Spice Up Your Holiday Season With These Gingerbread Reindeer Donuts
It’s almost holiday season, where reindeer-themed treats are ubiquitous, and calories don’t count. Adding a dash of cuteness and quirkiness, these gingerbread baked donuts are almost too adorable to eat! They’re so easy to whip up — you don’t even need an electric mixer — so making a fresh batch really isn’t a big deal. Share these goodies over this festive season with some friends and family who are deer to you!
Gingerbread Cake Donuts
Makes approximately 28 mini donuts
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons molasses (treacle syrup)
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Decorations:
- white and milk chocolate melts
- black royal icing or edible marker
- red and yellow M&Ms
- pretzels
- holly & heart sprinkles
- gold luster dust
- pumpkin seeds
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, grease donut pans and set them aside. In a large bowl, mix sifted flour, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, sugar, egg, oil and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and fold until just incorporated.
2. Transfer mixture into a large piping bag, and fill pans 2/3 of the way full. Do not overfill! Bake for 8-11 minutes and leave in pans for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
3. While donuts are cooling, break pretzels in half to imitate reindeer antlers. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, or over a double boiler.
4. When donuts have completely cooled, dip the pumpkin seeds into the melted chocolate, and insert into the donut for the ears. You may need to use a toothpick to poke a small hole beforehand. Allow to set, then one at a time, dip the donuts into the melted chocolate. Insert pretzels into the top of the donuts, using the same method as the seeds, and place an M&M in the donut hole.
5. Before the chocolate dries, place bow ties or holly sprinkles on the donuts. After the chocolate has set, draw on eyes and mouth with a black edible marker, or pipe on with royal icing. Mix a bit of gold luster dust with an alcohol-based liquid, and paint the yellow M&Ms gold. Feel free to paint some of the pretzel antlers gold too!
6. Enjoy and share with your loved ones! These taste best freshly baked.
Fill pans 2/3 of the way full. Do not overfill, or it may result in muffin tops! Bake for 8-11 minutes, and leave in pans for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Allow donuts to cool completely before decorating.
Carefully break pretzels in half to imitate reindeer antlers. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, or over a double boiler. Dip pumpkin seeds into the melted chocolate, and insert into the donut for the ears. Allow to set, then one at a time, dip the donuts into the melted chocolate. Insert pretzels into the top of the donuts, using the same method as the seeds, and place an M&M in the donut hole.
Before the chocolate dries, place bow ties or holly sprinkles on the donuts. After the chocolate has set, draw on eyes and mouth with a black edible marker, or pipe on with royal icing. Mix a bit of gold luster dust with an alcohol-based liquid, and paint the yellow M&Ms gold. Fee free to paint some of the pretzel antlers gold too!
And you’re done! Enjoy and share with your loved ones over this holiday season.
Don’t they look adorable on a bed of cotton candy?
After devouring these, you may need a nap too!
Show us your favorite Christmas donut ideas by tagging us on Instagram + using the hashtags #bcfoodie & #britstagram!
