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Delicious, easy fresh banana bread style donut holes that only take 10 minutes in a cake pop machine or pan!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Easy Banana Donut Holes
My son has been asking for “nanna bread” for weeks. I absolutely love Bananna Bread, but I’m never really patient enough to wait the 45 minutes to an hour to make it. Yea, I’m pretty lazy like that. So while going through some old posts, I saw my 10 minute baked doughnut hole recipe, and it hit me– Make some 10 minute baked banana bread doughnut holes!
These little doughnut holes are so delicious- but technically, they aren’t really doughnut holes. We’re not frying them- we’re “baking” them in a cake pop machine (if you dont have a cake pop machine you can also use a cake pop pan, but that will add about 10 minutes to the time).
These are a delicious way to eat banana bread- that even your pickiest eaters will love. They come out delicious and golden brown without over drying. And you can add a nice layer of delicious sugar to them (which we always do) because it makes them taste like the yummy doughnut hole treats we like to grab at our minor league hockey games and at the county fair.
How to Make Banana Bread Donut Holes
First assemble the following ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar, + 1/2 cup for dusting
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup cinnamon, for dusting
Use this Method
Assemble Topping. Fill a large bowl or paper bag with cinnamon and sugar to top and set aside.
Mix Wet Ingredients. Cream together sugar and butter in a stand mixer. Add the bananas to the mixer and mix to combine. Add in eggs, mix thoroughly then add in vanilla, milk and extracts.
Finish Batter. Slowly fold in flour and baking soda- be careful not to overmix. Pour batter into a squeeze bottle or a ziploc bag with the tip cut off. Squeeze batter to fill bottom of a well heated and greased cake pop machine.
Cook. Cook according to manufacturers directions (about 5 minutes).
Dust. While piping hot out of the machine, dump into sugar and cinnamon bag/bowl and toss to evenly coat.
Eat immediately and enjoy!
Tips Tricks to Perfect Banana Bread Donut Holes
Go light on the topping. You can also add a little cinnamon to the topping- but I like these with just a bit of sugar. These are sure to be a big hit with your whole family, for breakfast, lunch or an anytime snack!
Experiment with Mix-ins. Once you have mastered the basic recipe try adding in other ingredients like nuts, chocolate chips, or even dried fruit.
Store them Well. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Glaze or Sprinkle. If you want to up the sweetness you can roll them in cinnamon sugar while warm or drizzle them with a glaze made from powdered sugar and milk.
FAQs
Use overripe bananas that are brown and spotty. They are sweeter and have a stronger banana flavor, perfect for baked goods.
It’s best to use the batter immediately after preparing it to ensure the leavening agents work effectively. However, you can refrigerate the batter for up to 24 hours if necessary.
Do not overmix the batter and add ingredients like sour cream or Greek yogurt for added moisture. Also, ensure not to overbake them.
Insert a toothpick into the center of a donut hole. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, they are done. The tops should also spring back when lightly pressed.
Yes, you can use whole wheat flour, but it may result in a denser texture. You can also use a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for a balance of nutrition and lightness.
Other Easy Donuts You’ll Love
If you are a donut lover like me, try these other delicious recipes next:
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10 Minute Baked Banana Bread Doughnut Holes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar, + 1/2 cup for dusting
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup cinnamon, for dusting
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl or paper bag with cinnamon and sugar to top and set aside.
- Cream together sugar and butter in a stand mixer. Add the bananas to the mixer and mix to combine.
- Add in eggs, mix thoroughly.
- Add in vanilla, milk and extracts.
- Slowly fold in flour and baking soda- be careful not to overmix.
- Pour batter into a squeeze bottle or a ziploc bag with the tip cut off.
- Squeeze batter to fill bottom of a well heated and greased cake pop machine.
- Cook according to manufacturers directions (about 5 minutes).
- While piping hot out of the machine, dump into sugar and cinnamon bag/bowl and toss to evenly coat.
- Eat immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Any suggestions for oven temp and/or cook time for a cupcake pan? Thanks for the recipe!
I just made these in a cupcake pan and they turned out great! I baked them at 375 for 15 minutes then I took them right out of the pan and rolled them in cinnamon and sugar. It made 16 delightful muffins!
Thanks for the oven temp! I have a donut pan and wanted to try it out with this recipe, can’t wait they sound yummy!
Any chance you could substitute ground oatmeal in place of flour? Give it a slightly healthier feel.
I havent tried that Janna- but if you have a good mix that works in place of AP flour that sounds yummy!
Noticed that the directions don’t say when to add the bananas.
With the butter. Sorry about that.
Would these also work in cupcake pan? You could dump the top of the cupcake in melted butter then dipped in cinnamon sugar. Any thoughts if that would work as well? Sounds delicious though I don’t have a cake pop machine or pan for it. Thanks for sharing!
This is adapted from my bread recipe, so it will be just fine in a cupcake pan! I love making breads in smaller pans- they cook faster, are easier to make sure you don’t overeat, and a better for my kids little hands 😉
Looks delicious, you think this would work with a mini doughnut machine?
I’m not sure since I dont have one- but it’s worth a try! If you do try it let me know how it turns out… you might just compare the wet ingredients. This is a slightly runny batter since it is based off a banana bread recipe- so if it seems like its really different than one you usually use, I’d try to reduce or add the milk to be closer.