Gingerbread Baked Donuts
Spiced and covered by a crunchy sugar coating, these doughnuts are the perfect holiday breakfast fare. They're baked, soft, easy to make and out of the oven in 30 minutes. And less messy than regular fried ones.
Servings 12 donuts
Ingredients
Spiced donut batter:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons gingerbread spice mix I use homemade gingerbread mix
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup milk at room temperature
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar coating:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a donut pan with non-stick spray or soft butter.
Donut batter:
- Sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons gingerbread spice mix and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
- Whisk ½ cup brown sugar and 2 large eggs until smooth in a large mixing bowl; don’t beat.
- Add ½ cup milk, ¼ cup molasses, ¼ cup unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until fully combined but don’t overmix.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, don’t overdo it or the donuts will be tough.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity about ¾ full. It’s easier with a piping bag.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Don’t overbake them or they’ll be dry.
- Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and transfer them to a wire rack.
Cinnamon sugar coating:
- Combine ¾ cup granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
- While still warm, brush donuts with ½ cup unsalted butter or dip half of them in it, and roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture. You can dip the whole donut in the butter, but I find it’s too much and makes them too heavy.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Adjust the spice flavor: Use dark molasses and more spices for a deeper gingerbread flavor. Instead of the gingerbread mix, you can use individual ones, omitting the ones you don't like (cloves, in my case). Ground cinnamon and ground ginger are a must, in my opinion, but the rest can be adjusted. I like allspice, for example, but many people don't.
Make ahead batter: mix it, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Let it come to room temperature before baking so it's not chilled.
Freeze the baked donuts: I wrap them individually before adding the sugar coating and place them in an airtight freezer bag or container.
