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This maple baked donut recipe gives you donuts smothered in a lip-smacking maple glaze, then topped with toasted pecans. The perfect pairing for your morning coffee.
This donut recipe is bittersweet. In theory, not in flavor. Since I’m always touting apple cider over pumpkin spice, my original hope was to whip up some apple cider donuts with a lip-smacking apple cider glaze. But no matter how I whipped it, mixed it, or reduced it, I couldn’t get a strong cider flavor to come through; I tossed three different glaze and icing attempts into the trash! It was a fun day ;) But I can’t be too disappointed. Because as a result, we’ve got this maple baked donut recipe to enjoy. And they’re sprinkled with toasted pecans. WE WIN.
My good friend Anna, being the baking pro that she is, was the first person to introduce me to baked donuts. I went bonkers over them. I made my very first batch last winter (eggnog donuts, anyone?) and was pretty tickled with the result.
The donuts.
My comfort zone with baking doesn’t typically expand past cookies—like these glorious shortbread cookies. But baking donuts is a cinch, even though the batter can seem fussy. It’s always recommended to slop your batter into a large plastic freezer bag and pipe it into the donut pan. And it’s upon piping it into the pan that I find the texture to be a bit ugly. I’m never convinced that these tacky and gluey rings are going to transform into beautiful fluffy donuts! But then they do. So, don’t feel discouraged when you’re piping the batter into your donut pan and it seems fickle; it comes together in the end. Then, you celebrate with donuts and coffee. Or tea. Or hot cider. Whatever you fancy.
The glaze.
And then there’s the iced glaze. It’s just too good. Legit maple syrup from Quebec, of course. I reduced the maple syrup, whisked in some butter, then slowly whisked in some powdered sugar. This resulted in a creamy drizzle-friendly but totally dunk-worthy maple glaze.
The thought of sprinkling toasted pecans over these gems to finish them off sort of speaks for itself. I mean, why wouldn’t we do that. But if there are nut allergies, or you simply don’t like pecans, skip that part. You’ll still love them :)
Away from the table…
I need to tell you about Bee Seasonal Honey. Because they’re honey is ~everything! The founders are passionate about sustainably harvested honey, socially engaged beekeepers, and the range of characteristics varying honeys from different places can offer. This shows in their final product. I’ve been using their honey in recipes, both savory and sweet, and I had to put them on your radar.
Currently wide-eyed over this Instagram account. I don’t even know how this fellow creates such majestic bakes.
As far as reads go, I’m bouncing back and forth between Becoming by Michelle Obama and The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. Multitasking! Have you read either of these books? What are you reading right now?
I hope everyone is having a fantastic week :) My fingers are crossed for some gloomy weather this weekend. I want to curl up in jogging pants and be cozy. Without the sun peeking through the blinds letting me know I’m being a hermit ;)
Follow me on Instagram and tag @killing__thyme so I can see your KT creations!
Deeply Delicious Maple Baked Donut Recipe
Equipment
- Donut pan
Ingredients
Maple Baked Donuts.
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or any other unrefined sugar)
- 2 TBSP pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 TBSP butter, melted
- 2 tsp maple extract
Maple Glaze.
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 TBSP butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Garnish.
- 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans (you could also use walnuts)
Instructions
Maple Baked Donuts.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease your donut pan with a bit of butter and set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk the egg, brown sugar, maple syrup, milk, Greek yogurt, melted butter, and maple extract together until cohesive and smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and gently stir the ingredients until just combined. You don't want to overmix the batter. A few visible streaks of flour is fine.
- Carefully spoon the donut batter into a large plastic freezer bag. Snip one corner of the bag about 1-inch and slowly pipe the batter into your donut pan. Fill each donut mold about 3/4 of the way. The batter may seem sticky, but it's ok. If any of the donuts look uneven, use your finger to gently move the batter around to even things out.
- Place the donut pans in the oven for 7-9 minutes, or until the batter is set and the edges are lightly browned. (Mine were ready at 7 minutes, but it depends on your oven.) Let the donuts cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to fully cool. Then move onto the glaze.
Maple Glaze.
- Pour 1/2 cup of maple syrup into a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat and let it bubble, whisking often, until the syrup has reduced to half. Once reduced, bring the heat to low and drop the butter into the saucepan. Whisk until the butter has completely melted.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and very slowly and gradually shake the powdered sugar into the saucepan, whisking constantly. A thick glaze will form. Set aside to cool.
- Once the glaze has cooled, check on the thickness of it. You want a consistency that will drizzle. If it's too thick, whisk in a TBSP of water at a time until you get the consistency you want.
- Once the donuts are cooled, one by one, dip them into the glaze to cover the top halves with a nice coating. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over top.
Storage.
- Store the donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for two days. If you plan on having them last longer, store them in the refrigerator and give them a quick zap in the microwave (5-10 second increments so you don't end up with a maple-glazed mess) to freshen them up.
Notes
Recipe adapted from here.
