These lemon sugar-baked donuts are easy to make and are light, refreshing, and delicious way to start off your day! You can even add fresh lemon zest for some extra citrus flavor! Whether you have a special occasion or want to serve them just because, I know everyone will love them!
lemon zest(optional, if you opted for fresh lemon juice)
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Instructions
To get started, preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and lightly grease your donut pans or mini-donut pans.
Add the room temperature butter, oil, sugar, and light brown sugar into a mixing bowl. Using a mixer, cream together the wet ingredients and then add the beaten eggs, baking powder, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Next, add the flour and milk to the mixture of wet ingredients. Make sure to alternate between the two and add each in gradual amounts. Do not overmix your batter, mix it until everything is just combined.
Pour the batter into your prepared donut pans, filling each donut section until it is approximately ⅔ full.
Next, place the filled pans onto the center rack and bake for 8-10 minutes until they are golden on the bottom and you can see the lightly browned edges.
Once baked, remove the donuts and let them rest in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping them out onto a wire cooling rack.
Finally, coat the warm donuts with melted butter and dip them into a shallow bowl or dish of sugar (plus optional lemon zest). Turn to coat all sides then return to your rack to dry and set.
Notes
Zest & juice a whole lemon to add the fresh lemon zest to the sugar coating if desired.
Once the wet and dry ingredients have been combined, just mix until everything is evenly dispersed. Overmixing the batter will lead to tough donuts!
You can spoon the donut batter into your donut pans or mini-donut pans, or transfer the batter into a piping bag or plastic storage bag (and snip the corner).
Baked donuts can dry out easily. If you stick a toothpick into the thickest part of the donut, you want to see a few moist crumbs stuck to the outside when you pull it out.
Brush melted butter onto warm donuts to coat with sugar.
To store: Keep baked donuts in an airtight container or Ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
To freeze: They can be frozen once cooled by placing them in a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeezing the air out (this is best before filling or icing them). Enjoy within 6 months and thaw in the microwave on 50% power.