Baked Banana Donuts

Baked Banana Donuts are soft, sweet, lightened-up, and easy to make, with your choice of a decadent chocolate glaze or a coating of cinnamon sugar!

So how are y'all doing with your "Healthy Eating New Year's Resolutions"...still going strong or fallen off the bandwagon? Either way, today I'm bringing you donuts...but since they're Baked Banana Donuts, they're at least a little less guilt-inducing than those fried rings of deliciousness from the donut shop.?

Why Bake Donuts?

My kids are big fans of baked donuts. I mean, they're actually big fans of ANY donuts, but they know it's often easier to convince Mama to whip up some pans of slightly "healthier" baked donuts as opposed to buying a box of the sugar-loaded, fried variety.

And don't get me wrong...these Baked Banana Donuts are not exactly health food. But they do get much of their sweetness from banana, with just half a cup of additional sugar. And they are obviously baked instead of fried. So when it comes to sweet donut-shaped treats, I honestly feel a little better when my family indulges in these bad boys instead of "real" donuts.

Banana Donuts

As much as I enjoy baking with banana -- and as much as my family enjoys being on the receiving end of banana baked treats -- it's amazing that it's taken me this long to concoct Baked Banana Donuts. But I finally did, and not a moment too soon! These little gems are like delicious banana bread in donut form...soft and sweet and oh so yummy. Any overripe bananas rotting away on your countertop would be honored to be turned into these!?

Coating Options

They're also extremely versatile and easy to customize to your liking. I've included a cinnamon sugar coating...

or a glossy chocolate glaze as options for this recipe.

But you could also change up your banana donuts in other ways! Stir mini chocolate chips or toasted nuts into the batter. Coat with a simple vanilla or brown butter glaze. Or sprinkle any glaze with chocolate jimmies or mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts! The scrumptious possibilities are endless. And they're still pretty darn tasty if you decide to leave them plain!

So how will you adorn your Baked Banana Donuts? Whether you serve them for breakfast or dessert or sometime in between, I hope these yummy treats are a hit with your crew!

Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment

• Here are my favorite donut pans.
• I use a small spoon to fill each donut cavity, evenly dividing the batter between the 12 cavities. If you find it easier, you may transfer the batter to a gallon-sized plastic baggie, twist the top, snip off a corner, and pipe the batter into the pan.
• If you end up with a bit of extra batter, put a cupcake liner in a small ramekin and fill it with the excess batter. After your donuts came out of the oven, drop the oven temp to 350°F and bake the lone muffin until it tests done with a toothpick.
• If you have a hard time getting your donuts to release from the pan, run a thin, flexible (rubber) spatula around the edge of each donut and it should pop right out.
  
• If your donuts overflow into the center "holes," after the donuts are cool and before you coat/glaze them, take a sharp pointy knife and cut out the excess donut from the center to make sure each one has a hole. Or if the filled-in hole doesn't bother you, just leave 'em alone.?
• If the cinnamon sugar coating gets absorbed by the melted butter, feel free to dip your donuts in the cinnamon sugar a second time!
• Before you coat or glaze the donuts, place some wax paper or foil under the cooling rack to catch any sprinkles of cinnamon sugar/sticky drips of icing and thus simplify clean-up!
• Baked donuts are best enjoyed fresh. But leftover donuts (what are those?) can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

More Baked Donuts & Treats

• Lemon Sugar Baked Donuts
• Chocolate Peppermint Baked Donuts
• French Breakfast Puffs

Baked Banana Donuts

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed banana, from approximately 2 large or 3 medium overripe bananas
• ½ cup Greek yogurt OR sour cream, at room temperature

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Chocolate Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
• 1 ½ tablespoons light corn syrup
• ¾ cup chocolate chips
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• Adjust oven racks to center position and preheat oven to 425°F. Spray two 6-cavity donut pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until smooth, and then beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in the egg, vanilla, mashed bananas, and sour cream until fully incorporated (batter may look curdled at this point...it will smooth out with addition of flour). Gently mix in the dry ingredients until just blended. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared donut pans.
• Bake for 7 to 9 minutes until the tops of the donuts spring back when lightly touched. Allow donuts to cool for 5 minutes in pans before turning them out onto a cooling rack.
• FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR COATING: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in a shallow bowl. Dip one side of each donut in the butter, and then press into the cinnamon sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Place a small saucepan over medium-low heat and melt together the butter and corn syrup. Remove the pot from the heat and add the chocolate chips, stirring until they are smooth and completely melted. Stir in the vanilla. If necessary, transfer to a bowl for dipping (or you can dip the donuts directly into the pot). While the glaze is still warm and thin, dip one face of each donut into the glaze. Place glaze-side-up on a plate or cooling rack. For optimal flavor and texture, serve sooner than later.

Equipment Needed

• 6-cavity Donut Pan (x2)

Nutrition

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