Ready for some Christmas baking? Try these Chocolate Gingerbread Baked Doughnuts, finished with gingerbread men sprinkles for a festive touch.
The apartment finally feels like Christmas — the tree is up, mugs are full of thick hot chocolate, and holiday music plays softly in the background. Outside, neighbors have decorated balconies with lights and storefronts glow with red and green, and I’m craving all things gingerbread.
These Chocolate Gingerbread Doughnuts are baked, easy to make, and taste like the season. After several attempts I landed on a simple recipe that balances warm holiday spices with chocolate and molasses. A quick chocolate ganache glaze and a scattering of gingerbread men sprinkles finish them perfectly.
I kept thinking I should use sprinkles more often — they make everything more joyful. And yes, whether you spell it doughnuts or donuts, these are meant to be enjoyed immediately. I prefer the baked approach: lighter, quicker, and less fuss than frying.
A doughnut pan is handy for consistent shape and quick baking, but if you don’t have one, a muffin pan works well — you’ll just have gingerbread doughnut muffins. The batter is simple to pipe or spoon into the pan, and the result bakes in about 10 minutes.
These baked gingerbread doughnuts are best the day they’re made. They take roughly 10 minutes to bake and a little cooling time before glazing, so you can have them ready in about an hour. If you need to keep them for the next day, store completely cooled doughnuts in an airtight container to prevent drying — the chocolate glaze also helps retain moisture.
Recipe details are below, including yield, times, and step-by-step instructions so you can recreate these festive treats at home.
Chocolate Gingerbread Baked Doughnuts
9 doughnuts
30 minutes
10 minutes
40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup full-flavor molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Sprinkles, to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease doughnut pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined. Stir in the sour cream, molasses, and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip, or use a freezer bag with a corner cut off. Pipe or spoon the batter into each doughnut cavity about halfway full. Bake 8–10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- For the glaze, warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan until just before boiling. Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl, pour the hot cream over them, wait one minute, then stir until smooth. Dip each cooled doughnut into the glaze and top with sprinkles. Doughnuts are best the same day; store cooled doughnuts in an airtight container.
Notes
I prefer dark brown sugar for its richer molasses flavor, but light brown sugar can be used as a substitute. If you only have one doughnut pan, bake the first batch, remove them to cool, then chill the pan briefly before baking the remaining batter. If you don’t have a doughnut pan, a muffin pan works fine. Using a piping bag makes filling the pan neater, but a spoon or a cut freezer bag will work too.
Did you make this recipe?
Share your results and photos, and let me know how they turned out.
Source: adapted from the author’s vanilla bean doughnut recipe.
More Christmas Recipes To Make
Double Lemon Glazed Doughnuts
Gingerbread Blondies
Gingerbread Linzer Cookies