Peanut butter baked donuts are a delicious, easy breakfast treat and they're perfect for starting your day off on a sweet note! Skip the messy fryer and pop these doughnuts into the oven for a healthier alternative! Finish them off with a tasty peanut butter icing, and your family will be hooked!
Begin by preheating the oven to 425°F (218°C) and lightly greasing your donut pans or mini-donut pans.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), cream together the sugar and creamy peanut butter until smooth. Then, add in the eggs (already beaten), baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until all of the ingredients are well distributed and combined.
¾ cup sugar, ½ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon salt
Next, add the all-purpose flour and milk into the mixture of wet ingredients, making sure to alternate between them and adding each in gradual amounts. You want to make sure that all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, but make sure to not overmix it once everything is combined (*see note).
2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup milk
Pour, spoon, or pipe the donut batter into the prepared donut pans. Ensure that you are only filling each cavity about ⅔ of the way full so that the donuts have room to rise.
Once the oven has finished preheating, transfer the filled donut pans onto the center rack and bake at 425°F (218°C) for 8-10 minutes (*see note).
When the donuts are done baking, remove the pans from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. Then, flip them onto a wire cooling rack.
Peanut Butter Icing
In a small mixing bowl combine the creamy peanut butter and milk until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar in small portions until you reach your desired consistency. Start with about ½ a cup of sugar, adding 1-2 tablespoons as needed and mixing until smooth.
Once the icing clings to your spoon and drizzles freely (like maple syrup), taste, and add salt if needed to offset the sweetness.
1 pinch salt
Dip the cooled peanut butter baked donuts top down into the peanut butter icing, then lift away and allow the excess icing to drip away. Flip and place back onto your wire cooling rack to set. Repeat until all of your donuts are iced.
Notes
As soon as all of your ingredients have been thoroughly combined, stop mixing. If you over-mix the batter, your donuts could turn out tough or chewy!
You'll know your donuts are finished baking when they have risen and the edges are lightly browned.
Don't overbake your donuts as they can easily become dried out. Use a toothpick to check the center of the donut, ideally, you want a few crumbs so stick to the toothpick when removed!
To store: These baked donuts do not need to be refrigerated. You can place them into a storage bag or Tupperware and keep them at room temperature for a maximum of 2 days.
To freeze: Allow your baked donuts to cool completely before storing them, and leave off the icing. Place them into a freezer-safe bag and freeze them for a maximum of 6 months. You can defrost them in the microwave at half-power before adding your icing.