Baked Whole Grain Donuts Recipe

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These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

This post has been sponsored by PAM® Spray Pump. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

When I set out to bake a whole grain donut, I kind of thought I might end up with something bread-y in the shape of a donut that I’d feel pretty good about feeding my kids. Something simply passable. I never expected to actually land on a donut recipe that my family absolutely couldn’t live without–which is exactly what happened! This recipe has 2 cups of whole wheat flour and more than a cup of unsweetened applesauce, and I’ve never seen my kids and husband enjoy any homemade donut I’ve ever made as much as they did this one. Cross my heart, you guys.

And after one bite, I could see why! This donut is hearty, hefty, and substantial (which I expected). But somehow, it’s also really soft and has a moist, tender crumb (which I did not expect). Even though it’s dense, it doesn’t feel heavy or cumbersome when you bite into it. And it’s the perfect vessel for my simple maple glaze which adds the perfect little touch of something sweet on top, keeping the flavors balanced just so.

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

I’ve got a secret weapon when it comes to these Baked Whole Grain Donuts!

NEW PAM Pump Cooking Spray Canola Oil is an invaluable tool when it comes to making home-baked donuts for two very important reasons:

First (and probably most obvious): PAM Pump Spray keeps your donuts from sticking to the donut pan. Any home donut-baker will tell you that their number one frustration is getting the donuts to come out of the pan without sticking! Spraying the donut pan with PAM before baking ensures an easy release when it’s time to get them out.

Second: PAM helps you achieve that “bakery taste” in a baked donut. How? By generously spraying your donut pan with PAM before baking, the outside of the donuts gets a light crisp similar to the outside of a fried donut. But so much better, because…baked. Woot!

#YouPAMDoIt

Available in Canola or Olive Oil – Pump Spray 

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

A FEW THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

  • You can eat these plain if you want. They are very good warm and fresh out of the oven. You could also coat them in cinnamon sugar, which is always an ahhhhh-mazing option for baked donuts. Me? I’m a glazed girl. So I’m including a recipe for a simple maple glaze below, and it is absolutely heaven on top of these whole grain donuts.
  • I don’t recommend storing these in an airtight container. They’re prone to sogginess, because of all the applesauce! Instead, keep them on a plate on the counter and cover them with a kitchen towel. Trust me…they won’t last long enough for leftovers to be a problem anyway!
  • If you don’t own a donut pan…don’t worry! You can bake these as mini muffin “donut holes” instead. Adjust the baking time to approximately 10 minutes, and just keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t get too brown.

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

Baked Whole Grain Donuts with Maple Glaze

These Baked Whole Grain Donuts have a rich, nutty flavor with a hearty texture that stays soft and delicious. Add a simple maple glaze to take these to another level!

Ingredients

FOR THE DONUTS

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • dash of nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup + 6 tbsp applesauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE MAPLE GLAZE

  • 1½ powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup + additional if needed for consistency

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

  1. Whisk together the whole wheat flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla.
  3. Add the egg mixture and the coconut oil to the dry ingredients. Gently mix until batter forms (it's okay if it's thick and lumpy). Pour batter into a large piping bag (I usually use a gallon sized zip top bag).
  4. Generously and thoroughly grease a donut baking tin with the NEW PAM Pump Cooking Spray. Snip the corner of the bag and pipe the batter into the tins, filling each about ¾ full.
  5. Bake for 15-18 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let donuts cool in pan for about 10 minutes, until pan is cool enough to handle. Invert donuts onto a wire rack for complete cooling.

GLAZE 'EM.

  1. Whisk together the powered sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Dip each donut in the glaze and place on a cooling rack to allow excess to drip off.
  2. Store loosely covered.
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