Baked Spiced Brown Sugar Donuts
These Baked Spiced Brown Sugar Donuts are packed with all those lovely and cozy fall spices, making them the perfect treat for fall! Not only are these spiced donuts delicious, but they’re incredibly easy to make and don’t require any fancy equipment or a lot of elbow grease! After the Baked Brown Sugar Donuts are baked and cooled they are glazed with a velvety, super flavorful butter maple glaze!
MAKING THE BAKED spiced brown sugar donuts
1.Mix wet ingredients together: In a large mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, melted butter, brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, then whisk together until well-combined.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together: In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and the spices. Whisk them together until well incorporated.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet: Carefully pour the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients, then mix together, until the mixture is just combined and smooth. Don’t overbeat!
4. Pipe batter into donut pans: Add the batter into a large piping bag, and pipe the batter into the donut pans. Fill each donut cavity about 1/2 full.
5. Bake: Place into the oven to bake for about 11 minutes. When they are done, they should be springy on the top and a tooth pick should come out clean.
6. Cool the spiced brown sugar Donuts: Place baked spiced brown sugar donuts onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely.
7. Glaze: When cooled, dip each donut in the maple glaze and sprinkle with crushed pecans!
PLACE Baked Spiced Brown Sugar Donuts INTO A PIPING BAG FOR UNIFORM DONUTS
By far, the easiest way to transfer the Baked Spiced Brown Sugar Donut batter into the donut pans is by using a piping bag!. I find that I get the best control over the size of the donuts, ensuring that they are all unison in size, and bake evenly. It’s also just a whole lot cleaner of a process. However, feel free to spoon the donut batter into the pans as well.
The Maple Glaze
The pièce de resistance for the donuts is by far the buttery, sweet maple glaze! This maple glaze is made on the stove top by melting together brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, cream, maple extract, and vanilla. After the mixture is basically fully combined and no longer grainy, you pour in the confectioners sugar, then whisk together! The heat of the glaze will allow the confectioners sugar to seamlessly dissolve into the glaze, making it super creamy and velvety smooth!
To pecan or not to pecan
I made these baked spiced brown sugar donuts with a crushed pecan garnish that is sprinkled over top of the maple glaze. I found the creamy, nutty flavor of the pecans lends itself really well to the other spicy, warm flavors of the donuts. The crushed pecans also add a nice textural contrast to the donuts by adding a lovely crunch! However, if you do not like pecans or are allergic, these donuts are equally delicious without the pecans
If choosing to use pecans, make sure you chop or crush the pecans well before using them! I like to add them to a tough plastic bag and smash them with the smooth side of a meat mallet until I get the desired size. When sprinkling the pecans onto the donuts, it is crucial that you sprinkle the pecans on immediately after you dip each donut. Glazes made with confectioners sugar set and dry almost immediately. Therefore you need to work quickly after each dip to get the pecans to adhere!
Get the Recipe: Baked Spiced Brown Sugar Donuts
Ingredients
Baked Spiced Brown Sugar Donuts
- 240 g (8.5oz) All Purpose Flour,, about 2 cups measured volumetrically
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Allspice
- 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/8 tsp Cardamom
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Yolk
- 1 ½ cups Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 ¼ cups Buttermilk
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, melted
- 2 tsp Vanilla
Butter Maple Glaze
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 3 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 4 tsp Maple Extract
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 3-4 cups Sifted Confectioners Sugar, (360-480g)
- 1 cup Pecans,, chopped or crushed
Equipment
- donut pans
Instructions
Baked Spiced Brown Sugar Donuts
- Preheat oven 350°F Prep 4 donut pans with baking spray. In a large mixing bowl, add the egg, egg yolk, brown sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla, whisk together until well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger, and cardamom. Whisk them together until well incorporated.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients, then mix together, until the mixture is just combined and smooth.
- Add the batter into a large piping bag, and pipe the batter into the donut pans. Fill each donut cavity about 1/2 full. Bang the donut pans onto the counter to even out the batter.
- Place into the oven to bake for about 11 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature before glazing.
Maple Glaze
- Place butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup into a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until brown sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Remove from heat, then add in the heavy cream, maple extract, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Add confectioners sugar until thick glaze consistency is achieved. Dip donuts, one by one, into maple glaze, then immediately sprinkle with crushed pecans (if using). Allow glaze to set completely before enjoying.
