Moist cinnamon swirl donuts topped with crunchy pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, and finished with a creamy milk glaze.

My husband and I love to shop at Costco, because let’s face it, Costco is awesome. Who wouldn’t want to roam around a giant warehouse with ever-changing merchandise and eat samples to their heart’s content? Not this girl. And don’t even get me started on how good their hotdogs are… One bad thing about being pregnant folks, no hotdogs.

Anyways, at Costco everything is ginormous. Like you can’t just buy a couple steaks, you literally have to take home the whole cow. During our last visit I decided to peruse the cereal isle and see what they had to offer that week. My eyes lit up as I spotted Cinnamon Toast Crunch, quite possibly the greatest cereal ever invented. I hadn’t had it in ages and it sounded so dang delicious.

Again, everything at Costco is huge. So instead of buying a normal size cereal box, I bought a twin, family-sized package the size of my torso.

I wasn’t intimidated by the massive size of the box because I’m an avid cereal eater. By this I mean eat cereal for breakfast every single morning. It’s rare that I branch out and eat anything else. However, after a couple weeks it seemed like I wasn’t even making a dent into my hoard of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

I began trying to think of other ways to use up the cereal. Then I decided I would develop a recipe with it. I can’t recall ever meeting anyone who didn’t like Cinnamon Toast Crunch so I figured creating a dessert with it would be a home run (and these donuts totally are).

I went with donuts because they are a breakfast food, and breakfast foods need to stick together right? Actually I just realized it had been a while since I shared a donut recipe and figured you all were probably missing them just a little. Also donuts are always a good idea, always.

These donuts are so quick and easy to whip up and so beyond tasty.

The only step I think needs a little extra emphasis is creating the swirl. When you swirl in the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture be sure to be extremely light-handed. When you pour the batter into the piping bag it will get a little more mixed anyways. Thus, you want to just barely swirl it in, leaving dark visible streaks. After all what is Cinnamon Toast Crunch without those iconic swirls?

These donuts are baked not fried, which basically makes them a health food (wink, wink). The whole grain cereal is baked right on top adding the perfect “crunch” to every bite. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the milk! These babies have a creamy, smooth, milk drizzle. The ultimate finishing touch.

Whether you are a kid or an adult, I guarantee you will love these donuts. You will probably love them so much you will have to go and buy that humungous box from Costco.

Recipe

*Makes approximately 15 donuts

For the donuts:
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, crushed into pieces (not powder)

For the swirl:
1/4 cup (50 g) dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder (for color)

For the Glaze:
1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a non-stick donut pan.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).

4. Add egg, followed by egg yolk, mixing well after each addition.

5. In a small bowl whisk together milk, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Add this mixture to other wet ingredients and mix well.

6. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

7. In a small bowl, whisk together swirl ingredients. Sprinkle atop donut batter (in mixing bowl. Using a knife, gently and barely swirl mixture into batter, being very careful not to over mix. (There should be visible cinnamon sugar streaks.)

8. Use a piping bag to fill donut cavities just over 1/2 way full. Sprinkle with cereal pieces. Gently press cereal pieces into batter.

9. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

10. Whisk together sifted powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Pour into a piping bag, cut a small hole on the tip, and drizzle over cooled donuts. Allow glaze to harden.