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Made these tonight. Fabulous recipe! Easy! Delicious! They came out absolutely perfect. Thank you!
Hellooo gingerbread mini donuts.
Hellooo gingerbread scents.
Hellooo Justin Beiber Christmas album. What?
Remember when I told you that this frosting was my life? I wasn’t lying.Ā And good news!Ā I’ve made it acceptable to eat it for breakfast.Ā A soft, warm, spicy donut with smooth frosting?Ā That’s a whole lot of pre-holiday cheer.
And the good news doesn’t stop there. Today there’s a giveaway for a mini-donut pan on Pinch of Yum’s Facebook page! Go.get.it.now.
Because seriously, this is the best possible thing you could whip up in 15 minutes (no, seriously) for your holiday company, and you need a mini-donut pan to do it.
Don’t have holiday company? Me either. And I’m just sayin, I’ve never had a problem with too many leftover mini-donuts.
If you’re all in on the donut train right now like me, there’s more to see! I love these Chocolate Glazed Donuts and these Cinnamon Sugar Donut Balls (or mini donuts!). SO GOOD.
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Baked Gingerbread Mini Donuts
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
These Baked Gingerbread Mini Donuts are so easy and will make your whole house smell like Christmas.
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 1 cup flour (I used white whole wheat)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- pinch of allspice
- pinch of cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
For the glaze
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- For the donuts, preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients.
- Stir in moist ingredients. Pour batter into a gallon-sized plastic bag and cut the corner off. Pipe the batter into a greased mini-donut pan, filling each donut space about 1/2 full (for me, this was about 22 mini donuts). Bake for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and take each donut out of the pan.
- For the glaze, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for about 2 minutes. Add maple syrup and 1 tablespoon milk and bring back to a boil. Add powdered sugar, using the last tablespoon of milk to help thin out the frosting if needed. Keep over low heat (otherwise it will start to crystallize) and dunk each mini donut into the frosting. Frosting should set almost immediately.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: baked mini donuts, gingerbread mini donuts, mini donuts recipe
PS. I just had an incredible vision: early morning Black Friday insanity shopping, hearing the sweet sounds of Bieber Christmas at the mall, followed by pajamas and a heaping plate of at least 8 warm baked gingerbread mini donuts.
Wait – even better vision: shopping online in my pajamas, listening to my Bieber Christmas Pandora station, while eating at least 10 mini donuts and simultaneously donating to my favorite cause in the world. That’s for real, friendz! Check it out.
What would the cooking time be to make full size donuts?
Great question! We haven’t tested out a full-size donut version, so we’d recommend cooking 7-8 minutes, and then adding on 1-2 minutes at a time if needed.
I know this is the wrong time of year to be commenting on ‘gingerbread mini donuts’, but, can these be made in a mini electric donut maker??
We made these for breakfast last weekend, and they are AMAZING! I didn’t have a mini donut pan, so we just used regular size- they came out great. So simple, only a few dishes, and quick. š They are the perfect texture, have great flavor, and the glaze was soooo good. Even my husband (not a donut fan!) loved them and asked me to make them again. I’m pretty sure 75% of my recipes/meals come from your website. š
So glad to hear you enjoyed these donuts, Shelbi!
How would you make these with gluten free flour? They look too good to pass up!
We haven’t tried making these gluten free yet, but we think using gluten free flour should work here. š
I made this and did not get 22 donuts. what size pan did you use? I used a mini donut that makes 6 at time.
Hi, Lui! We don’t remember the size of the pan here, but we’re thinking it might help to fill them a little bit less full. We filled them with only about 1-2 tablespoons of batter and were able to get 22 mini donuts.
If I used a regular size donut pan, how long would I leave them in for?!
i made this over the weekend and yes i did it. thank you so much for the recipe
Sorry to say not much flavor in the donut but saved by the glaze. I tried twice with my new spices but no better. Also batter is more like dough so it doesnāt pour into bag.
My donut pan is between a regular size donut and a mini. I found the batter to be too thick so I added a bit more milk and was able to pipe it into the pan. Baked for 13 minutes. The donuts are nice and light. I think I may roll them in a sugar and spice mixture next time.
Can these be made a few days ahead? Thinking of making these for Christmas Eve celebration, but would like to make them ahead.
Have you made a batch when you mentioned substituting the applesauce with butter?
Can you substitute the white whole wheat flour with just white flour?
Yes, should be fine!
Would you recommend an ingredient as an alternative to the applesauce? I would love to make them for a friend but she’s not allowed apples.
You could use butter or oil!
I really want to make this recipe but is there any way to incorporate molasses into the batter? Can I substitute the applesauce for molasses?
Hi, Maria! I wouldn’t omit the applesauce completely, but maybe use scant 1/4 c applesauce and scant 1/4 c brown sugar if you’re planning to add in molasses. I wouldn’t use much more then 1/4 c molasses because it is a strong flavor.
I just made theses and they are delicious! I substituted 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour and added 2 TB of milk. Icing was the perfect touch!
These look amazing! Although I only have a large baking pan and I’m notorious for screwing these things up. What do you think the baking time difference would be? Thanks!
I would just start with the regular time and then watch it for 2-3 minute intervals until it’s done. š