How To Make Peanut Butter Donuts?

I’m sure we have a lot of peanut butter fans reading these posts. I’m that person that can add peanut butter to everything, sweet or savory, I don’t mind as long as I can pair it with favorite spread I’m good.

Now let me ask you are you ready to meet your new all-time favorite donut recipe? I adore PBJ’s so I wanted to make some peanut butter donuts instead of always eating the sandwich. These are simply the best donuts with peanut butter and the chocolate glaze you’ll ever make.

Shall we begin?

Are Peanut Butter Donuts Healthy?

Let’s clear one thing straight away, if something is healthy or not is a really relative thing honestly. Everything can be healthy or less healthy, but no food is harmful to you if you eat it in some normal amounts.

I do consider that baked donuts are always a healthier version than fried ones, no matter the filling and glaze you use. If you are trying to eat clean, you can always substitute some ingredients to fit your daily calorie intake.

Swap sugar with honey, agave, sweetener, or brown sugar. You can also use whole grain or spelt flour. Make your own peanut butter, or almond butter if you prefer, and avoid consuming additives and artificial sugars this way. Avoid using dairy products high in fat, so replace them with plant versions. The options are endless.

If I calculated appropriately these donuts contain about 20 grams of fats and 50 grams of carbs (25 grams come from sugar) per piece, so as you can see this isn’t a big problem at all if you will eat them occasionally.

Ingredients you will need

I decided to make regular caked donuts leavened with baking powder and baking soda mixture. This way I reduce the amount of oil I need to use, meaning my donuts will have way lower fat content.

Also, I made my own peanut butter so the fats in this recipe come from a healthy and good source. Ingredients you will need：

For the peanut butter dough:

• ⅓ cup of homemade peanut butter
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½  cup of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce
• ⅔ cup of milk
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoon of cornstarch
• 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

For the peanut butter glaze:

• 6 tablespoons of homemade peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted)
• 2 tablespoons of powder sugar

For the chocolate glaze:

• ½ cup of chocolate of your choice
• 1 or 2 tablespoons of melted butter or coconut oil
• Chopped peanuts for sprinkling

Kitchen tools

As usual, you will need basic kitchen utensils you always use when baking. These include the following:

• Two large mixing bowls
• One medium bowl for the glaze
• Whisk
• Hand mixer
• Cooling wire rack
• Parchment paper
• Piping bag
• Donut pan
• Brush for greasing up the pan or baking spray

Step by step on how to make peanut butter donuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure you grease your donut pan with melted butter or cooking spray, depending on what you like more.
2. Take the first large bowl, and add peanut butter, applesauce, and coconut oil and mix on medium speed until it combines well, then add the sugar and mix until the texture becomes smooth and thick.
3. Once these are well-combined whisk in the egg, then after that add the milk and vanilla extract. Whisk it by hand and if there are some lumps, don’t worry homemade peanut butter tends to be chunky.
4. In a second bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until combined.
5. Add gradually the dry ingredients mixture to the wet and stir until it’s smooth. Spoon the batter into a piping bag and fill each donut hole in the pan about ¾.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then take them out and let them rest for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool for another 15 minutes.
7. While the donuts are cooling make the glaze. Melt the regular butter and mix with peanut butter and sugar. Stir until the texture is thick and without lumps. Since the peanut butter glaze is dense it is best to be spread with a spoon or spatula. Keep in mind that this glaze is mostly peanut butter so it won’t harden like regular donut glaze.
8. Let the peanut glaze set for a bit, and melt the chocolate in the microwave while you wait. Dip each donut top in the chocolate and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

How to make homemade peanut butter?

You will need a food processor or a high-speed blender for this. Add enough peanuts into the bowl of your food processor to cover the blade for about an inch or two. This is at least two cups of peanuts.

Now start processing, in the first, you’ll get something that looks like chopped peanuts but after the first minute, you’ll get something like a chunky paste. But don’t stop now, since when it cools down it won’t be spreadable. Make it runny, so when you place it in the fridge it will become just the right texture.

If you want you can add a tablespoon of honey and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor of peanut butter, or you can only use the peanuts.

Recipe tips

Luckily for you, this recipe is so simple that you can’t make any big mistakes. There are only a few things I want to mention.

• Don’t over-mix the batter since this way your dough will be tougher and denser and the texture will be more like muffins. Also, I advise you to prepare the batter the night before you will bake them. Just make sure to store it in an air-tight container in the fridge.
• The last advice is to not over-fill donut molds since the donuts will rise. Never fill them over ¾  or your donuts will overflow while baking and lose their shape. If you aren’t sure then fill each donut mold about half of the depth.

FAQ

What if you don’t have a donut pan?

You don’t necessarily need one to bake these donuts, instead use a muffin pan, The only difference is in shape, you won’t have the hole in the middle. However, you can make the most out of the situation and cut them in half.

Now you can fill them with peanut butter and jelly if you want and then dip them in chocolate.

How should I store these donuts?

These donuts should be eaten immediately. However, you can store them on the countertop in an air-tight container for up to a day, or in the fridge for up to three days. Never let them sit out uncover since they will dry out very fast.

You can also freeze them without the glaze. Place them in the freezer bags or containers and place the parchment paper between each donut to prevent sticking. You can use them for the next two months.

Conclusion

Sometimes you just crave peanut butter so why not indulge in a donut that is made completely with this delicious spread? If this sounds like too much peanut butter you can simply make some other type of glaze, the options are various.

If you have your favorite peanut butter donut recipe, share it in the comment section, since we can all agree that there is no such thing as too many recipes.