
Making homemade doughnuts is easy with Doughnut Pans from the KitchenAid® Professional-Grade Nonstick 6-Cavity Mini Doughnut Pan. The hardest part? Not eating them all in one sitting!
The love I have for baked doughnuts knows no bounds. They are incredibly quick and easy to make, and the flavor variations are endless. These brown butter vanilla bean mini doughnuts are one of my favorite flavors because they can be topped with just about anything and still taste delicious.
Preparing the batter is very simple. Brown the butter in a small saucepan, then add it to a large bowl with buttermilk and an egg. Whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Combine the dry and wet mixtures just until incorporated to make the batter.
Divide the batter evenly among the cavities of your KitchenAid® Doughnut Pans, about 2 tablespoons per each cavity. You can either spoon the batter into the cavities, or use a piping bag to pipe it in.
Bake the doughnuts at 375°F for about 10 minutes, just until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the doughnut comes out clean, and the doughnuts spring back when lightly touched.
Cool the doughnuts in the Doughnut Pans for a minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, you can make the glaze. I used a basic powdered sugar glaze for this recipe, made by whisking together powdered sugar and heavy cream, but you can add any ingredients you’d like to make the frosting your own. Try adding in some food coloring, or maybe some fresh chopped strawberries, cocoa powder, or maybe orange extract. You really can add anything to this base for a fun, unique frosting.
Dip one half of each mini doughnut into the glaze to coat. Return to the cooling rack, then top the doughnuts with sprinkles or whatever toppings you love – candied ginger, chocolate jimmies, ground cinnamon, a peanut butter drizzle, chopped candy, etc. Have fun and be creative!
These easy and delicious mini doughnuts are perfect for brunch, bridal or baby showers, summer potlucks, or a fun weekend breakfast at home with the family. Everyone will love the flavors packed into these mini treats!
Be sure to share your take on this Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Mini Doughnuts recipe with us on Instagram using #MadeWithKitchenAid for a chance to be featured.
Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Mini Doughnuts
Makes 12 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup cake flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Sprinkles (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Spray the cavities of your Doughnut Pans from the KitchenAid® Professional-Grade Nonstick 6-Cavity Mini Doughnut Pan with a nonstick spray.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to cook and stir constantly just until butter begins to turn golden brown and smell nutty. Remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly before whisking in buttermilk and egg.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla bean seeds. Whisk flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Spoon about 2 tablespoons batter into each prepared cavity of the Doughnut Pans. You could also use a pastry bag to pipe in the batter if you’d prefer.
Bake doughnuts for 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 1 minute in the Doughnut Pans, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar and heavy cream until a thick glaze forms. Dip one side of each fully cooled doughnut in glaze to coat. Top with sprinkles, if desired.

*The Contributor of this post has been compensated by KitchenAid for this post, but this post represents the Contributor’s own opinion.*