Brown Butter Bacon Donuts — A soft, fluffy, brown butter donut, topped with a golden, brown sugar glaze, and crispy, toasty bacon. These baked donuts are the ultimate breakfast dessert combo.
I’m tellin ya, I’m seriously obsessed with brown butter right now — it’s the money maker in these Brown Butter Bacon Donuts. To be honest, I’m not sure whether these Brown Butter Bacon Donuts ought to be classified as a breakfast item, or dessert item, maybe both? Either way, they are LIFE CHANGING!!! The baked donuts, have a super light and delicate crumb, with a rich warm flavor that’s brought to life by the combination of brown butter and brown sugar incorporated into the donut batter. These Brown Butter Baked Donuts are then finished with a brown sugar glaze and a sprinkling of crispy bacon. Absolute HEAVEN.
I made Lemon Donuts a few weeks ago and they were sooo good. As soon as I made them I was like, I need to make another donut recipe ASAP — enter Brown Butter Bacon Donuts! Originally these donuts, were just going to be brown butter donuts, but when I made the “rough draft” of them, there was some leftover bacon from dinner, and I was like “hmmm, I wonder what these would taste like, with a bite of bacon?” And ooohhh baby! The bacon with these donuts, just puts everything over the top! And that’s how these donuts became Brown Butter BACON Donuts!
The Brown Butter
These donuts are so simple to make. The key to them is the brown butter! To make the brown butter, we start by chopping up the butter into four pieces, this helps the butter to melt quick and evenly. Then we let the butter bubble up, the butter will then begin to develop brown flakes, and then all of it will turn into golden brown liquid deliciousness! As soon as the butter has browned, remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl.
The Bacon
Bacon can sometimes be a pain to cook, because if you cook it on the stove, the oil splatters everywhere and then you have a giant mess on your hands. The good news is, I have way that I cook my bacon, that prevents a huge mess from happening. First line a baking sheet with tin foil, this will catch the grease from the bacon as the cook. Lay the bacon strips on the baking sheet, place the bacon into a cold oven, and then start preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The gradual increase in oven temperature roasts the bacon, so that it cooks evenly. Let the bacon bake for 20 minutes, then remove it from the oven and the bacon will be golden and crispy.
Tips for the Brown Butter Bacon Donuts
Tip One: Grease your donut pan! I recommend using a pastry brush to spread butter around the donut pan, this will keep the donuts from sticking, and make the removal process significantly easier.
Tip Two: Don’t over mix the batter. When we combine the wet and dry ingredients, it’s important to fold the ingredients together, instead of heavily whisking. Heavily mixing the batter, can activate the baking powder, before the donuts go in the oven which result in flat donuts. We want the baking powder to activate in the oven, so if we just fold the wet and dry ingredients together, we don’t risk early activation of the baking powder.
Tip Three: Don’t over bake the donuts. These Brown Butter Bacon Donuts only need about 8 minutes in the oven to develop the delicate and light crumb that we enjoy so much. If the donuts are baked for too long, they dry out quickly. Just a few minutes in the oven is all these beauties need!
How to Make Brown Butter Bacon Donuts
- Line a baking sheet with tinfoil, then lay the bacon strips onto the baking sheet, so the entire sheet is covered with bacon. Place the bacon in the oven and start preheating the oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Let the bacon cook for 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
2. Remove the bacon from the oven and let cool. Once cool, break the bacon up into small pieces. Set aside. Reduce the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
3. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
4. Slice the butter into four sections. Add the butter to a medium sauce pan, over medium heat. Stirring constantly, let the butter melt and then it will begin to bubble. Continue stirring, brown flecks will begin to form. Once all the butter has browned, remove it from the heat. Transfer the brown butter to a bowl.
5. In another mixing bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, milk, greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract. Slowly add in the brown butter.
6. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until just combined.
7. Using a pastry brush, grease a donut pan with softened butter.
8. Fill a gallon ziplock bag with the donut batter. Press the air out of the bag, and seal it shut. Cut off a 1/4″ corner of the bag. Pipe the batter into the donut rings, filling them about 3/4 of the way full.
9. Bake the donuts for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Then remove the donuts from the oven and let cool 20 minutes. Then carefully remove the donuts from the pan.
10. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar and milk, stir together until it forms a sauce. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze on to the top of the donuts. Then sprinkle the bacon on top. Let the donuts sit for about 10 minutes, to let the brown sugar glaze set, then enjoy the donuts! Store the donuts in an airtight container for up to a week, for optimal freshness.
Brown Butter Bacon Donuts
Equipment
- Donut Pan
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 2 Cup Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 Eggs
- 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 Cup Browned Butter
- 2 Tbsps Extra Light Olive Oil
- 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
For the topping
- 9 Tbsps Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsps Milk
- 1 package Bacon
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with tin foil, then lay the bacon strips onto the baking sheet, so the entire sheet is covered with bacon. Place the bacon in the oven and start preheating the oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Let the bacon cook for 20 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the oven and let cool. Once cool, break the bacon up into small pieces. Set aside. Reduce the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Slice the butter into four sections. Add the butter to a medium sauce pan, over medium heat. Stirring constantly, let the butter melt and then bubble. Continue stirring, brown flecks will begin to form. Once all the butter has browned, remove it from the heat. Transfer the brown butter to a bowl.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, milk, greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract. Slowly add in the brown butter.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until just combined.
- Using a pastry brush, grease a donut pan with softened butter.
- Fill a gallon ziplock bag with donut batter, press the air out of the bag, and seal it shut. Cut off a 1/4" corner of the bag. Pipe the batter into the donut rings, filling them about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake the donuts for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from the oven and let cool 20 minutes. Then carefully remove the donuts from the pan.
- In a bowl, combine the brown sugar and milk, until it forms a sauce. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze on to the top of the donuts. Then sprinkle the bacon on top of the donuts. Let the donuts sit for about 10 minutes, to let the brown sugar glaze set, then enjoy the donuts. Store the donuts in an airtight container for up to a week, for optimal freshness.