Candy canes for breakfast, anyone? 

We love these baked donuts all year round, but they're especially fun to make when candy canes hit store shelves. Thanks to applesauce and pure maple syrup, they're lower in added sugar than your typical frosted donut, but still have all the nostalgic flavor you crave from one. Sweet memories are guaranteed if you let the kids help make the chocolate batter and crush the candy canes!

To make the donuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a standard donut pan very well, including the centers of the donut pan.
2. Add all donut ingredients to a medium bowl and stir until well combined.
3. Divide batter evenly between 10 donut cups, filling each about three-quarters full, using a scant 1/4 cup batter per donut.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of each donut comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and let donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Use a paring knife to loosen the edges of the donuts as needed and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing

1. Stir together confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, and milk in a small bowl until icing is uniform and smooth.
2. Dip each cooled donut into the icing and top with crushed candy canes.

Nellie's Notes

Please note that if you use sunflower seed butter, it will be noticeable in the flavor of the donuts. For a more neutral flavor, try almond butter.

To bake as mini muffins, use a mini muffin pan and bake for the same amount of time.

Crushing the candy canes is a great step for kids to help with! Place unwrapped candy canes into a zip top storage bag and let your kids have at it with a measuring cup or play hammer.

You can store these donuts for 3-5 days unfrosted in an airtight container in the fridge. They are fine to store frosted for up to 2 days, though the icing and candy canes are both more pronounced when added right before serving.