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Brown Sugar Donut Cookies

December 14, 2014 by overtimecook 23 Comments

These adorable donut cookies have all the fun and looks of a fresh donut, but without all those calories!

brown sugar donut cookies on overtime cook

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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

Print
Brown Sugar Donut Cookies
Author: Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.com
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time:  20 mins
Cook time:  10 mins
Total time:  30 mins
 
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer over medium speed, beat together margarine, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth and creamy.
  2. Add egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and baking powder and beat to combine. Turn the mixer to low and add flour. Beat until just combined.
  3. Refrigerate cookie dough for about 1 hour, or up to overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  5. 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.
To make donut cookies:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
3.2.2925

Don’t forget to make your glazes! Here’s a chocolate glaze:
Print
Chocolate Glaze
Author: Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.com
Recipe type: Dessert
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon milk or soy milk
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until completely smooth.
3.2.2925

And a vanilla glaze:
Print
Vanilla Glaze
Author: Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.com
Recipe type: Dessert
 
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until completely smooth.
3.2.2925

brown sugar donut cookies
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:

Rolling Pin

Cookie Sheets

Whisk

Donut Cutter

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

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate link(s), which means that a small percentage of every purchase made through that link goes to help support this blog.

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Filed Under: Cookies, Dessert, Donuts/Fried Treats, Hanukkah, Holiday Tagged With: chanukah, Cookies, donut, hanukah


Comments

  1. Sarah says

    December 14, 2014 at 2:39 pm

    These look gorgeous and taste even better! I know cuz I tried them!

    Reply
  2. bdcooks says

    December 14, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    Hi there
    I don’t like using margerine. Does butter work in this recipe?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      December 14, 2014 at 5:15 pm

      Butter would be fine.

      Reply
  3. Rishi says

    December 14, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    Hi, is it possible to make with oil instead of margarine?

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      December 14, 2014 at 5:15 pm

      I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I don’t know if these will hold their shapes.

      Reply
  4. Chanie says

    December 14, 2014 at 10:59 pm

    for the vanilla glaze – how much confectioners sugar?

    Reply
    • Tova says

      December 14, 2014 at 11:03 pm

      It says one cup for vanilla glaze in the ingredients.

      Reply
      • cyna says

        December 15, 2014 at 3:34 pm

        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???

        Reply
        • overtimecook says

          December 15, 2014 at 3:51 pm

          it’s updated.

          Reply
  5. Toby says

    December 18, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    The dough came out very crumbly, i tried rolling it out and its not holding together.
    What did I do wrong?

    Reply
  6. rivka says

    December 19, 2014 at 9:36 am

    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

    Reply
  7. Rivki says

    December 22, 2014 at 11:42 pm

    Does it make a difference if I use dark or light brown sugar?

    Reply
  8. Shani says

    December 24, 2014 at 1:25 pm

    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!!

    Reply
  9. Sharon Konigsberg says

    January 27, 2015 at 8:34 pm

    Do these cookies freeze well? Made them once and they were a huge hit! Thanks!

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      January 28, 2015 at 8:16 am

      Yes they do! Freeze between layers of parchment for best results.

      Reply
  10. Amy says

    February 4, 2015 at 11:08 am

    How do I make the pink glazed cookie like in the picture? Do I just add food coloring to the vanilla glaze? Thanks!

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      February 4, 2015 at 12:21 pm

      That’s correct!

      Reply
  11. Ariella says

    March 1, 2015 at 9:19 pm

    How do you get the glaze to get on so nicely? I’m worried when I do it it will look super messy. Thanks!

    Reply
  12. yael says

    December 4, 2015 at 2:49 pm

    does the glaze dry hard?
    thanks

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      December 7, 2015 at 9:09 am

      Not hard like royal icing, but hard enough to package these.

      Reply
  13. ep says

    December 19, 2016 at 10:39 am

    how many cookies does this yield?

    Reply
  14. Devorah says

    January 31, 2017 at 8:40 pm

    How many cookies does this make? (With the 3.5 inch cookie cutters)

    Reply
  15. Leah S says

    November 19, 2023 at 11:23 am

    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?

    Reply

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