BETTER Baked Donuts w/ Gingerbread Glaze

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Forget about the last baked donut recipe I posted.  Delete it.  Unbookmark it.  Unpin it.  Seriously. :)

This is SOOOOOOO much better!!  After much trial and error, I have been able to make a BAKED donut that is soft and light and airy and tasty!!  This one is much less roll like, much more Krispy Kreme donut like.  As for the gingerbread glaze, it is made with cookie butter, from Trader Joe's.  I am still finishing up the jar from the frozen bananas and the macaron filling.  And there might be the fact that the gingerbread flavor just screams "holidays" and "cooler days" in my head...both of which I would love to be here now.

These are really quite easy, makes probably about 18-24, 3" donuts and the holes that go with them.  There is a good amount of sugar and butter though, so rising times may take much longer unless you are using SAF gold yeast for sweet breads.  Don't worry about it, just let them rise until the dough has met whatever stage of rising indicated, no matter if its 45 minutes or 2 hours, it all depends on the conditions and temperature of your kitchen and the yeast you use.  If you want to use the maple glaze from the last donut recipe that you can find here or a different one all together, feel free to leave out the cinnamon and nutmeg.

One last thing:  If you are a cookie butter fanatic like some I know, then just forgo making the glaze and just spread the straight cookie butter right on the warm donuts.  Heaven!

**At the bottom of this recipe I have included the Maple Glaze Recipe for those that don't want, or can't get cookie butter.  The maple glaze is to die for, so you aren't trading down, don't worry.

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Baked Cookie Butter Glazed Donuts


*Note: These little beauties are best made and eaten the same day, preferably warm right from the oven. The great news is that you can make the dough, roll and cut out the doughnuts the night before and let them do their second rising in the fridge, covered. Remove them from the refrigerator and put them on the counter about an hour before baking. I used instant yeast in the recipe. If you only have active dry yeast on hand, proof the yeast with 1/3 cup of the warm milk and the sugar until it is foaming before adding in the rest of the milk and proceeding with the recipe.




*Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 dozen doughnuts/doughnut holes

INGREDIENTS:

Doughnuts:

• 1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (I used soymilk, so sub as needed)

• 1 Tbs. instant yeast

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground  (optional, leave out if doing a different flavored glaze if you don't want competing flavors)

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional, leave out if doing a different flavored glaze if you don't want competing flavors)

• 1 teaspoon salt

Cookie Butter Glaze**:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• milk, soymilk, cream, enough to thin the glaze to desired consistency

• 1/2 cup cookie butter (from Trader Joe's)

Directions:

1. Place the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Add the butter and yogurt. Mix in the eggs, flours, nutmeg (optional), cinnamon (optional), and salt. Beat the dough with the dough hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon and eventually your hands) for 2-3 minutes at medium speed. Adjust the dough texture by adding flour a few tablespoons at a time or more milk. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and be very soft and smooth but still slightly sticky – don’t over flour! Knead the dough for a few minutes (again, by mixer or by hand) and then transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl.  The dough has been kneaded enough when it is quickly poked and the remaining indentation starts to spring back and disappear slightly. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size (the exact time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen). 
2. If you don't have a mixer, this can be done by hand.  Mix all ingredients thoroughly and knead for 5 minutes by hand.
3. Punch down the dough and roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness on a lightly floured counter. Using a doughnut cutter or a 3 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out circles in the dough (I used a 3 inch cutter and a 1 inch cutter). Carefully transfer the circles to a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. Be sure to make the holes large enough that as the doughnuts rise again and bake, they don’t fill in the doughnut hole with the puffiness of the dough. Cover the tray with lightly greased plastic wrap (I did not do this and they still came out fine, your choice). (At this point, you can refrigerate the doughnuts overnight or proceed with the recipe.) Let the doughnuts rise for about another 45 minutes, until they are puffed and nearly doubled. 
4. Bake in a 375 degree F oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Start checking the doughnuts around minute 8. They should still be pale on top, not golden and browned, and just barely baked through.
5. Glaze: Place the cookie butter in a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave 15 seconds until warm and runny.  Mix in the powdered sugar and enough milk to thin the mix to a glaze consistency, fairly thin.
6. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Dip each one in the glaze or sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar. Serve immediately.

**Maple Glaze:

3 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 half and half (I used 2% evaporated milk, worked great)
1 Tbs. real maple syrup
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Maple Glaze: In a medium sauce pan combine the brown sugar and butter and bring to a boil.  Add maple syrup and cook over medium heat for 1 minute until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  Add cream slowly and mix until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and stir until powdered sugar is dissolved and glaze is smooth.  Dip donuts immediately while it is still warm and runny.  If it sets up, heat it again on low heat until it is spreadable.