Mini Nutter Butter Baked Donuts with Chocolate Ganache {+Fiestaware Plates}

Check out my new comment system from comment luv! Let me know what you think!

I haven’t made baked donuts in awhile. My daughter got one of those mini donut makers a couple years ago, and we basically overdosed on these sweet babies…so it’s been awhile.  But FN Dish (my weekly contribution to their Comfort Food Feast) asked us to make something comforting with peanut butter. Therefore, I whipped out our little machine and baked some Nutter Butter Donuts with Chocolate Ganache.  I kind of took the glaze thing one step further and made a ganache.  Oh how I love ganache. The combination of bittersweet chocolate and cream; it doesn’t get any better!

I also really love peanut butter.  I picked up the peanut butter habit a little later in life.  It really frustrated my Mom when I was a kid. No peanut butter and jelly in this girl’s lunch box. I would eat cream cheese and jelly, but that got pretty boring pretty quick.  In high school I learned to love this creamy peanut spread. I actually viewed a PB and J as a huge treat and devoured the sandwiches as after school snacks.

I had some Nutter Butter cookies in my pantry so I decided to incorporate their classic peanut buttery goodness and use them as a cute garnish (I used the snack packs that easily fit into my kids brown bag lunches).  The donuts are moist and a little bit healthier since they are baked. However, I may have deleted that fact by slathering on the chocolate ganache.

I used a mini donut maker.  These guys are pretty cheap and make baked donuts REALLY EASY! However, you can easily bake these in a donut pan and oven - instructions below. If you are interested in a mini donut maker here’s the link – Bella Cucina 13466 Donut Maker

On a side note, I’d like to talk about the beautiful blue plate I’ve used in the photos. This is a Fiestaware plate that dates back to the 1930’s. I have been eating off this plate since I was a little kid. They were passed down to my Mom, from my Dad’s Mom, when they first got married. I was the next lucky recipient when I got married. Since inheriting these plates, I have collected more antique Fiestaware (there is also a modern day version that is sold at Macy's) that I hope to incorporate into more of my pics. My parents are antique buffs so they helped expand my collection. I’ve kind of gotten the antiquing bug lately, so I’m hoping to include some of my nostalgic finds in future posts.

Mini Nutter Butter Baked Donuts with Chocolate Ganache

Recipe by Liz Hughes - Virtually Homemade

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 4 to 8 minutes
Yield: 12 mini donuts, 6 regular donuts
Ingredients

• 2 snack bags (1 ounce each) Nutter Butter Bites cookies
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Chocolate sprinkles and snack size Nutter Butter Bites cookies for garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F if not using a donut maker.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cookies until they form into a fine crumb. In a medium bowl combine cookie crumbs, peanut butter, butter and brown sugar. Mix with electric beaters until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
4. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and beat until a thick dough forms.
6. Grease donut pan thoroughly.
7. If using a donut maker, heat it according to manufacturer directions and scoop about a tablespoon of dough for each mini donut well - dough should come to the top of the bottom well. Close lid and bake until done.
8. If using the oven, fill donut wells to the top edge. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes for mini donuts and 8 minutes for regular sized ones. The donuts should spring back when gently touched and be golden brown. Let cool on a rack.
9. Put chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat heavy cream in a microwave proof container. Heat until just starting to simmer (not boiling). Pour cream over chocolate and whisk until all of the chocolate has melted. If you are having problems getting the chocolate to melt, you can heat it a touch more (about 15 seconds) in the microwave or on the stove top.
10. Take each donut and dip it half way into the ganache. Set donut upright on the rack, garnish with sprinkles and a Nutter Butter cookie if desired. Repeat with all donuts.

More Peanut Butter recipes from my favorite food bloggers and FN Dish (Food Network):

Domesticate Me: Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oats (Vegan and Gluten-Free)
Jeanette's Healthy Living: Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
The Heritage Cook: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Virtually Homemade: Mini Nutter Butter Baked Donuts with Chocolate Ganache
Weelicious: World's Greatest Peanut Butter and Jelly 
In Jennie's Kitchen: Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cinnamon Buns
Red or Green: Peanut Butter and Ginger Cookies
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Thai Red Curry and Peanut Vegetable Slaw
Devour: Most-Comforting Peanut Butter Desserts
Taste With The Eyes: Korean Buckwheat Noodles, Peanut Sauce and Banana
Sensitive Epicure: Peanut Butter Oat Bars (Gluten-Free)
FN Dish: 10 Peanut Butter Pairings
Feed Me Phoebe: Thia Peanut Chia Pudding