Baked Gingerbread Donuts

User Reviews

5.0

3 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    15 mins

  • Cook Time

    15 mins

  • Servings

    12

  • Calories

    288 kcal

  • Course

    Dessert

  • Cuisine

    American

Baked Gingerbread Donuts

🎄🍩 EASY baked donuts that remind me of my favorite gingerbread or molasses cookies, but in soft and fluffy donut form! Loaded with warming spices, molasses, and coated in cinnamon-sugar for the ultimate winning flavor and texture combo! No mixer needed, ready in 30 minutes, and perfect for holiday brunches, entertaining, or Christmas morning!

I Made This!

Be the first!

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

Donuts

  • 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • cup light brown sugar packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup molasses (mild to medium molasses recommended; I do not advise blackstrap because it's very pungent and potent for baking)
  • ¼ cup applesauce
  • 3 tablespoons full fat sour cream (full fat Greek yogurt may be substituted)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, at room temp preferred
  • 1 cup milk (at room temp preferred, 2% or whole recommended, or a thicker plant-based milk like cashew milk may be substituted)

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating (optional, but highly recommended)

  • ⅓ to ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Add to Shopping List

Instructions

  1. Donuts - Preheat oven to 375F and spray two 6-count donut pans with cooking spray; set aside. (Wondering if you can make mini donuts using mini donut pans? See the FAQs)
  2. To a large bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, salt, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and whisk well to combine. Set aside. Spice Notes and Tips - If you want to make the overall flavor bolder in the finished donuts, you can increase the spices that are listed as 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp. If you don't have ALL the spices, but you do have cinnamon and allspice, you can keep the cinnamon amount the same at 1 1/2 tsp and then simply use 1 1/2 to 2 tsp allspice rather than using all the individual spices.
  3. To a separate large bowl, add the melted butter, sugars, molasses, applesauce, sour cream or Greek yogurt (make sure it's Greek yogurt and not other yogurt which is too thin and runny), vanilla, and whisk well to combine.
  4. Add the eggs, milk, and whisk again to combine.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir to combine. Mixing Tips - I find it easiest to actually use a soft-tipped spatula and fold-scrape, fold-scrape, the ingredients to combine them and make sure you don't accidentally miss any dry ingredients on the bottom. In recipes like this, it's easy to do. But if you're using a spatula, you can really scrape and see everything so no bits are hiding and stay dry. Make sure not to overmix after everything has been combined.
  6. At this point, you have one of 3 choices. 1.) If you're a neat cook and can foresee yourself using a small spoon and spooning the batter into the donut molds, that's what you will do. 2.) Otherwise, you can transfer the batter into a gallon-sized ziptop bag OR 3.) into a piping bag fitted with a large, wide, open tip. For me, it prefer the ziptop bag method.
  7. Fill each cavity of the donut mold 3/4 full. Tips - Do not overfill because you'll create quite a mess in the oven when the donuts rise. Wipe any batter blobs and messes using a paper towel that may have fallen around the edges of the pan or onto the center area.
  8. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until donuts are set, soft and springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs. I like to rotate my pans once halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Allow the donuts to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. While they're cooling, make the cinnamon-sugar coating.
  9. Cinnamon-Sugar Coating - You can do this in two ways. 1.) Add the sugar and cinnamon to a shallow bowl, use a small spoon to lightly mix to combine, and add the donuts, one by one, to the bowl. Flip and toss in the cinnamon-sugar until nicely coated, place on a cooling rack, and repeat until all donuts have been coated. You may need to mix up more cinnamon-sugar coating depending on how thick you're coating your donuts. 2.) Alternatively, add the sugar and cinnamon to a new gallon-sized ziptop bag, drop in 3-4 donuts, seal the bag, and shake it around a bit to evenly coat the donuts. Remove the donuts, set on a cooling rack, and repeat the process until all the donuts have been coated. You may need to mix up more cinnamon-sugar coating depending on how thick you're coating your donuts. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Storage: Donuts are always better when served warm and freshly made. They will keep airtight at room temp for up to 2-3 days, but if you're serving them for an event, the closer you can make them to before you're serving them, the better. Note that as they're stored, the cinnamon-sugar coating will tend to "disappear" or seem almost moist, which is really just the sugar liquifying a bit as time passes. You can always re-dredge or re-coat leftover donuts in additional cinnamon-sugar, if desired. I do not recommend storing donuts in the fridge (they'll dry out) or freezing them. 

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 1donut Calories 288kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 45g (15%) Protein 9g (18%) Fat 8g (12%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 162mg (54%) Sodium 245mg (10%) Potassium 241mg (7%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 23g (46%) Vitamin A 361IU (7%) Vitamin C 0.1mg (0%) Calcium 109mg (11%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 288 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 1donut
Calories 288kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 45g 15%
Protein 9g 18%
Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Cholesterol 162mg 54%
Sodium 245mg 10%
Potassium 241mg 5%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 23g 46%
Vitamin A 361IU 7%
Vitamin C 0.1mg 0%
Calcium 109mg 11%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Genuine Reviews

User Reviews

Overall Rating

5.0

3 reviews
Excellent

Write a Review

Drag & drop files here or click to upload
Other Recipes

You'll Also Love

Mochi Donuts (Crispy Outside, Chewy Inside Pon de Ring Donuts)

Asian, Japanese, American
4.9 (363 reviews)

Healthier Gingerbread Donuts

American
5.0 (3 reviews)

Baked Donuts with Lemon Glaze

American
0.0 (0 reviews)

Strawberry Baked Donuts

American
0.0 (0 reviews)

Baked Nutella Donuts

American
5.0 (6 reviews)

Cinnamon Roll Baked Donuts

American
5.0 (18 reviews)

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

American
5.0 (3 reviews)

Fluffernutter Baked Donuts

American
4.5 (12 reviews)

Baked Donuts

American
3.8 (72 reviews)

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

American
4.9 (24 reviews)

Chocolate Chip Baked Donuts Recipe

American
5.0 (3 reviews)

Baked Strawberry Donuts Recipe

American
4.4 (30 reviews)

Baked Samoa Donuts

American
5.0 (9 reviews)