Baked Gingerbread Donuts with Maple Glaze
These tender cake-like donuts are full of warm spices, just like gingerbread cookies! The sweet maple glaze complements them beautifully. They’re best if eaten the same day that they’re glazed, but any unglazed leftovers should keep for at least a day or two if stored in an airtight container on the counter (or store that airtight container in the refrigerator to make them last longer!). Place any glazed leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they should keep for at least 2 days.
Ingredients
FOR THE DONUTS
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15mL) molasses
- ¼ cup (48g) Madhava Organic Coconut Sugar
- 3 tbsp (45mL) nonfat milk
FOR THE GLAZE
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 4 tsp Madhava Organic Coconut Sugar
- 1 tbsp (15mL) pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat an electric donut maker. (For a conventional oven and donut pans, see Notes below.)
- To prepare the donuts, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the molasses and coconut sugar. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Transfer the batter to a large zip-topped bag, and snip off one corner.
- Coat the cavities of the donut maker with nonstick cooking spray. Pipe the batter into the cavities, filling each to the rim. Close the lid, and bake for 5-6 minutes, or until barely firm to the touch. Immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool, and repeat with any remaining batter (and recoat the cavities with nonstick cooking spray before adding the remaining batter).
- To prepare the glaze, stir together the yogurt, coconut sugar, and maple syrup in a small bowl until the coconut sugar has dissolved. Dip each donut into the glaze, and return to the wire rack to let the glaze set.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will make your donuts turn out dry and crumbly, rather than soft and cake-like.
IMPORTANT DONUT MAKER NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I like to use my electric donut maker. It requires very little counter space, and even after ten years, it still works like a charm. (Some stores no longer sell mine, but this one is similar!)
IMPORTANT GLAZE NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: You’ll only use about half of the glaze, which is taken into account in the Nutrition Information below. It takes a while for the coconut sugar to dissolve, so keep stirring! The glaze will keep for at least three days (if not longer!) if covered and stored in the refrigerator.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.
MOLASSES NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I don’t recommend substituting anything for the molasses, if at all possible. It’s required to produce the iconic gingerbread-style flavor. Regular unsulphured molasses is best. Do not use blackstrap molasses; it’s too bitter.
However, I understand it can be hard to find molasses outside of the US, so in a pinch, you can substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave. They’ll produce the same donut texture, but keep in mind your donuts will have a noticeably different flavor.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
PURE MAPLE SYRUP ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Substitute your favorite dairy-free milk in place of the nonfat milk. Substitute dairy-free yogurt (ie soy- or almond-based) in place of the Greek yogurt, and reduce the coconut sugar in the glaze to 2 teaspoons to start since many dairy-free yogurt alternatives aren't as thick as Greek yogurt. Add more coconut sugar to the glaze, ¼ teaspoon at a time, until you've reached your desired consistency.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) brown rice flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, and ½ teaspoon (1g) xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one) will work as well, if measured like this.
OVEN METHOD: I love these silicone donut pans. Because they're a bit flimsy, I set them on a metal baking sheet to make it easier to get them in and out of the oven. You can also use metal donut pans, whether the standard-sized kind or miniature ones.
If baking in the oven, the recipe should yield 5-6 donuts in a standard-sized donut pan or 12-14 mini donuts in a mini donut pan. Generously coat the cavities with nonstick cooking spray, and bake at 350°F until the donuts look golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with some crumbs attached.
HOW TO STORE: Glazed donuts are best if eaten the same day that they're glazed, but they'll still keep for at least two days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Unglazed donuts usually last longer!)
If you seal leftover glazed donuts inside of an airtight container and refrigerate them, the glaze occasionally tends to dissolve. Hence why they’re best if served the same day they’re glazed!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, dairy-free option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.