Baked Tahini Apple Donuts with Maple Glaze
Tender, nutty baked donuts made with tahini and studded with tart apples, finished with a silky maple glaze. These are wholesome enough for breakfast but indulgent enough for dessert, with a satisfying crumb from whole wheat flour balanced by the richness of tahini and the natural sweetness of maple.
Steps
Before you start
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Grease two 6-cavity donut pans with nonstick spray
- Bring eggs and tahini to room temperature (about 30 minutes)
- Have all ingredients measured and ready
Prepare apple mixture
- Peel, core, and finely grate or mince the Granny Smith apples using a box grater or food processor.
- You should have about 1.5 cups (240 g) grated apple.
- If the mixture is very wet, let it sit in a fine-mesh sieve for 2 minutes, then gently squeeze out excess moisture with paper towels—this prevents the batter from becoming too wet and keeps the donuts from being gummy.
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Ready when: Apples are finely grated or minced and excess moisture is removed
Tip: Squeezing out excess apple juice is key—too much moisture will make the batter heavy and the baked donuts dense.
Mix dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
- Whisk for 10 seconds to combine and aerate the flours.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: Dry ingredients are combined and lightened
Combine wet ingredients
- In a second large bowl, whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined, about 1 minute.
- The mixture should be pale, creamy, and homogeneous.
- Stir in the grated apples until evenly distributed throughout.
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Ready when: Wet mixture is smooth and creamy, apples are distributed evenly
Tip: Whisking tahini thoroughly prevents lumps; if it's too thick, the eggs help loosen it into a smooth batter.
Fold batter together
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined—there should be no dry flour streaks.
- Do not overmix; a slightly lumpy batter is fine.
- Overmixing develops gluten and will result in tough, dense donuts.
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Ready when: No dry flour streaks remain; batter is lumpy but cohesive
Tip: Stop as soon as streaks disappear—overmixing is the enemy of tender donuts.
Fill donut pansOven 350°F / 175°C
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) if not already done.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip, or use two spoons.
- Pipe or spoon the batter evenly into the prepared donut pan cavities, filling each about two-thirds full (about 2 tablespoons/30 ml per cavity).
- You should have 12 donuts total.
- Smooth the tops gently with a wet fingertip if needed.
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Ready when: All 12 cavities are filled evenly
Tip: A piping bag gives more uniform donuts, but spoons work fine—just avoid underfilling (donuts will be small) or overfilling (batter will spill into the pan seams).
Bake donutsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes.
- Donuts are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, and the tops spring back lightly when pressed with a finger.
- They should be set but still tender, not browned (they will have a light golden color on top).
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Ready when: Toothpick comes out clean, tops spring back when pressed lightly, no browning
Tip: Overbaking is the most common mistake—these donuts are more tender than cake donuts, so pull them at 10 minutes if unsure and check; they will firm up as they cool.
Cool donuts
- Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 8 minutes.
- Do not glaze while warm; the glaze will slide off.
- The donuts should be just warm or at room temperature when you glaze them.
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Ready when: Donuts are fully set and cool enough to handle, still slightly warm to the touch
Tip: Cooling in the pan for a few minutes helps them release cleanly; cooling on the rack prevents steam from making them soggy.
Make maple glaze
- While donuts cool, make the glaze.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the maple syrup.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the sifted powdered sugar until smooth.
- Add the maple extract (if using).
- The glaze should be thick but pourable; if it's too thick, whisk in 1 teaspoon of warm water at a time.
- If too thin, whisk in more powdered sugar by the tablespoon.
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Ready when: Glaze is smooth, pourable, and free of lumps
Tip: Warm glaze is easier to work with; if it starts to set and become thick, gently reheat over low heat for 10 seconds, stirring constantly.
Glaze donuts
- Dip the top of each cooled donut into the maple glaze, letting excess drip off, then return to the wire rack with the glazed side up.
- Work quickly while the glaze is still warm and pourable.
- If you wish, sprinkle a tiny pinch of sea salt flakes on top of each donut immediately after glazing, for a sweet-and-salty finish.
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Ready when: All donuts are glazed and any salt topping is applied
Tip: Work in a quick, smooth dipping motion to avoid excess glaze pooling on the top; a light hand makes for an elegant finish.
Set glaze
- Let the glazed donuts sit on the wire rack for 15 minutes to allow the glaze to set.
- Do not move them during this time—the glaze will firm up and will no longer drip off.
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Ready when: Glaze is firm to the touch and no longer sticky
Tip: If your kitchen is warm, glaze may take longer to set; in that case, place donuts in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to speed the process.
Good to know
Tips
- Tahini can separate with oil on top; stir it well before measuring to ensure the batter is evenly rich and not too oily.
- Do not skip the cooling step—warm donuts will collapse under the weight of hot glaze, and you'll end up with a soggy mess.
- These donuts are best served within a few hours of glazing, when the glaze is still soft and the donuts are tender. They firm up as they age and are less pleasant by the next day.
- For a brown-butter glaze, melt the butter in a small pan, then let it cook on medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it turns golden and smells nutty (2–3 minutes). Strain out the brown solids, then use the browned butter for the glaze—it adds a rich, toasty depth.
Make ahead
Donuts are best eaten fresh on the day they are baked, but can be baked up to 1 day ahead without glaze. Store unglazed donuts in an airtight container at room temperature; glaze and serve within 24 hours of baking.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: in an airtight container for up to 1 day (glaze firms up but remains soft). Refrigerator: up to 2 days in an airtight container; warm gently in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 3–4 minutes before serving. Freezer: up to 2 months unglazed in a freezer bag; thaw at room temperature for 1 hour, then warm in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.
Substitutions
- tahini (sesame paste) → almond butter or peanut butter. Use the same amount; the flavor will shift to almond or peanut, but the texture remains tender. Whole wheat flour can be reduced to 1 cup (130 g) if using peanut butter, as it's slightly less dense than tahini.
- Granny Smith apples → pears (same weight) or grated zucchini. Pears will be slightly softer and sweeter; zucchini will add moisture but less flavor—if using zucchini, squeeze out extra moisture and add 1 tablespoon grated cinnamon or allspice to the dry ingredients.
- whole wheat flour → all-purpose flour. Use 1.5 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour and omit the all-purpose flour in the recipe for a total of 1.5 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour. Donuts will be lighter and less nutty.
- pure maple syrup → honey or agave syrup (in donuts), with maple extract or vanilla in the glaze. Honey and agave will add sweetness but less maple flavor—compensate by adding 1 tsp maple extract to the batter and 1 tsp to the glaze for depth.
