a delicious treat that I would absolutely make again!😄

    • C8lynb

    • North Carolina

    • 4/18/2020

  • Made these with a few modifications. Melted the butter instead of using softened, added cinnamon and vanilla into the batter. I agree in that these are a bit dry and next time I would use oil. But adding the vanilla and cinnamon definitely added a lot of flavor! Would make again with the oil.

    • Anonymous

    • Los Angeles, CA

    • 3/29/2020

  • Subbed Cup4Cup gluten free flour and regardless of what we want to classify these as, whether doughnuts or muffins or neither, they’re DELISH. They puffed quite a bit and required only about 28 minutes of bake time! Didn’t turn out dry as some other reviews said... definitely making again.

    • k8landryy

    • 3/22/2020