Because sometimes you just crave peanut butter….Peanut Butter Donuts. Moist, fluffy Peanut Butter Donuts….baked in the oven and featuring hints of warm cinnamon, sweet vanilla and, of course, peanut butter. Finished with sweet chocolate ganache and fun, fall colored mini Reese’s Pieces.
ABOUT BAKED DONUTS
I love classic yeast donuts, but I make cake donuts when I don’t have time to clean up a mess. The batter comes together like a cake batter and the donuts have more of a cupcake texture than a classic donut texture.
HEALTHIER
Like other baked donuts these Peanut Butter Baked Donuts are healthier than traditional fried donuts. They baked rather than fried and the recipe only contains 2 tablespoons of butter.
MORE BAKED DONUT RECIPES
This is my fourth recipe for cake donuts! Clearly I love baked donuts 🙂 It all started with these ultra tender, chocolatey Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Cake Donuts. For a lemony, fruity donut, definitely try these Lemon Blueberry Donuts. Another yummy baked donut recipe are these Baked Banana Donuts (also covered in the same rich chocolate ganache as these Peanut Butter Donuts!)
PEANUT BUTTER FLAVOR
I wasn’t exactly planning on making another donut recipe right now, but once I got the idea for peanut butter donuts, I could not get it out of my head-epecially when I thought about adding Reese’s Pieces! Not only are they peanut buttery, they also have like the BEST fall colors!
In addition to baked donuts, I’m definitely addicted to peanut butter treats too such as these Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies made with a peanut buttery dough loaded with mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips! I also can’t talk about peanut butter without mentioning my Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches with Peanut Butter Buttercream!
While I love how special my peanut butter donuts are, I definitely have these Peanut Butter Baked Donuts by Breakfast Drama Queen and this Peanut Butter Glazed Chocolate Donuts Recipe from Crunchy Creamy Sweet on my list of must try peanut butter donuts!!
HOW TO MAKE BAKED DONUTS?
To make baked donuts, you’ll need a donut pan. My donut pans make six donuts each, so I have two pans. It just makes it easier to bake them all at once using two pans! Make sure to grease your pans well with butter. Nonstick spray also works, but I prefer the extra flavor the butter adds.
Making the donut batter only takes a few minutes. The batter will be quite thick and filling the pans can be messy with a spoon. I find the easiest way to neatly and evenly in the pan is by filling a piping bag or zip lock bag and snipping off a corner. Fill the donut pans with batter. Bake 9-11 minutes then let them cool before adding the glaze and Reese’s Pieces.
EASY CHOCOLATE GANACHE
I can attest to the fact that these donuts are delicious plain! That said, everything is more delicious with a chocolate glaze. This glaze is super simple and very similar to the rich, sweet ganache is from my Boston cream pie cupcake recipe. The only difference was that I used dark chocolate chips instead of semi sweet and I added a little vanilla and a pinch of salt.
To make the ganache, or chocolate glaze, simply pour hot heavy cream over a bowl of chocolate chips. Let it sit for three minutes then stir til smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
DONUT TOPPINGS
Let the ganache cool slightly then dip each donut upside down into the ganache. This will give the donuts the most delicious chocolate glaze tops! Set the fresly glazed donuts on a cooling rack.
The glaze will also act like a glue for whatever you choose to sprinkle on top. Being that it’s October, I couldn’t resist topping mine with Reese’s Pieces. I had planned on chopping them up, but used these mini sized Reese’s instead. Orange sprinkles would also work really well as a topping!
These baked Peanut Butter Donuts are made with simple ingredients and are super easy to make. The cinnamon, vanilla and peanut butter make these donuts super flavorful! Delicious even without ganache yet made more decadent and fun with rich chocolate ganache and mini Reese’s Pieces. If there ever was a perfect fall donut (besides pumpkin donuts), these would be my chocice!
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Peanut Butter Donuts
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 12 donuts 1x
- Category: Desserts, Donuts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These baked Peanut Butter Donuts are easy enough to make any day of the week! Moist, tender and delicious, they’re flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and, of course, peanut butter! Topped with a rich chocolate ganache and mini Reese’s Pieces!
Ingredients
- 2 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark
- 2/3 cups peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 cup sour creamÂ
- 2 large eggs
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
- 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of saltÂ
FOR THE TOPPING
- Reese’s Pieces, chopped or mini Reese’s Pieces
Instructions
FOR THE DONUTS
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease donut pans well with butter (preferable- for flavor) or nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a medium sized bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the peanut butter with the sugars until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla, the sour cream, and butter. Add the dry ingredients alternatively with the milk and blend until just combined.Â
- Use a piping bag or zip lock bag or spoon to fill the dough into the molds evenly. Molds will be just about full.Â
- Bake 9-10 minutes until toothpick comes out dry or edges are lightly browned. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes then remove from pan and let donuts cool completely on wire rack.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
- Place the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan on low heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil then pour over the chocolate chips. Do not stir.
- Allow to sit for 2 minutes then stir till smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Allow to cool slightly before using.
TO DECORATE THE DONUTS
- Dip the cooled donuts in the glaze or drizzle the glaze over top. Set the donuts glaze side up on a cooling rack set over a sheet of parchment or wax paper to catch any drips. Decorate with Reese’s Pieces. Allow glaze to set or enjoy right away!
Keywords: donuts, doughnuts, baked donuts, chocolate, ganache, peanut butter, cinnamon, reese’s pieces