Maple Glazed Bacon Donuts with Popcorn Sprinkles for National Donut Day

With National Donut Day just a couple of days from now (June 5th), it seemed only fair to make some donuts for the occasion. And because it’s been a while since the last donut recipe, I figured we might as well just get as many flavors in there as possible.

Sooooo, meet you new best friend: maple-iced bacon donuts with popcorn sprinkles! Heart eyes a plenty on this one. If you’re feeling crazy, you can also add some bacon sprinkles into the mix, for a seriously decadent treat.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these crazy donuts on your own…

Ingredients for Maple Bacon Donuts (makes one dozen donuts):

– 2 1/2 cups cake flour
– 3/4 tsp baking soda
– 3/4 tsp baking powder
– 8 tbsp butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
– 2 eggs, room temperature
– 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
– 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
– 1/4 cup buttermilk
– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 tbsp maple syrup
– 1/2 cup bacon bits
– baking spray

Ingredients for Maple Glaze:

– 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
– 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
– 2 tbsp heavy cream
– 8 tbsp maple syrup
– 1/4 tsp salt

Youll also need:

Standard-sized donut pan (like Wilton) // Mixing bowls // Whisk // Rubber spatula // Gallon-sized plastic bag (like Ziplock) // Cooling rack // Dry toppings (like bacon bits or popcorn)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray the donut pans with baking spray.

2. Whisk together the cake flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the butter, eggs, and sour cream together. Then add the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, and maple syrup and whisk to combine.

4. Now add the dry donut ingredients and bacon pieces to the wet donut ingredients. Gently fold with a rubber spatula. Try not to over-mix the batter; it’s OK if some small streaks of flour remain.

5. Fill the plastic bag with the batter and cut one of the corners off. Use this as a piping bag to fill the donut pan with the batter.

6. Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes (when an inserted toothpick is removed cleanly). Once the donuts are ready, let them cool slightly and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

7. To make the maple glaze, combine all of the glaze ingredients and whisk to combine.

8. Dip the donuts into the glaze and set back onto the cooling rack. Top with your dry toppings before the glaze dries.

Recipe by Linda Jednaszewski
Photography and styling by Brittni Mehlhoff

P.S. These would be a good recipe for Father’s Day too. There’s something about them that scream ‘man treat’ to me…most be the bacon.