Mini Baked Donuts With Sprinkles

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

While I’m a fan of pretty much every doughnut under the sun (I already have about 10 donut recipes on the site, including my lemon poppyseed old fashioned donuts and my dark chocolate pecan doughnuts), there’s something special about a sweet, sprinkled doughnut that immediately lifts my sails.

Nearly every iconic cartoon drawing of this marvelous food group is a sprinkled donut, from the Simpsons to Zootopia. And why wouldn’t they be, what with their extra cheery demeanor? I mean honestly: who can help but smile upon seeing an abundance of brightly colored jimmies? 

FUN FACT: In case you didn’t know it, jimmies are another delightful name for sprinkles!!

This particular baked Funfetti doughnut recipe is everything that you could want out of such an archetypally designed treat: it’s sweet without being cloying, has a pronounced warmth from vanilla, a satisfying texture, and the ability to customize with any glaze or sprinkle under the sun.

🍴Ingredients

A few notes to consider: 

• All-Purpose Flour - Because of the size and shape of these mini cake donuts, I have a feeling that you could get away with using a cup-for-cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture; if you do, please let me know how it works out in the comments below!
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda - You’ll need both types of leavening for this particular recipe, and they are not interchangeable. Also, remember that baking powder begins to work as soon as it touches liquids, so be certain to preheat your oven before making the batter.
• Unsalted Butter - Anything organic, grass-fed, and/or cultured is a good choice for the best flavor.
• Whole Milk - Feel free to substitute for a plant-based alternative. I prefer creamier options like oat or full-fat coconut milk for my dairy-free baking, but any ought to work.
• Vanilla Extract - Powder or paste will also work!
• Sour Cream - Or substitute full-fat Greek yogurt or a plant-based alternative.

• Powdered Sugar - You’ll need confectioner’s sugar to make this particular vanilla glaze, but you can always make your own with granulated sugar, cornstarch, and a food processor.
• White Chocolate - You can use white chocolate chips, chunks, chopped, etc. If white chocolate isn’t your thing, feel free to swap in milk or dark chocolate for a chocolate glaze.
• Sprinkles of Choice - The great thing about sprinkles is how many gorgeous options there are. From adorable star-shaped matte quins to round pearlescent dragees, cartoonishly cute flat round sprinkles to teensy tiny round ones… there have to be literally thousands of designs for you to choose from!

⚒️ Equipment

Aside from basic baking equipment, these are the specialty items you’ll need to make my mini sprinkles donuts:

• Pastry Bag - You can make your own using either parchment or a Ziplock Bag
• Doughnut Baking Pan - I have a soft spot for all things twee, so I opted for a mini donut pan. You can easily adapt this recipe to use a normal donut pan by adjusting the bake time, or make your own donut tin using aluminum foil and a muffin tin.
• Toothpicks - These cake doughnuts are just that – cake. Grab a toothpick so you can spot it when they’re baked through.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Whisk wet and dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Next, in a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, egg, sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and sour cream until thoroughly combined. 

Step 2: Combine wet ingredients and dry mixtures in a large bowl. Add the dry mixture to the bowl with the wet mixture and stir to combine. 

Step 3: Bake the doughnuts. Using a piping bag or ziplock bag, pipe the donut batter into your greased donut pan (I use a non-stick spray).

Step 4: Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. When they’re done, let the doughnuts cool completely before glazing on a wire rack or cooling rack.

Step 5: Make the glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, melted white chocolate and milk together in a bowl. Add food coloring if you prefer a pop of color to the glaze!

Step 6: Glaze and decorate doughnuts. Dip the tops of the funfetti donuts into the glaze, letting any excess drizzle down the sides. Then, add colorful sprinkles to the top of each donut before the glaze starts to set.

Optional Variations

• Switch up the glaze. There are so many options to choose from:
  • Mocha
  • Lemon
  • Coconut
  • Malted Chocolate
  • Pumpkin
  • Or any other glaze that you know and love! 
• Dairy-Free. Simply swap in your favorite non-dairy milk, plant-based sour cream substitute, and vegan butter.
• Gluten-Free. While I haven’t tried it myself, all signs point to this being a good recipe to adapt to a one-for-one gluten-free flour blend. If you try it out, let me know if this worked in the comments below so I can update for other curious readers!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Double dip for a thicker glaze. Dip the doughnuts in the glaze a second time after the first layer has had a few minutes to set. Repeat one or two more times until it reaches an opacity you like.
• Grease the doughnut pan, even if it claims to be nonstick. Most donut pans are non-stick, but you should still spray them generously with cooking spray to prevent any breakage.
• To make a heavier, Krispy Kreme-like doughnut: Transfer your glazed doughnuts to an airtight container and let them sit at room temperature overnight. The doughnuts will absorb the moisture from the glaze, adding density and intense flavor. Reglaze before serving.
• Channel your inner cake baker. Baked donuts are just adorably shaped mini cakes, so trust your prior knowledge. You’ll know the doughnuts are done baking when a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean! 
• White chocolate burns quickly, so I suggest gently heating your white chocolate in the microwave in 15-second increments, stirring in between each, until the chocolate is gooey and melted. 

💭 Recipe FAQs

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