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These baked donuts have a sweet cinnamon and sugar topping and a powdered sugar glaze, just like your favorite cinnamon roll recipe!
Is it weird to have food dreams?
There is this ridiculous pudding recipe that I developed in my sleep. I haven’t tested it while awake, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be fabulous. I mean, it’s pudding. What’s not to love?
Drinks? I mix drinks like a professional in my sleep. During the day? Not so much. I’ve never been very good at playing bartender, but it’s fun to dream about!
These donuts? I dreamed them. And then I ate the heck out of them.
It’s a good thing that calories don’t count while you’re dreaming. Then again, wouldn’t it be awesome if you could just dream exercise? I’d have plenty of time for cardio, weights, and whatever other stupid sweaty things I’m supposed to be doing!
But, let’s stop talking about that. Let’s focus on the donuts.
You’ll need a donut pan for this recipe, but they’re less than $10 and they are so much fun! I use mine weekly and my kids LOVE it! Check below for links to more donut recipes that will help you put that pan to good use!
I started with my usual base recipe, but then livened things up a bit with this cinnamon topping I spotted over at Top With Cinnamon. From there I whipped up a thick, sweet, two ingredient glaze that knocks my socks off. Powdered sugar glazes are so easy, but they’re so pretty when you make them extra thick and creamy. And my word, nothing is easier!
These cinnamon roll baked donuts made for a quick and simple breakfast. Definitely easier than kneading dough and waiting for it to rise! Did I mention they were even tastier than the ones I ate in my dreams? Because they totally were.
Not quite as calorie-free though, unfortunately. Guess it’s back to the stupid sweaty things I’m supposed to be doing when I eat donuts. Darn it.
Cinnamon Roll Baked Donuts
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tablespoons buttermilk or regular milk with a teaspoon of white vinegar added
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil
For the cinnamon topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons heavy cream
Instructions
- To make the cinnamon topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the cinnamon, brown sugar, milk, and cornstarch.
- Heat just until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the cinnamon topping evenly into each well of your well greased donut pan.
- To make the donuts. reheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a donut pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter milk, egg, and oil.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
- Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the donut pan over the cinnamon topping and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Some of the cinnamon topping will likely be left in your donut pan, but a good portion of it will have transferred to your donuts.
- Cool donuts before glazing.
- To make the glaze. whisk together the powdered sugar and cream until smooth. Spoon into a baggie and cut off a small corner of the bag. Pipe the glaze onto the donuts.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
If you like this baked donut recipe, you’ll love my others! I have a whole section on this site that will put your donut pan to good use! Go check out all of my baked donut recipes (and some fried donuts, too!)
This post contains affiliate links.
TheKitchyn says
The BEST and most simple donut recipe we have tried!
Karly says
Awesome!
Michael brown says
My hips love these
Fantastic donuts
Barbara Fozard says
Like other reviewers, the topping was liquid , even after baking! But it slid right out of the pan – even with Out greasing! (My donut pan is coated). But I turned the pan over on a sprayed piece of foil and left it a minute – like an upside down cake. The glaze was also very runny, so I added more powdered sugar and had a TON left over! I followed the recipe to a “t.” The main point is that they ARE delicious! Very cinnamony and not overly sweet!
April says
I just made these, and everything tastes great! However, I am making a note on my Pinterest pin to bake these for 15 minutes AND put the donut pan on foil-lined cookie sheet. Not sure if I have a smaller donut pan, maybe other people’s are deeper than mine, but the topping bubbled up over the sides and dripped into my oven. It was a bit of a mess, but I know how to avoid it next time–foil-lined cookie sheet and a well-greased donut pan (as it states in recipe). But once they came out, most of them looked really nice and tasted great.
Linda T says
I just made these this morning. Mine were not a pretty but darn they tasted awesome. Hubby had to stop himself at 2 so our sons could try them. Next Time I will pipe the batter into the pan but otherwise I will follow the recipe exactly.
Karly says
Glad to hear they were a hit!
PML says
We made these today and followed the directions to a T. They turned out NOTHING like the photo. It took over 20 minutes prep time before they went in the oven. The needed to bake for 15 minutes before they were done. Most of the topping was left in a gel-like substance in the pan when we took them out. The glaze was very runny. Overall my kids loved them because you can’t go wrong with sugar and butter and more sugar. Haha!
Karly says
Hi there!
I’m sorry this one didn’t turn out for you. Everyone cooks at different speeds, so I try my best with the prep times, but I tend to be pretty quick in the kitchen so I can’t always guess how long it will take everyone else.
As for the topping, it’s normal for a lot of it to be left in the muffin tin, as stated in the recipe. The donuts should have soaked up a lot of it though.
As for the bake time, I’m not sure why that would be. I make this donut recipe all the time and 10 minutes is perfect in my oven.
Anyway, I’m sorry you had problems but happy the kiddos still enjoyed them! 🙂
Rosula says
Use apple cider vinegar..and if you use too much butter and don’t follow the directions…it’s all GUUUD.
Thrifty DIY Diva says
These looked so good that I had to share your post in my National Donut Day roundup! Thank you so much!!
Jonelle says
Very quickly this site will be famous amid all blogging people, due to it’s pleasant articles
Autumn says
Do you think it will work on a baking sheet or do you need to have a donut pan?
Karly says
@Autumn,
These won’t work on a baking sheet, but you could turn them into muffins if you don’t want to purchase a donut pan. Just watch your baking time as it will probably need adjusted.
Stephanie M. says
So we just made these at my house and they are DELICIOUS!!! They taste just like cinnamon rolls! And they’re so much easier to make. I think whenever I’m craving a cinnamon roll from now on I’ll just make these instead!
Morgan says
Just made em but made a big mistake. Grabbed the baking powder instead of cornstarch. Big mess all over my pan. 🙁 My house smells good tho!
Karly says
Haha! Hope they still turned out okay!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
You made me buy a donut plan, thank you!
Denise says
Yes, I have food dreams as well. I am such a foodie, these donuts look divine.
sara says
These are amazing! All my colleagues loved them when I brought them to work. I posted them on my blog today with a link back here! Thanks for such a fun and delicious idea!