Cranberry Glazed Orange Spice Donuts are the perfect holiday treat! These baked donuts are flavored with orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom & ginger. Then glazed with a sweet and tart cranberry orange glaze. Super festive, they are the perfect way to kick off your holiday morning!
Ingredients for Baked Orange Spice Donuts
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder to help the donuts rise in place of yeast
- Egg
- Buttermilk for a tangy and moist donut batter
- Melted butter & oil
- Vanilla extract for a sweet and floral flavor
- Orange zest for that burst of citrusy flavor. You can use orange extract instead.
- Spices: cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger. You can use any combination of these warm spices that you have.
How to make baked orange spice donuts
Baked donuts actually come together pretty quickly. Get out your donut pans, spray them with cooking spray and set aside.
Combine the dry ingredients together, including the spices. Whisk to combine fully. then slowly add in all of the wet ingredients and mix well.
The best way to get the batter into the donut pans neatly is by piping. I like to just grab a gallon size plastic storage bag, scoop all of the batter in and then cut a corner off. Since you are not looking for a pretty design, the plastic baggies works beautifully in this situation. But be sure to work quickly! The batter flows quickly and easily!
You can also use a measuring cup or spoons to carefully scoop the batter into the donut molds.
How to make a cranberry glaze for baked donuts
While the donuts bake and cool, I like to work on the glaze. So to make the cranberry glaze for these donuts, I actually just make a small batch of cranberry sauce. You know, just like the one that you make for Thanksgiving. Which is another reason why these are perfect for Thanksgiving or the day after Thanksgiving breakfast!
I simmer whole cranberries with orange juice, orange zest and sugar until the cranberries start popping. Once you get a nice cranberry sauce, remove from heat and let it cool. Once cooled, at the cranberry sauce to powdered sugar. I like to add a few spoonfuls of sauce at a time. You do not want to overdo the liquid, you'll end up with a runny glaze and need to add more sugar to fix it.
Once you get the balance of powdered sugar and cranberry sauce correct (you are looking for a smooth glaze that is still pretty thick), you can dip the donuts into the glaze and then let them set on a cooling rack.
If you liked these cranberry glazed orange spice donuts, be sure to check out these other baked donut recipes: Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Donuts (Baked), Rose Glazed Funfetti Donuts, Chai Spiced Banana Donuts, Sugar-free Chocolate Glazed Vanilla Donuts
Cranberry Glazed Baked Orange Spice Donuts
Ingredients
Baked Orange Spice Donuts
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon orange zest or ½ teaspoon of orange extract
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cranberry Orange Glaze
- ⅓ cup fresh cranberries
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Baked Orange Spice Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray donut baking pans with baking spray, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices and orange zest. Add in buttermilk, egg, melted butter, oil and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag. Pipe about ¼ cup donut batter for each donut. Bake until donuts are puffed and lightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from donut pan and let cool on cooling rack, while preparing glaze.
Cranberry Orange Glaze
- In a small saucepan, add cranberries, sugar, orange juice and orange zest . cook until cranberries pop and a thick sauce forms. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and slowly add the cooled cranberry sauce until the thick glaze consistency is reached. If additional liquid is required, add 1 teaspoon of orange juice at a time. Dip the cooled donuts in glaze and return to the wire rack. Let stand until the glaze is set.
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