Festive Christmas Donuts for Holiday Baking

These delicious Christmas Donuts are soft, festive baked donuts filled with colorful Christmas sprinkles and finished with a smooth chocolate ganache. Because they are baked instead of fried, they are easier to make at home and create less mess in the kitchen. Serve them for a cheerful holiday breakfast, add them to a Christmas dessert table, or enjoy them with coffee, cocoa, or a glass of milk.

Christmas donuts are a simple way to bring holiday color and flavor to your baking. The donut batter is lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, sweetened with brown sugar and granulated sugar, and made tender with buttermilk. Sprinkles are folded into the batter for a funfetti-style center, then more sprinkles are added on top of the glossy chocolate ganache.

This baked Christmas donut recipe is easy enough for a weekend morning but festive enough for Christmas brunch, cookie trays, classroom treats, or a casual holiday dessert. The donuts bake quickly, cool fast, and can be decorated without any complicated techniques.

Why You’ll Love These Donuts

• They are made with pantry-friendly baking ingredients.
• They are baked, not fried, so there is no hot oil to manage.
• Christmas sprinkles are used inside the donuts and on top for extra holiday color.
• The recipe is quick, simple, and great for beginner bakers.
• The rich chocolate ganache uses only two ingredients.
• They are perfect for holiday breakfasts, brunches, dessert boards, and festive gatherings.

Ingredients

These baked Christmas donuts use familiar ingredients, but a few small details help create the best texture and flavor.

• All-purpose flour: For the most accurate measurement, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly from the bag can pack in too much flour and make the donuts dry.
• Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar works. Pack it into the measuring cup before adding it to the batter.
• Granulated sugar: This adds sweetness and helps balance the warm spices.
• Egg: Use one large egg at room temperature. Taking it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking helps it mix more evenly into the batter.
• Unsalted butter: Melt the butter before adding it to the wet ingredients. Let it cool slightly if it is very hot.
• Buttermilk: Room-temperature buttermilk adds flavor and helps give the donuts a soft, tender crumb.
• Cinnamon and nutmeg: These warm spices add a subtle holiday flavor without overpowering the donuts.
• Christmas sprinkles: Use jimmies-style sprinkles in the batter. Nonpareils can bleed color more easily and may change the look of the donuts.
• Semi-sweet chocolate: Chopped semi-sweet chocolate melts into a smooth ganache topping.
• Heavy cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream combines with the chocolate to make the ganache rich and glossy.

See the recipe card below for the full ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Substitutions & Variations

• If you do not have buttermilk, you can use a homemade buttermilk substitute. It will not be exactly the same, but it can work in this baked donut recipe.
• Use different sprinkle colors to match another holiday or celebration while keeping the same donut base.
• For a more classic look, decorate the ganache with only a light sprinkle topping.
• If you prefer a deeper chocolate flavor, make sure the semi-sweet chocolate is finely chopped so it melts smoothly into the cream.

Instructions

1. Prepare the pan. Preheat the oven and grease the donut pans well with butter or nonstick spray. Lightly dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter.
4. Make the donut batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the Christmas sprinkles gently.
5. Fill the donut pans. Pipe or spoon the batter evenly into the donut molds. Fill each cavity about halfway for average-sized baked donuts, or slightly more for larger donuts.
6. Bake. Bake until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean. Let the donuts cool briefly in the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack.
7. Make the chocolate ganache. Heat the cream until it is just about to simmer, pour it over the chopped chocolate, let it sit, then stir until smooth.
8. Decorate. Dip the cooled donuts into the chocolate ganache and top with extra Christmas sprinkles. Let the ganache set before serving.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• Use room-temperature ingredients so the melted butter blends smoothly instead of hardening when mixed with cold ingredients.
• Do not overmix the batter. Stir only until the ingredients are combined, then gently fold in the sprinkles.
• Use jimmies-style sprinkles in the batter to reduce color bleeding.
• A donut pan is important for the traditional baked donut shape.
• For clean, even filling, spoon the batter into a large zip-top bag, snip off one bottom corner, and pipe the batter into the pans.
• Let the donuts cool completely before dipping them in ganache so the topping sets properly.

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These festive baked Christmas donuts are a fun treat to share during the holiday season.

Christmas Donuts

Natalie

Soft baked Christmas donuts filled with festive sprinkles and topped with rich chocolate ganache. They are easy, colorful, and perfect for holiday breakfasts or desserts.

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Course Breakfast, Donuts

Cuisine American

Servings 10 donuts

Calories 239 kcal

Ingredients

For the Christmas Donuts

• 1¼ cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (55 g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/3 cup (53.33 g) Christmas sprinkles, plus more for decorating if desired

For the Chocolate Ganache

• 4 ounces (113.4 g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Donuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease donut pans well with butter or nonstick spray, then lightly dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugars, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the Christmas sprinkles, being careful not to overmix.
5. Pipe or spoon the batter evenly into the donut molds. Fill each mold about halfway for average donuts or between two-thirds and three-quarters full for larger donuts.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges are lightly browned. Cool in the pans for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

1. Chop the chocolate with a serrated knife and place it in a heatproof bowl.
2. Warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat until it is just about to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and do not stir right away.
3. Let the mixture sit for 3 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy.
4. Dip the cooled donuts into the ganache. Place them on a baking rack, add extra Christmas sprinkles if desired, and let the ganache set before serving.

Notes

Storage: These baked donuts are best when freshly made. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 donut
Calories: 239 kcal
Carbohydrates: 29 g
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 12 g
Sugar: 15 g

Nutritional values are calculated with an online calculator and should be used as an estimate only.