Maple Glazed Donuts with Bacon — sea salt and honey

I really don’t have a big sweet tooth, but there are some treats I just can’t say no to—ice cream, pastries, and donuts among my favorites. And truth be told, I’ve been a little donut-crazed lately thanks (in no small part) to a recent trip to Duck Donuts on the way home from our family vacation. They make their donuts to order, which is AMAZING because you get a hot donut dripping with sticky glaze…every…single…time. Which got me thinking—what if I made my own donuts in my own kitchen so I can have hot, glazed donuts whenever I want? What if, indeed!

I decided that I wanted to make a batch of donuts that would pay homage to my favorite little donut shop, but I also wanted to pump up the volume on their standard vanilla donuts. So, I went with cinnamon-nutmeg donuts dipped in a sweet maple glaze and topped with crispy bacon. I mean, come on.

They’re sweet, savory, spicy, and completely irresistible. And because I don’t really like dealing with deep-frying, I bake the donuts. Since they have bacon on the top, I keep them in the refrigerator once they’re done, then heat them under the broiler when I’m ready to eat them. And guess what? I can now have hot, glazed donuts whenever I want (which may or may not have been the most brilliant idea ever).

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Maple Glazed Donuts with Bacon

recipe adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour

Yield: 12 donuts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Donut Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 2/3 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Glaze Ingredients:

¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup maple syrup
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
4-6 strips of cooked bacon, chopped

Donut Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°. Spray two donut pans with cooking oil. In a stand mixer, cream the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add the flour to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. (This should be done in three parts, starting and ending with the flour mixture.)

Spoon the batter into a reusable pastry bag (or a gallon Ziploc bag, snipping the corner once it’s filled) and pipe the batter into the prepared donut pans, filling each donut cavity to ¾ full. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until the donuts are golden brown. Allow the donuts to rest in the pans for 2 minutes before turning them out to cool on a rack.

Glaze Directions:
Heat butter and syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the butter has melted, add the sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking until the sugar is fully incorporated and the glaze begins to thicken. Allow the glaze to cool slightly (this will also help it to thicken).
Dip warm donuts into the glaze (I like to dip, let them rest, then dip again). Scatter bacon over top of the sticky glaze and serve immediately!*
*If you’re not eating ALL the donuts at once, refrigerate the ones you aren’t serving. When you’re ready to eat them, heat them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes (depending on how hot your broiler gets), and this will crisp the bacon and begin to melt the glaze. Yum!