This Baileys Doughnuts recipe is soft and easy to make! The doughnuts are baked in the oven and topped with Irish Cream chocolate glaze.
In homage to my hometown bakery and my Irish heritage I celebrate with these Baileys Chocolate Doughnuts.
We all have our guilty pleasures in life. Guilty pleasure are those foods we know contain more calories than we'd like to consume but we just sort of 'look the other way' and eat them anyway. They're the 'sorry, not sorry' foods.
There are a number of food items on my 'guilty pleasure' list - french fries, chicken wings, and anything with a dough-y crust - but none ranks higher than the doughnut. Especially if said doughnut contains chocolate.
I think this love for doughnuts comes from my local hometown bakery. This place makes the best doughnuts. And it's one of those places that never changes.
There's a Formica counter where old-timers sit and read the paper while sipping 25 cent cups of coffee while The Price Is Right plays on the TV. It looks the same today as it did when I walked in there at the age of 6.
One of my favorite things to order were the freshly made doughnuts and that love for doughnuts is just as strong today as it was back then.
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How To Make Baked Doughnuts
I always thought doughnuts were a complicated affair but I was wrong. Doughnuts are incredibly easy to make. And this is coming from the world's 'not greatest baker'.
Doughnuts are definitely fun to eat and I was happy to discover that they are also fun to make.
These doughnuts are gluten free and uses a gluten free flour blend such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Flour or Cup 4 Cup. I love gluten free flour blends such as these, because they work just as AP flour would and require no complicated substitutions or ingredients.
Feel free to use AP flour if gluten is not an issue for you.
- Start out by heating the oven to 350 degrees.
- Gather 2 mixing bowls - One for dry ingredients and one for wet.
- In one bowl add 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend (or AP flour if not gluten free), 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. baking soda, ⅛ tsp. kosher salt, and ⅛ tsp. grated nutmeg (I highly recommend using whole nutmeg if you can find it).
- Mix these ingredients together with a fork.
How To Make Baileys Doughnuts Batter
- In a separate bowl combine 2 eggs, ⅓ cup packed brown sugar, ¼ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup Bailey's Irish Cream, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
- Melt 2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter in the microwave and drizzle it into the wet ingredients (make sure the butter is not too hot or it will cook the egg).
- Mix the butter into the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- Now add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold them together. Stir just until combined. Try not to over-mix the batter or the doughnuts may become tough.
The batter will be pretty thick and very sticky.
How To Pipe The Batter Into A Doughnut Pan
The tool that makes these doughnuts so easy is a doughnut pan. I don't get too into 'kitchen gadgets' but this thing is really amazing. It makes the whole process so easy. There's no rolling or cutting of the dough and no frying in super hot oil.
To prevent the doughnuts from sticking as they bake I recommend spraying the pan with cooking oil or grease the pan with some butter.
You can spoon the dough into the molds but I recommend piping the dough using a pastry bag or a durable sandwich bag.
- I learned a great tip last week that easily gets the dough into the piping bag! Simply open the sandwich bag and place it into a wide mouth glass or mason jar.
- Spread the opening of the sandwich bag around the mouth of the glass and spoon the dough into the bag.
- Then remove the bag, seal it, snip one of the corners with a scissors, and pipe the dough into the molds.
There should be enough dough for 6 doughnuts.
How Long Should I Bake Baileys Doughnuts?
Place the pan in the oven and bake the doughnuts for 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Feel free to check them around the 10 minute mark but I found that 12 minutes was perfect.
The tops will get nice and golden as they bake. The doughnuts should feel 'springy' to the touch.
Remove from the oven when they are finished baking and allow them to cool completely.
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How To Make Chocolate Ganache Glaze
The next step is to make the glaze. The glaze is basically a chocolate ganache but it's even better because it's Bailey's chocolate ganache. That's right - There's Bailey's in the dough and in the glaze!
- To make the ganache simply heat 2 Tbsp. butter and ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave.
- Once the chocolate and butter are melted slowly drizzle ¼-1/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream into the pan. The Bailey's is taking the place of heavy whipping cream in this ganache.
- Stir until the mixture is combined and the ganache is silky smooth.
To finish the doughnuts simply remove them from the pan and dip them into the warm ganache and move them around a bit so the entire top is coated.
Place them on a cooling rack or just on the counter to cool. I like to sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on top of the chocolate. The salt balances the sweetness.
How Long Do Baked Doughnuts Last?
These Baileys Doughnuts should last 2 days stored in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature. If storing for more than 2 days, transfer the doughnuts to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Be sure to allow them to cool completely before transferring to a container for storage.
Can These Doughnuts Be Frozen?
Yes!
- To freeze glazed doughnuts arrange them on a cookie sheet and place it in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
- Remove the frozen doughnuts and place them in a heavy-duty plastic freezer bag. Remove any air from the bag, label, and store in the freezer.
- Thaw the doughnuts by placing the bag in the fridge 24 hours before serving. Be sure not to thaw and then re-freeze doughnuts as this can cause bacteria to grow.
- To thaw, transfer the doughnuts to the fridge 24 hours before serving. They may be heated in the stove or the microwave.
If you love doughnuts check out these Baked Glazed Lemon Doughnuts!
Love chocolate desserts? Check out these recipes!
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Baileys Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
For The Doughnuts:
- 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend or AP flour if not gluten free
- 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ⅛ tsp. kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp. nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ packed cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup Bailey's Irish Cream
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For The Glaze:
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼-1/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
For The Doughnuts:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a doughnut pan with cooking spray or rub with butter to prevent sticking.
- In one mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend (or AP flour if not gluten free), 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. baking soda, ⅛ tsp. kosher salt, and ⅛ tsp. nutmeg or freshly grated nutmeg. Stir until combined with a fork.
- In another mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients: 2 eggs, ⅓ packed cup brown sugar, ¼ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup Bailey's Irish Cream, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Stir until combined. Melt 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in the microwave and drizzle into wet ingredients (Make sure butter is not hot enough to cook eggs). Stir until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold together. Stir just until the wet and dry ingredients are combined (Try not to over-mix so doughnuts do not become tough). The batter should be thick and sticky.
- Add the batter to a pastry bag or durable sandwich bag for piping. To easily add the batter to the bag simply open the sandwich bag and place into a large water glass or mason jar. Spread the opening of the sandwich bag over the mouth of the jar. Spoon the batter into the bag, remove the bag from the jar, seal it, and cut one of the corners with a scissors. Pipe the batter into the greased doughnut molds.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. The tops should get nice and golden brown and the doughnuts should be springy to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
For The Glaze:
- To make the ganache heat 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter and ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips over a double boiler. The butter and chocolate can also be melted in the microwave. Once the chocolate has melted slowly drizzle in ¼-1/3 cup of Bailey's Irish Cream. Stir until the mixture is silky smooth. Remove from heat.
- Remove the cooled doughnuts from the pan and dip them into the ganache one by one. Move them around in the ganache until the tops are totally coated. Place on cooling rack or counter to cool. Sprinkle the tops with sea salt (optional).
Cindy
I'm a huge donut fan and this combo is amazing - definitely going to try it!