Name: Cranberry Donuts
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 egg; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/2 cup milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 3 tbsp melted butter, cooled; 1/2 cup cranberries, chopped*; 4 oz white chocolate, chopped; 1 tsp coconut oil

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Celebrate cranberry season with these dense, cakey white chocolate cranberry donuts. It’s a baked glazed donut recipe that brings together a smattering of tart cranberries and a delicious white chocolate glaze.

Cranberry White Chocolate Donuts

Please note: this post was originally published in November 2017. I’ve updated the text slightly but the recipe remains the same

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snoooooow!! Do these donuts scream Christmas, or what? I know it’s still only the beginning of November, but I am (THIS) close to turning on the Christmas carols and going on a mad decorating spree. I think it’s the winter wonderland outside – as much as I am a true summer worshiper, there is something very charming and magical about the white outside. The thick layering on the trees, the crunch of the snow under my shoes….some days it feels like your favourite children’s Christmas book come to life.

And cranberries? Cranberries are totally Christmas-y. I love, love being able to buy them fresh this time of year, and you would not believe all of the recipe ideas I have swirling around in my head that involves these beautiful little balls. I’m trying to refrain from going ALL in on the cranberry, but I have a few gems that I really must share.

First up, these cakey, sweet, dense cranberry donuts with a little pop of tartness. I love these donuts so much!!

cranberry white chocolate donuts

What makes these cranberry donuts cakey?

Normally my baked donuts are lighter in texture, but I really wanted a cakey, dense donut for this flavour combo. I’ve accomplished that by using melted butter instead of oil, milk and all white flour. The texture of the donut feels like your favourite piece of white cake.

Do you have to use fresh cranberries in the donuts?

You could definitely use frozen cranberries for this recipe, but I love, love fresh!! You’ll want to chop them up into smaller pieces before adding them to the batter. If you are using frozen cranberries and you are finding them difficult to chop up, you can throw them into a food processor and pulse a few times. Just be sure not to overdo it!

The donuts only take 10 minutes to bake, so you can easily make a batch for a weekend (or weekday) morning treat!

Oh, this is the donut pan I always use.

What’s in the white chocolate glaze recipe?

The white chocolate glaze recipe is also dead easy – it’s literally just white chocolate and a teeny bit of coconut oil to smooth things out. I use my microwave to melt the chocolate, but you have to be careful doing this, because it’s easy to overheat the chocolate and cause it to seize up, making it very un-dippable!

I’m drooling a little even thinking about these donuts – they might be my favourite donut recipe yet! That sweet white chocolate goes OH so well with the tart cranberry and cakey texture. The recipe makes 8-10 donuts – just the right amount for your family or a few lucky co-workers. Or, save them all for yourself. I won’t judge 😉

cranberry white chocolate donuts

Donuts! Who doesn’t love them? I’ve got a whole category dedicated to easy baked donuts, which includes:

Cranberry Donuts

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

Author: Katherine
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 8-10 donuts 1x

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Description

Celebrate cranberry season with these dense, cakey donuts filled with a smattering of tart cranberries and covered in a sweet, white chocolate glaze.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp melted butter, cooled
1/2 cup cranberries, chopped*

White Chocolate Glaze

4 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 tsp coconut oil

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease a donut pan with non-stick spray or butter
In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg lightly with the sugar until combined. Whisk in the milk and vanilla extract, then slowly whisk in the melted butter.
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, and stir just until incorporated. Gently fold in the cranberries. Empty the batter into a piping bag or large Ziploc bag with the tip cut off, and fill each cavity in the donut pan about 3/4 full. You might have enough batter for 1-2 more donuts than what your pan holds, so after removing the first batch to a cooling rack, you can bake the next batch.
Bake the donuts for 9-10 minutes, or until the donuts spring back lightly when poked. Cool the donuts in the pan for 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
While the donuts are cooling, melt the white chocolate and coconut oil together using a double boiler or in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments and stirring continuously until melted.
Dip the donuts, one at a time into the glaze – I like to use a shallow bowl for this – and set back on the rack to harden. Enjoy immediately!

Leftover donuts can be kept at room temperature for 2-3 days, in a sealed container.