A customized print-friendly version of this recipe is available by clicking the "Print Recipe" button on this page.
Sticky Bun Doughnuts
Love sticky buns, but don't want to spend the time on a traditional yeasted sweet dough? These baked doughnuts have all the flavor of a sticky bun, but will be ready to eat in less than half the time.
Ingredients
Doughnuts
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor, optional; for enhanced flavor
- 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 6 tablespoons milk
Topping
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, honey, or corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon Sticky Bun Sugar,* optional; for increased stickiness
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup diced pecans
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- *Substitute brown sugar for the sticky bun sugar, if desired.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the wells of a standard doughnut pan.
- To make the doughnuts: Beat together the butter, oil, and sugars until smooth.
- Add the egg, beating to combine.
- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sweet dough flavor.
- Beginning and ending with the flour, stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk.
- To make the topping: Combine the butter and syrup or honey; divide it among the wells of the prepared pan.
- Combine the sugars, pecans, and cinnamon, and sprinkle atop the butter/syrup in each well.
- Spoon the batter evenly into each well, filling to the rim.
- Bake the doughnuts for 15 minutes, or until they're raised and firm.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and place it on a rack.
- Loosen the edges of each doughnut and immediately turn the pan over onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Gently shake the pan to loosen the doughnuts, then lift it off, and scrape any sticky topping back onto the tops of the doughnuts.
- Place the doughnuts on a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.
- Yield: 6 doughnuts.
Tips from our bakers
- If you don't have a doughnut pan, scoop the batter into nine lightly greased or paper-lined wells of a standard muffin pan. Top with the sugar-nut mixture, and drizzle with the butter/syrup. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Remove them from the oven, and transfer the muffins to a rack to cool.
- Substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for the Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor, if desired.
- Sometimes these doughnuts can lose their "holes". If this happens, there's no need to fret. Simply enjoy them as is; or for true doughnut shape, use a small round cutter (the opposite side of a pastry tip works well here) to cut out the doughnut's filled-in center.
Recommended For You
Reviews
Made these by the muffin tin instructions and they were perfect. Only suggestion may be to make extra of the butter/honey syrup to drizzle on pre-bake.
I made these after searching for recipes to use my Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor in. Yum! They turned out nice and spongy, with the topping becoming chewy after a few minutes cooling. FYI, if you're using the Wilton doughnut pan, this recipe makes enough batter for more like 8. I spooned the excess into a couple of paper bake cups. Though the pan is nonstick, I greased it with a little shortening and was pleased that they toppled right out. Will make them again, next time chopping my pecans better (I just broke up some halves by hand, but they didn't stay put very well at that size).
Easy to make. Big hit with the family. Will bake them again for sure.
These were easy to make & wonderful flavor. My husband who is not a huge donut fan ate 2 of these right out of the oven!! We also enjoyed them cold with a nice cup of coffee. I will make these again & double the recipe.
