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You might want to sit down for what I’m about to tell you. It’s sorta kinda embarassing.
I’ve NEVER had a Cinnabon before. Yes, that’s correct. I’m a stranger to those ooey, gooey, vanilla glaze drippy, soft and moist (from what I’m told), HUGE cinnamon buns everyone knows and loves. I know, I must live on another planet or something. Can someone please get this girl to the nearest mall or something stat?
Anyhoooo. These donuts.
While I can’t compare them to a Cinnabon, I can certainly tell you that these here donuts….. taste EXACTLY like your mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls. Or you know, the Pillsbury ones available in your local grocer’s dairy aisle. But mine are actually pretty healthy.
These donuts are lowfat, BAKED donuts. Something not typically associated with cinnamon buns! My secret is applesauce and low fat buttermilk. 
They are so moist, rich-tasting, and flavorful. And chock full of cinnamon flavor. Feel free to add or reduce the amount of cinnamon if you prefer. Now, let’s discuss that super drippy, luscious vanilla glaze. It’s a simple 3 ingredient glaze remiscent of a Krispy Kreme glaze– unlike a Cinnabon, I’ve actually had a Krispy Kreme before!
{mmm glaze bath!}
You’ll be surprised just how cheap and easy it is to make baked donuts – they take less than 10 minutes in the oven! Plus, you have complete control over the ingredients you add in. I found my donut pan at Target for under $10 and has been worth its weight in gold!
Baked Cinnamon Bun Donuts with Vanilla Glaze
makes 8-9 donuts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Just under 1 full tsp cinnamon (add more or less, depending on how strong of a cinnamon bun taste you’d like)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp lowfat buttermilk
- 4 Tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp butter, melted
Preheat oven to 325F degrees and spray donut pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, add applesauce, lowfat buttermilk, egg, vanilla and melted butter. Whisk or stir to combine. Slowly add to the dry ingredients. Stir until *just combined.* Do not overmix.
Using a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off, pipe the batter carefully into prepared donut pan making sure each cavity is only 2/3 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes (donuts should be fluffy and should spring back when touched – mine took exactly 10 minutes).
Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan, about 5 minutes. Dip into glaze.
Vanilla Glaze
- 1/2 c (or more) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tsp milk or cream (I used vanilla almond milk)
While donuts are baking or cooling, combine the powdered sugar + vanilla extract. Add the milk or cream (whichever you are using), one teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. I used 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of almond milk.
Dip the donuts into the glaze after they’ve cooled for 5 minutes out of the oven.
adapted from Averie Cooks
© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012 recipe & photos
ps: If you like these donuts, you will flip for my Mini (no yeast) Cinnamon Buns :)
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad you tried my recipe and you have me craving donuts right now! They look delish!!
you’ll have to break out that donut pan again Averie! i can only imagine what you’d come up with next
These donuts sound just as delicious as fried and are much healthier – thanks
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
definitely MUCH healthier – soooo you can eat more of them, right?
I think everyone can forgive you for not having a Cinnabon but only because you posted this recipe. Looks incredible!!
Ha! Thanks Emily… I should try one soon so I can make an accurate comparison. But for now, these taste just like homemade cinnamon buns
Be still my heart! These are so much better than a sickly sweet Cinnabon! I wish I was your neighbor. It would be my duty to help you eat these!
I wish we were neighbors! I think our neighborhood would permanently smell of glaze, peanut butter, and cinnamon.
i recently started making baked donuts too! & i seriously love them! ♥ totally agree with you. hehe~ will give this a try!
I may be in the minority, but I actually think the cinnabons smell far better than they taste. They always manage to be undercooked in the middle, with a weird chewy doughiness that really skeeves me out. These donuts look great – I’ve given my donut pan a 2 week rest, so I think it’s dying for a little more use!
*rushes out to buy donut pan*. These look so yum, can’t wait to try
Ha! I highly suggest spending $10 on a donut pan! The possibilities are endless
SO pretty. Oh, I want one so bad!
Coming from you Dorothy – the queen of pretty desserts – that means alot!
i love all your donut creations! i wish you could box them up in a bakers dozen and just hand me some
hehe I love donuts but what i love is that you bake them!! yum! i seriously need a donut pan!
Julie! thank you so much. Definitely spend the $10 on a donut pan! I know you’d come up with the tastiest donut creations.
These look soooo amazing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a Cinnabon, but they are definitely worth a try. I can’t wait to make these donuts. I love cinnamon rolls of any kind, so I’m getting hungry just thinking about these. Found your blog through Pinterest, and it is really cute. I’ll definitely be coming back : )
Laura! So nice to “meet” you. Reading this put a huge smile on my face, so THANK YOU! & thanks for stopping by! I love connecting with new readers just like you.
Thanks for coming over to my blog too, Sally! I really appreciate it. I’m new to the blogging scene and having a tough time building a following, especially among other bloggers, so it was so cool to see your comment. I can’t wait to see more of your recipes!
Laura Dembowski recently posted..Roasted Ramps and Mushrooms with Salmon
Gaaah! I’m fighting all temptation to get a donut maker but these make the fight a million times harder! Great recipe, Sally.
Never had a cinnabon??? Girl we need to get you one fast…they are amazing! Although honestly I like the calorie content of your donuts better so scratch that…let’s just meet up and chit chat over these yummy looking donuts!!!
Made these last night and they are fabulous
perfect with a cup of chai.
Eliza – wow. i never thought to pair it with a cup of chai. that sounds INCREDIBLE! i’m doing that next time I bake these. so glad you enjoyed them and THANK YOU for letting me know you made them!
Cinnamon bun doughnuts are three seriously fantastic words.
Baking Serendipity recently posted..Peanut Butter and Banana Graham Cracker Sandwiches
Oh wow – these look incredible too! Where have you been all my life – ha ha! I’m a new follower via email.
Thanks Jenn! These donuts are definitely yummy.
So glad to “meet” you. Thanks for checking out SBA 
Thanks for linking up to Showcase Your Talent Thursday, you have been featured! http://whatscookinglove.blogspot.com/2012/05/showcase-your-talent-thursday-7.html
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I LOVE your way of thinking
and I LOVE the idea for baked donuts! I think I’m gonna give it a try pretty soon! thanks for the inspiration
Mom Photographer (@MomPhotographer) recently posted..MomPhotographer: Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie http://t.co/QBFOCs30
Baked donuts are surprisingly SO easy and MUCH healthier than their fried counterpart. I hope you make baked donuts sometime soon!
EXCELLENT recipe. I used lactose free milk instead of buttermilk and my Grandma’s recipe for Vanilla Glaze. I doubled it and got exactly 18 doughnuts but I had to scrape the pan to get the last one. Everyone loved it. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Sarah Jo recently posted..Tuna Noodle Casserole Awesomesauce.
LOVE hearing that Sarah – so glad you enjoyed the donuts. It’s annoyign to buy buttermilk and only use a smidge of it for recipes sometimes, so I will try lactose free or regular milk sometime!
Saw this and HAD to scour the internet to find a pan in the UK!! love the look of ALL your recipes and found some new snacks that have not made it over the water yet. Can’t wait for my next girls night, I’ll be wowing them with some of these! Keep em coming Sally x
Thanks Sam! I hope you got a donut pan and enjoy these donuts!
Great-looking recipe, can’t wait to try it! Have ordered donut pans from Amazon. Love your blog!
I love my donut pan! You will too. Thank you for saying hi Lea!
You have me craving some donuts for the dinner! They look fabulous!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Apple, Ginger and Treacle Tart
Hey Angie!! Donuts for dinner — that’s not such a bad thing.. is it?!
Wow! These look delicious– faux-nuts. We must try this recipe. Thank you!
These were delicious! I’m stopping myself from eating another one or I won’t have any left to take into my work tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe. I like a little more cinnamon so next time I make them I’ll put more in. Also I liked the apple in them. They would be good with little pieces of apple as well.
Even more cinnamon? I like your style! Little apple chunks – I like that idea too! Thank you for reporting back and I’m glad you enjoy them!
I made these with oat flour instead of flour and put them in my new mini donut maker I got for christmas… YUM!! great snack!
thanks for reporting back, melanie! I sould try these with oat flour sometime. I wish i had a cute mini donut pan. They make the most adorable little donuts!
IS there any way that you can put down the nutritional facts please?
Hi Susan – my website and recipe development does not offer nutrition information at this time. Feel free to plug the ingredients into a calorie counter, though. Thank you! http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/faq/
Do you have any suggestions for conatinering and trasnporting them? They are delicious but every time I make them the glaze sort of disintegrates into the doughnuts themselves instead of being the pretty shell on top.
They are so delicious though!
Hi Rachel! I suggest that you glaze them immediately before serving. If you’d like the glaze to be thicker, add a bit more powdered sugar. And a sprinkle of salt to offset the sweetness.
Ah to have that kind of time! Maybe I’ll try dipping them in the morning right before work
. Also just noting your buttermilk problems – you can freeze it in tablespoon increments in an ice cube tray then you’ll always have it on hand in easy measurments when you need it!
great idea, thanks so much Rachel!
I made these yesterday and the only thing I changed was to substitute half the flour with almond flour. They were PERFECT. I love my donut pan..and I bought mine at Target too! Thanks for your awesome recipes.
Hey Amy! That is SO great to hear. I’ve never tried these with almond flour – must give that a go sometime. I’m obsessed with my donut pan. I need to make donuts again stat.
I subbed the egg for a flax egg and the buttermilk for almond milk to make these vegan and they turned out PERFECT!
Fabulous, Natalie! I’m so glad to hear that. I’ve never tried these as vegan donuts before and I’m glad to know they are tasty
Wow….that is all!…and somewhat justifiable…healthy!…to boot!!….Do you think these would work with the electric mini or regular size donut makers?…For some strange reason one can find those easily in France…but NOT the actual low-tech donut pans…We have similar “savarin” pans/molds…but the indentation in the middle is not “high” enough to avoid batter over-taking the “hole” element!….I simply adore your site and you are bursting with baking prowess…Chapeau!
Yes! These will work perfectly in a donut maker too.
I think that’s so funny you can find the makers but not the pans! I wish I had a maker. Someday!
For those who discover this recipe and are without a donut pan (but it’s definitely on the shopping list now!!) but have a muffin pan – I took small pieces of foil, and shaped them around the top of the handle on a wooden spoon, then fanned out the bottoms to create ‘holes’. After a generous spray of cooking spray an using the Ziploc bag method to distribute the batter – it worked!
Baked about 15 minutes, 5 min out of oven and followed icing instructions and they were amazing! Make sure to spray well with cooking spray, I feel like I lost some valuable donut real estate removing the foil from the bottoms before icing.
All and all an amazing recipe for a cold Sunday! I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you so much!! Cured my long craving for a delicious, warm cake-like donut!
Hey Sara! This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your donut trick! There is quite nothing like warm donuts on a cold winter day.
Hi there! I am always looking for new recipes for my customers! (www.facebook.com/mypamperedchef.christineyoder )I love what I’ve found on your page! I noticed on one recipe it said it’s ok to share them as long as we give you credit, I just want to make sure that is still your policy! (like adding your website here to the end of the recipe) I did it once but just wanted to double check before I shared any more!
I think I’ll make them in the Pampered Chef Brownie pan since I don’t have a donut pan (never heard of that but sounds like a great thing to have!) Thank you for this amazing site!!!
These look amazing and I plan on making them soon!!! I didn’t have buttermilk so I was happy to see that you can substitute milk!
You may share a link to my recipes at any time! Thank you!
Just made these as muffins and they are delicious!!! I didn’t have apple sauce, so I substituted it with mashed banana. I also didn’t have buttermilk, so I used almond milk. I also used 1/4 almond flour and 3/4 regular all purpose. They tasted a little like banana, but that was a good thing. Yummy!!! Will be making these again. I think I’ll double the recipe next time.
Sounds like perfection, Angela. I’ll have to try them with banana next time. Thank you for reporting back!
Oooh I cannot wait to try these! If they’re a hit like I hope I’m definitely going to make mini ones for my daughter’s minnie mouse birthday party!
that sounds like such a fun party!
Enjoy Courtney!
These were great! My family and I loved them
That’s great Teresa! I love these donuts. I need to make them again soon!
Sally, I’ve just spent the last 2 days looking at all of your recipes, especially the “skinny” ones. I also try to substitute applesauce for 1/2 of the oil but didn’t realize it could sub all of the fat. I used soy mild and nut oil so that it would be dairy less. Just made the donuts…boy will my son be happy when he gets home. Now, on to the chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes.
Hi Mali! So glad you’re enjoying the healthier options on my website. Your adapted donuts sound great!
Growing up a Cinnabon was the ultimate treat. I need one of these donuts in my life.
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