Glazed Donut Cookies are soft & pillowy donut-shaped cookies with a lovely chocolate or vanilla glaze & topped with sprinkles! Everything you love about donuts, only in cookie form!
Our family has always loved maple bars, so when I had the idea to make maple donut cookies, I was so exited to test the process out! I used my Soft Buttermilk Sugar Cookie dough recipe because unlike other donut cookies, where you cut out donut shapes from traditional sugar cookie dough, I wanted these to really resemble donuts in taste and texture. The result? OMG! They’re incredible! Rejoice, because I’m about to introduce you to your new favorite cookie! They’re soft and pillowy, perfectly sweet cookies with a lovely glaze topping. Sprinkles are optional but super fun! Be sure to read my notes and watch the video. Donut Cookies aren’t difficult to make, but the dough is a bit sticky, so I give tips on managing it better.
How to make buttermilk sugar cookie dough
Making great sugar cookies begins with a great recipe and this one is fantastic. Gather your ingredients and start by adding the wet ingredients in the order shown in the recipe below. Then combine your dry ingredients and slowly work them into the butter mixture. Please don’t skip the next step- you MUST chill this dough! I recommend chilling it for at least an hour, as well as in between batches of cookies.
How to make donut cookies
Donut cookies are a bit different than regular cookies, so here’s how to be successful in making them. First, mix the dough using an electric mixer. I use a KitchenAid mixer. I love mine! I have a Bosch as well but I find I use my KitchenAid for cookies. There is a cookie paddle that comes with every mixer that you attach to the top of the mixer. They’re easy to use and help you mix the ingredients uniformly.
Second, line your cookie sheets with a piece of parchment paper. They’re sold in sizes that fit a 12×16 cookie sheet perfectly and enable to cookies to bake well without sticking. This is especially important for this recipe as the dough is quite sticky.
The third item is a cookie scoop! Normally I recommend a cookie scoop so that you end up with uniformly sized cookies. In this instance, a cookie scoop is just a great way to measure out the same amount of dough for each donut. One critical step for your sanity in this recipe is to first spray the inside of the cookie scoop with non-stick spray. Trust me, life will just be easier this way! Spray the cookie scoop, spray your hands and after each batch of donut cookies made (which is 6-8 cookies, depending how well you space them apart of the pan) you’ll return the dough to the refrigerator, wash your hands and the cookie scoop. These little steps help make the process go much more smoothly!
How to make chocolate glaze
To make the chocolate glaze for Glazed Donut Cookies, you first combine 2 TBSP milk, butter and chocolate chips in a small mixing bowl. Heat for 40 seconds. Add in powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth, adding additional milk as needed for glaze to be smooth and dippable. If glaze cools, microwave for an additional 15 seconds.
How to make vanilla glaze
To make the vanilla glaze for Glazed Donut Cookies, you first combine 2 TBSP milk and butter in a small mixing bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Add in powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth, adding additional milk as needed for glaze to be smooth and dippable. If glaze cools, microwave for an additional 15 seconds.
Ingredients you need to make Glazed Donut Cookies
To make our Glazed Donut Cookies, you need the following ingredients:
- 1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
To make vanilla glaze you’ll need:
- 2 TBSP butter
- 2-3 TBSP milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
To make chocolate glaze you’ll need:
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2-3 TBSP milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Each batch yields yields 2.5- 3 dozen cookies.
How to make Chocolate & Vanilla Glazed Donut Cookies
- Cream together butter and sugars for 1 minute. Add in egg, buttermilk and vanilla and mix again until smooth.
- Combine dry ingredients and add 1/2 to the mixing bowl. Mix, then add the other half. Dough will be softer and stickier than normal cookie dough. Cover and let cool in fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spray cookie scoop and your hands lightly with non-stick spray. Scoop out about 1.5 to 2 TBSP of cookie dough into your hand. Roll dough into a ball and gently flatten the ball until it’s about 1/2″ thick. You can shape the cookie dough into donuts in one of two ways. Method 1) Use a small round biscuit cutter to punch a hole in the center of the flattened dough. Place the donut hole back into the mixing bowl to be used for more cookies. This method is easier when you spray the biscuit cutter with non-stick spray first. Method 2) Press the top and bottom center of the flattened dough with your thumb and forefinger until you create a hole. Use your hands to pull the hole open wider, until it’s about 2-2.5″ wide. Place shaped donut cookies on the parchment lined cookie sheet, repeating process until you have 6-8 cookies on your sheet.
- Place mixing bowl with remaining dough back in the fridge or freezer. Bake for 9-10 minutes and let cool for an additional 2 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- To make VANILLA GLAZE: Combine 2 TBSP milk and butter in a small mixing bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Add in powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth, adding additional milk as needed for glaze to be smooth and dippable. If glaze cools, microwave for an additional 15 seconds.
- To make CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Combine 2 TBSP milk, butter and chocolate chips in a small mixing bowl. Heat for 40 seconds. Add in powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth, adding additional milk as needed for glaze to be smooth and dippable. If glaze cools, microwave for an additional 15 seconds.
- Dip the top round face of each cooled donut cookie in warm glaze. Shake with sprinkles immediately, if desired. Cool to set. Cookies can be stacked once cooled. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
LIKE THIS SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE? HERE ARE OTHERS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Frosted Lemon Sugar cookies
- Strawberry Sugar Cookies
- Blueberry Banana Cookies
- Raspberry Meltaway Cookies
This photo fairly accurately depicts January in our state! Thankfully, snow is fun, so my kids don’t seem to mind at all. Here’s my youngest daughter, smiling for a photo after burying herself in snow. Can you say, COLD?!
Amy says
I love these cookies – how fun! Found you at Foodie Friday.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Amy!
Nancy Bachman says
This recipe is very close to my donut recipe. Would it change anything to add nutmeg to the dough?
That way it would mimic my classic recipe.