Pecan Donut Holes

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Nutty with a sweet glaze, homemade donut holes are a fun breakfast to add to your weekend plans! These cake-style donut holes are simple to make and easy to customize with toppings.

Filled with chopped pecans and covered in a simple glaze, these are the lightest, fluffiest donut holes I’ve ever eaten. It often feels like donut holes are an afterthought (they’re typically made from the donut scraps, after all), but we’re making these the star of the show.

These are perfectly poppable, disappearing breakfast treats. My son even told me, “I think you made these TOO good.” Direct quote. Nine-year-olds don’t lie about food, folks.

Because these are cake donuts, they take far less time than their yeast counterparts. Less work for you, less waiting for the family.

Roll them in an easy vanilla glaze, or mix in cold coffee for a grown-up version. Or, simply toss them in powdered sugar. You can’t go wrong!

Ingredients for donut holes

You’ll need:

• All-purpose flour
• Pecans
• Brown sugar
• Baking powder
• Ground cardamom
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• Egg
• Melted unsalted butter
• Milk
• Powdered sugar
• Vegetable oil, for frying

If you want to make the coffee variation of these, you’ll also need some instant espresso powder for the dough, and cold coffee for the glaze.

Special tools

You don’t need a deep fryer for these, though it makes things easier!

If you don’t have a deep fryer, just use a heavy-bottomed pot that is deep enough to fry in without splattering all over your stove. I like to use my Dutch oven for this.

You’ll also want to have an instant-read thermometer on hand to monitor the temperature of the oil. Too hot and it will fry the outside before the inside is cooked; too cold and the dough will soak up too much oil as it cooks.

You’ll also need:

• A 1-inch or 1 1/2-inch round cutter for cutting the donut holes
• A rolling pin
• Baking sheets with wire rack
• Paper bags or paper towels to soak up excess oil
• Skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the donut holes from the oil (if not using a deep fryer)

How to make this recipe

Place the pecans in a food processor and chop until very small, but not completely ground up. It should be a coarse meal.

Tip the pecans into a large bowl and add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Whisk together to combine.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, cooled melted butter, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix together until combined and no dry pockets remain. At this point, the dough will be very sticky and might seem more like a batter.

Cover the bowl and chill dough for about 1 hour.

After chilling, lightly dust your work surface with flour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or dust with flour—this will be where your cut donut holes go before frying. Line another baking sheet with paper bags or paper towels, to drain the fried donuts.

Scoop the dough out onto the counter and dust with flour on all sides. Gently roll out to about 1/2-inch thick, adding just enough flour to prevent sticking to the counter.

Dip the cutter into flour and cut out holes, re-flouring as needed. Transfer the cut dough to the baking sheet with the parchment paper/flour. Scoop up the scraps and press together, then re-roll to cut, repeating until all the dough is used.

Fill a deep fryer with oil to the line or add 2-3 inches oil to a Dutch oven. Heat over medium to 350°F-365°F, monitoring with a digital thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully lower the donut holes into the hot oil. Let cook until evenly browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. The donut holes will float and should flip over on their own as they cook, but if needed, use a fork or spoon to gently turn over.

Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the fried donut holes onto the paper bag-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all of the dough is cooked, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain temperature.

If glazing, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add a few donut holes at a time, stir to coat, and remove with a fork (let excess icing drip down). Place on a wire rack over a baking sheet to set. Or, toss in plain powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.

Once set, enjoy!

Storage tips

These are best eaten the day of, preferably just after the glaze has set but while the donuts are still warm.

If you have leftovers, store them in a paper lunch bag with the top folded over. They’ll get a little bit harder overnight, but will still taste good.

Storing in a plastic bag or container will make the glaze soften and melt. If you need to store in a lidded container, leave it askew to allow excess moisture to escape.

Recipe Tips

Resist the urge to add too much flour to these. The dough will be sticky, but you only want to add enough flour to prevent them from sticking to the counter.

Flour the cutter frequently so you get clean cuts, and don’t twist the cutter. Twisting can seal the cut edges, making it harder for the donut holes to puff while frying.

As you are frying, keep an eye on the temperature and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a temperature range of 350°F-365°F.

And, of course, you don’t have to only cut these into holes! Make them into traditional cake donuts, if you like, and just have the holes as a bonus.

For a slightly different flavor, use my recipe for mashed potato doughnuts to make donut holes, keeping the simple vanilla glaze here.

Pecan Donut Holes

Don't be afraid of frying! This pecan donut recipe is light, fluffy, and your new favorite breakfast.

Author : Megan Myers

4.84 from 6 votes

Print Pin Recipe Review

Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings 6

Calories per serving 649 kcal

Ingredients

  

1/2x1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil, for frying

For the glaze

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4 to 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

• Using a food processor or a blender, process pecan halves until finely chopped.
  1/2 cup pecan halves
• In a large bowl, whisk together pecans, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt.
  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour milk mixture in. Stir to incorporate well. Cover and refrigerator for 1 hour.
  1 cup milk, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• After dough has chilled, heat oil in a fryer or deep pan to 350°F-365°F.
  Vegetable oil
• Dust work surface with flour, and roll out dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out donuts or donut holes using a round cutter, glass, or mouth of a bottle, dipping cutter into flour as needed. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut until all remaining dough is used.
• When fryer is hot, carefully drop donuts/donut holes into oil and let cook until deep golden brown, turning as needed (about 5 minutes total). Donut holes will turn on their own, so you might need to hold them in place with a fork to cook the less-browned side.
• Remove from oil and let drain on paper bags or paper towels. Repeat until all donuts/donut holes are cooked.
• Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to make a glaze, adding more milk as needed to get desired consistency. Drop donut holes into glaze and lift out with a fork, tapping or shaking slightly to let excess glaze drip. Return donut hole to rack to let glaze set, and repeat with remaining donut holes.
  3 cups powdered sugar, 4 to 5 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Serve immediately once glaze is set. Leftover donut holes will keep in a paper bag for 1-2 days.

Notes

• Makes about 36 donut holes.
• To make the original coffee variation, use cold coffee in the glaze instead of milk, and add 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder to the dough.

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• Premium Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls (Set of 6)
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Nutrition

Serving: 6 gCalories: 649 kcalCarbohydrates: 122 gProtein: 8 gFat: 15 gSaturated Fat: 6 gCholesterol: 24 mgSodium: 227 mgPotassium: 394 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 80 gIron: 3 mg

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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