These adorable donut cookies have all the fun and looks of a fresh donut, but without all those calories!
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I have a love-hate relationship with donuts. And I have a feeling you do too.
Everyone’s gotta admit that there are few things more delicious than a fresh, delicious, fluffy donut. Whether you like yours filled with jelly, custard, caramel, or something else, or whether you like yours with a hole in the middle and topped with a silky glaze, you have to admit: donuts are awesome. But donuts have their drawback. Obviously, first and foremost is the whole 80-gazillion calorie thing. It’s hard to eat a donut without feeling at least a little bit guilty. Then there’s the issue of making donuts ahead. Basically, you can’t do it.
Last year, I came up with these amazing donut cookies, and published them in my column in Ami/Whisk magazine. And because they solve all the donut problems in one adorable and fun cookie, I decided to share them here today.
Take a look at these brown sugar donut cookies. Healthy? Not quite. But neither are they deep fried dough. Make ahead? You bet! And the bonus is that they are absolutely adorable. Make them with your kids and you’ll be the best mom of the year. And today is a great day to make them for your chanukah party
- 1 cup (2 sticks) margarine
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups flour
- In the bowl of an electric mixer over medium speed, beat together margarine, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and baking powder and beat to combine. Turn the mixer to low and add flour. Beat until just combined.
- Refrigerate cookie dough for about 1 hour, or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to about an eighth of an inch thickness. Cut into desired shape (see below for instructions on cutting into donut shapes) and place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.
- Cut the dough into large circles, then cut a smaller circle from center. Reroll the scraps and repeat until all of the dough is rolled and cut. Bake according to the directions above.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, glaze them with your choice of glazes (recipes follow) and top with sprinkles or your favorite donut toppings. Let the glaze set for about 10 minutes before handling cookies.
Don’t forget to make your glazes! Here’s a chocolate glaze:
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon milk or soy milk
- In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until completely smooth.
And a vanilla glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon milk or soy milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- a couple of drops of food coloring, optional
- In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until completely smooth.
Planning for Chanukah? Make sure to check out my top ten gift picks for cooks and foodies!
If you like this recipe, you’ll also love:
Chanukah Style Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies (The ORIGINAL gelt cookies!!)
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chanukah Gelt Cookies
Shortcut Fried Cannoli with Chocolate Mousse Filling
Tools needed for this recipe:
Thanks for stopping by! I’ve got a ton of exciting Chanukah recipes coming at you over the next week so stay tuned and come back often! -Miriam PS: Make sure to follow me on your preferred social media channels to stay updated! Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
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These look gorgeous and taste even better! I know cuz I tried them!
Hi there
I don’t like using margerine. Does butter work in this recipe?
Thanks
Butter would be fine.
Hi, is it possible to make with oil instead of margarine?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I don’t know if these will hold their shapes.
for the vanilla glaze – how much confectioners sugar?
It says one cup for vanilla glaze in the ingredients.
no, it does not say how much sugar for vanilla glaze… it doesn’t have an amount. Miriam, is it also 1/2 Cup as in the chocolate???
it’s updated.
The dough came out very crumbly, i tried rolling it out and its not holding together.
What did I do wrong?
i tried the recipe with smart balance instead of margarine and i used white whole wheat flour and it just didnt have the right consistency, is it because i used the smart balance vs. the margarine
Does it make a difference if I use dark or light brown sugar?
Hi:) I made these for shabbos with my kids- we didn’t have enough time to glaze them but we used sprinkles. They were yummy ! Thanx so much!!
Do these cookies freeze well? Made them once and they were a huge hit! Thanks!
Yes they do! Freeze between layers of parchment for best results.
How do I make the pink glazed cookie like in the picture? Do I just add food coloring to the vanilla glaze? Thanks!
That’s correct!
How do you get the glaze to get on so nicely? I’m worried when I do it it will look super messy. Thanks!
does the glaze dry hard?
thanks
Not hard like royal icing, but hard enough to package these.
how many cookies does this yield?
How many cookies does this make? (With the 3.5 inch cookie cutters)
Is it supposed to be a very soft dough? I’m about to put them in the fridge, but I’m worried they’ll be impossible to roll out. Should I add more flour?