These Maple Donut Bars are soft, simple, and from Scratch. Perfect for dessert or a snack, these maple donuts are fluffy, buttery, and delicious.
If you love homemade donuts, you have to try our brioche donuts and old fashioned sour cream donuts.
Maple donut bars
This recipe for Maple Donut Bars is so easy to follow and the results are decadent and perfectly sweet. You’ll love the fall flavors of this tasty snack, which goes as great with coffee and it does with dessert. Made with yeast for that wonderful fluffiness, and topped with sweet maple icing that melts in your mouth, these homemade Maple Donut Bars are so good, you’ll never get enough.
Here is what ingredients you will need
To make these Maple donut bars from scratch, you’ll need All-purpose flour, Yeast, Eggs, Granulated sugar, Salt, Unsalted butter, Milk, and Water.
Maple donut glaze
To make the Maple glaze that goes on top of each donut bar, you’ll be using Unsalted butter, Powdered sugar, Brown sugar, Corn syrup, Milk, and Maple extract
How to make maple donuts from scratch
Here’s a quick run-down of how to make Maple donut bars, but you can get the full details in the printable recipe card below!
Make the dough
- Froth the yeast. Add the warm water to the yeast, warm milk, and sugar. Give it a quick whisk and then wait until it gets foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Combine ingredients. Using a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, sugar, yeast mixture, and eggs. Mix everything together with the hook attachment at medium-high speed.
- Add the butter. When the dough starts to come together, add the butter and continue mixing for another 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic, and not sticking to the sides of the bowl.
Rise, cut, and fry the donuts
- Let the dough rise. Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it doubles in size.
- Punch it down and proof again. After it has risen, punch the donut dough down. Reshape it and let it rise again to double another hour.
- Roll, cut, and proof the donuts. Place the dough on a floured surface and dust it with flour before rolling it out with a rolling pin. It should be about 3/4-inch thick and in the shape of a rectangle (about 15×17 inches). Cut out 12 donut bars with a pizza cutter and place them on a floured baking sheet. Let them rise for 30 more minutes.
- Fry the donut bars. Pour about 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and let the oil reach 360-375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry each side of the donuts for a few minutes, until they are golden brown.
- Let them cool. Place the donuts on a baking sheet with paper towels to absorb excess oil to cool.
Dip them in the maple glaze
- Make the maple glaze. Melt the butter for the glaze in a saucepan and then add the brown sugar, milk, and corn syrup. Then turn the heat up to medium and let it come to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the maple extract and powdered sugar. Stir until smooth.
- Dip the donuts into the glaze. Dip one side of each cooled donut into the maple glaze and then let it solidify on a cooling rack. Serve.
These can be made in advance!
Yes, you can prep these Maple Donut Bars the night before. Just make the dough and place it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, roll it out and fry it, then glaze it. This will save you some time if you planned to serve these for breakfast.
How long will they keep?
These maple bars will keep for about 2 days at room temperature, and about a week in the refrigerator. Place them in a ziplock bag or covered with plastic wrap to keep them from going stale.
Can I freeze them?
No, maple glaze donuts don’t freeze well. The glaze just doesn’t defrost right and so your donuts won’t survive well in the freezer.
More donut recipes you’ll love
- Old fashioned sour cream donuts
- Zeppole (Italian donuts)
- Japanese mochi donuts (video)
- Buttery Brioche donuts
- Ponchiki Russian donut holes
Full Recipe Instructions
Maple Donut Bars From Scratch
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
For the maple glaze
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 TBSP milk
- 1 TBSP corn syrup
- 2 tsp maple extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Froth up the yeast
- Combine 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees Fahrenheit), 3/4 cup warm milk along with 1 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp yeast. Give it a quick whisk and wait till it gets foamy. About 10 minutes.
Combine everything in a stand mixer
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add 5 1/2 cups of flour(spooned and leveled off with a knife) , 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup sugar, the frothy yeast mixture, and 5 large eggs. Using the hook attachment, mix everything together on medium-high speed.
- When the donut dough begins to come together add 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter. Continue mixing on medium-high speed for about 8 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and no longer sticks to the sides of the stand mixer.
Let the dough rise
- Place the donut dough in a greased bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Then let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size. ( I like to speed it up in the oven on the “proof” setting).
Punch and proof a second time
- After the dough rises punch it down, reshape it, and let it rise again until it becomes twice the size (about an hour),
Roll, cut, and proof the donuts again
- Now remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a well-floured surface. Dust some more flour on top and roll it out using a rolling pin. You want the dough to be about a 3/4 inch thick rectangle. (About 15×17 inches)
- Now cut out the 12 donut bars using a pizza cutter and place them on a baking sheet dusted with flour. Then let them rise for about 30 more minutes.
Fry the donuts
- Pour about 2 inches of corn or vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and let the oil come to 360-375 degrees Fahrenheit (I used this instant-read thermometer). Now fry each side of the donut for a few minutes per side or until golden brown.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Let them cool completely.
Make the maple glaze and dip
- To make the glaze melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter in a saucepan. Then add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3 TBSP milk, and 1 TBSP corn syrup. Turn the heat to medium and let it come to a simmer.
- Then turn the heat off and add 2 tsp of maple extract and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Stir until smooth.
- Then dip the cooled donuts into the maple glaze and let them set on a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ri says
hi,
if i use instant yeast, are the ingredients gonna be the same? (do i need the warm water and warm milk?)
Dina says
Hi, if you use instant yeast, you will still need the same ingredients and same amounts. The only thing you would need to change is skipping the part where you place the yeast in warm milk to froth up and bloom. Instead you would just add everything straight into your mixer.
Serena S says
First time making donuts ever! Easy to follow. Only change I made was happened to gave some seasonal maple brown sugar butter so used that in the glaze. BF said they were the best maple bars he’s ever had.
Dina says
Hi Serena 🙂 That is such a huge compliment! Very happy to hear your BF found these donuts so delicious! Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
Patricia Kirk says
I made these for the first time and scooped the flour into the cup as recommended. The dough was way to sticky so I had to keep adding flour. I just got done frying them but do they really require 5 eggs? It took a lot more flour than 5 and 1/2 cups but I think they will be delicious.
Dina says
Hi Patricia, that is so odd. What kind of flour did you use? Also, sometimes the size of the eggs can alter the consistency of the recipe.
Gail Peach says
can these be air fryed
Dina says
Yes they can be air-fried 🙂
Sandy says
Can u put dough be made day before so u just have to cut and fry
Dina says
Hi Sandy, yes you can make the dough the night before. Just be sure to cover well in the fridge overnight. Keeping it cold will slow down the rising process so they don’t over-proof.
Grace says
Everything was perfect until I fried them. I took the temperature of the oil and they looked perfect, fluffy and golden. When I cut into them they were doughy in the middle! 😭
Dina says
Hi Grace, I am so sorry the donuts were doughy in the center. Sometimes if the oil temp is too high, it can burn the outside of the donut making it look done really quick, but the centers will still be raw. That’s why the oil temperature is very important.
Ash Smith says
I made these but the donuts came out cakey more than fluffy and soft. I probably did something wrong, just not sure what that would be.
Dina says
Hmm that’s interesting… How did you measure the flour? The best way to measure flour is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Scooping it straight into the cup can result in compacted extra flour. I hope that helps answer your question.
Barb Davis says
Mine was to soft to work with.
Dina says
Hi Barb, I am sorry to hear that. What kind of flour did you use? Sometimes the flour can change the consistency of the dough.
Tiki says
I’m making these this weekend but was wondering if I could adapt the glaze to make it chocolate so my family has a choice?
Dina says
Hi 🙂 I am not sure how you want to make the glazed chocolate so I can’t say too much. If you want to try a chocolate glaze for these donuts then here is a chocolate donut with a chocolate glaze. I hope that helps. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Heather says
These tasted so incredible! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I would like to make the dough the day before and finish them in the morning. After what rise should I refrigerate the dough?
Dina says
Hi Heather, I am glad to hear you loved these donuts. Yes, you can make it the night before and keep them covered in the fridge overnight.
Heather says
Hi! I’m a different Heather with the same question! 😉
So, the recipe calls for 2 rises and then a final proofing after rolling/cutting. Do we want to refrigerate the dough before or after the first or second rise? And then, should there be any additional rises after removing from the refrigerator, or should we move straight on to rolling and cutting?
Dina says
Hi Heather, you will want to refrigerate the dough after the first rise. Then roll, cut, and proof the next morning after you have taken the dough out of the fridge. I hope that helps! 🙂
Judy says
Can I use maple syrup instead of corn syrup?
Dina says
Honey, maple or agave syrup will work 🙂
James says
How long would I bake these for instead of frying them in oil?
Dina says
Hi James, I would bake them at 375 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes.
Ann says
Made this glaze this morning and it was the best I’ve found so far! One word of advice, be sure you are ready to dip when the glaze is done as it sets up quickly.
Dina says
Hi Ann 🙂 Very happy that you gave my maple donut glaze a try and loved it! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback! I hope you find more delicious recipes to enjoy from my food blog! 🙂
The Green Priestess says
Can these be made without a stand mixer?
If one doesn’t have maple extract but pure maple syrup, can they use that in place of the extract? If so should they omit the corn syrup?
Dina says
Hi 🙂 Yes, you can mix the donut dough by hand. It will just take a bit longer. You cannot use maple syrup instead of maple extract. Maple extract is much more potent. You would have to put a large amount of maple syrup and that would alter the ratios. I hope that helps clarify. Let me know if you get a chance to make these maple donuts! 🙂
Tiffany Flores says
I was able to substitute the maple syrup. It really isn’t a big deal, the glaze comes out wonderful. But that being said, you do have to add quite a bit. Do small amounts at a time until you have the consistency you want.
Rea says
Thank you for taking the time to make that clarification. I have the same question and problem. Thanks to you, I can try the recipe with maple syrup. 😊
Kendall says
I had a hard time getting my maple icing to stay on the bar. I tried spreading it but it seemed to thick. Any ideas??
Dina says
Hi Kendall, there is a chance that the glaze thickened a little too much in the saucepan. Once it’s too thick, it will be difficult to dip or spread.
Freada teed says
You can thin it back out with milk start with teaspoon at a time
Dina says
Thank you for the input Freada! 🙂
Denise O’Donnell says
Hi, can you use this same recipe to make donut rings instead of bars?
Thank you
Dina says
Hi Denise, yes you can! Enjoy 🙂
Joseph Ellis says
Yes, but why would you?
Dina says
Some people have different preferences or they want to experiment. 🙂
Shauna says
Hi , Thanks for the recipe . My dough came out so sticky , I couldn’t handle it to get it out of the bowl . I scraped it out and transferred to the oiled bowl . It barley rose . I ended up tossing it out , because it was just too sticky . Any thoughts to what I may have done wrong ?
Dina says
Hi Shauna, I think it really depends on the size of the eggs and the type of flour you used. Did you try to add more flour during this process?
Amanda Farris says
Is this something that I can mix and let rise in a bread machine?
Dina says
Hi Amanda 🙂 Yes, that should work. However, I have never tried it so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out. If you give it a try let me know how it goes 🙂
Joseph Ellis says
Most bread machines have a dough setting. 😀
Dina says
Thank you for the input, Joseph! 🙂