Donuts

Chocolate Donuts with Peanut Butter Glaze

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 10–12 minutes
Total time: about 22 minutes                                     Yields about 12 Donuts 

Easy baked chocolate donuts with peanut butter chips, creamy peanut butter glaze, and chopped peanuts on top. A fun, simple treat for chocolate and peanut butter lovers! Save this recipe to make later.

ingredients 

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• Reese’s peanut butter chips, to taste

Peanut Butter Glaze

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3–4 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a donut pan.
2. Mix the chocolate cake mix, eggs, oil, vanilla, heavy cream and water until smooth. Fold in the Reese’s peanut butter chips.
3. Pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each cavity about ⅔ full. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the donuts spring back when lightly touched. Cool before glazing.
4. Whisk the peanut butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Dip the top of each cooled donut into the glaze, then sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin-Shaped Doughnuts

Prep time: About 30 minutes
Rise time: 1½–2¼ hours
Cook time: About 20 minutes                                               
Makes: 10–12 doughnuts

These fluffy homemade doughnuts are shaped like little pumpkins, fried until golden, and rolled in cinnamon sugar. A pretzel stick or small cinnamon stick makes the finishing touch for a cozy fall treat. 🎃

Ingredients

Dough

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 105–110°F
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon sugar

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For frying and decorating

• Vegetable or canola oil
• Food-safe cotton kitchen twine
• Pretzel sticks or small cinnamon sticks, for stems

Instructions

1. Bloom the yeast. Combine the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the measured ⅓ cup sugar in a small bowl. Let stand for 5–10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Make the dough. Whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, egg, softened butter, and vanilla. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Knead. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. The dough should feel slightly tacky. If it sticks heavily, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Let it rise. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1–1½ hours, until doubled in size.
5. Shape the pumpkins. Divide the dough into 10–12 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Loosely wrap food-safe cotton kitchen twine around each ball to form pumpkin sections. Leave room for the dough to expand, then place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Let them rise again. Cover loosely and let rise for 30–45 minutes, until puffy.
7. Fry. Heat 2–3 inches of oil to 350°F. Fry 2–3 doughnuts at a time for about 1½–2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack for about 1 minute.
8. Finish. Carefully snip and remove all the twine. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl, then roll the warm doughnuts until evenly coated. Insert a pretzel stick or small cinnamon stick into the top of each doughnut for a stem.

Note: These are pumpkin-shaped doughnuts; the dough does not contain pumpkin.