Walnut Cherry Donuts

Packed full of red and green candied cherries and chopped toasted walnuts, these Walnut Cherry Donuts are the epitome of holiday-themed donuts! Baked with familiar Christmas spices, this donut is very similar in flavour to fruitcake – but without the fuss!

In our home, we love the combination of walnuts and candied cherries at Christmastime. Last year, I shared two such recipes. Have you tried my Walnut Fruitcake Fudge or my Candied Cherry Slices? The year before that, I shared these Walnut Cherry Slices which has become a yearly tradition! Because of the popularity of those recipes, it was obvious to me that the combination is well-loved in other homes too. Therefore, these Walnut Cherry Donuts had to be included in this series!

I tend to use a lot of walnuts at Christmastime – partly because we love them, but also, walnuts add so much flavour and texture to cakes and cookies. Here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen, you can find a plethora of holiday recipes that feature walnuts. Try these Walnut Shortbread Balls. They are dipped in melted chocolate and topped with crushed walnuts. One of my favourite holiday treats of all time are my mom’s Walnut Oh Henry Bars. They are loaded with walnuts!

I’m going to tell you all about this donut recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re just kicking off the holiday season, but I have a lot of Christmas-themed recipes to share with you this year, so I’ve had to get started early.

This is my first holiday recipe series for this year, called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts. As you may know, I have several themes following their own series each holiday season! I hope you’ll join me over the next 12 weeks or so as I share over 70 brand-new Christmas recipes. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of them! So, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for this recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 12 CHRISTMAS DONUT SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the first of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! I’m calling this one Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts. This series will focus on easy-to-make donuts that you can make at home.  Not only are they delicious, but they’re also quite festive!

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Unlike most of the donuts from donut shops, all my donut recipes are baked and not fried.  But don’t let that fool you into thinking they are not super moist and scrumptious!  I promise that they won’t be too complex and that you can’t whip them up as a holiday treat for your family. 

Just like every other holiday series that I’ve shared over the years, this series will see a new recipe shared every day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts series! Even though this is the first series for this holiday season, you can always take a look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

EVERYONE LOVES DONUTS!

If there is one thing in life that one should never live without, it has to be donuts! Am I right? This is precisely why I have opted to prepare 12 back-to-back donut recipes, starting with these Walnut Cherry Donuts. The question is, can you handle it? To be honest, any excuse I can find to break out my donut pans, I’m going to find it!

Now, for some of you, making donuts at home might seem daunting. But, it shouldn’t be. These donuts are baked, not fried, so there’s much less mess. And, the recipe is quite easy too. The only thing you might need is donut pans.

Baking the donuts makes them super healthy, right?  Oh, if only that were true!  In fact, baked is better than fried in terms of health-conscious eating. So, these donuts are indeed healthier, so at least we have that going for us!

DONUT PANS – A GOOD INVESTMENT FOR THE AVID BAKER

When I first thought about the possibility of making donuts at home, I thought long and hard about purchasing donut pans. After all, how often will one make donuts at home?  Did I really need to spend money on a set of donut-baking pans? Would I use them more than just twice a year?  Then, I’d convince myself that I didn’t have much storage room and eventually, I’d leave the store without them.

Ever since I broke down and purchased a set of donut baking pans, I can’t stop thinking about making donuts.  Truthfully, Dear Reader, I will try to find any excuse I can to whip up a batch. I try not to do that, though. If I can limit them to special occasions only, I won’t feel so guilty for eating so many of them.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

To Make the Donut:

• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda
• Salt – In baking it helps to enhance and balance sweetness. 
• Sugar – Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown the batter as it bakes.
• Pumpkin Spice – This is a blend of ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.  Depending on the brand, allspice is sometimes absent, but I think the flavour is better with it. I have a homemade version that I use for everything. You can find it here.
• Candied Cherries – These are very popular in Christmas baking, especially in fruitcakes.  I buy the whole red and green candied cherries separately so that I can pick which colour I want to use.  If you buy them whole, you can chop them if you prefer smaller bits of cherry.
• Walnuts – Walnuts have a mild, buttery flavour which is why they are perfect in sweet treats. 
• Milk
• Sour Cream – Baking with sour cream is a great way to keep baked goods moist while adding texture and richness.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Vegetable Oil
• Vanilla Extract
• Confectioner’s Sugar

HOW TO MAKE WALNUT CHERRY DONUTS

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray a donut pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the milk, sour cream and eggs. Next, beat in the butter, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, toasted walnuts, and candied cherries. Beat into the wet ingredients.

Dump the entire batter into a large Ziploc bag. Cut one of the lower corners off the bag, and in a circular pattern, fill the donut pan about 3/4 way full. Tap the pan firmly on the kitchen counter to get the batter to settle into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.

While the donuts are still very warm, roll them liberally in the confectioner’s sugar. Set the donuts back onto the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

CANDIED CHERRIES

In this particular recipe, I opted to use half-red and half-green cherries. Obviously, you can use all red or all green if you choose. I love candied cherries and I love how the red and green colours just jump out and create a wonderful contrast to the butter-coloured donut. They’re perfect for Christmas!

When I’m looking to use candied cherries, Paradise Fruit Company is my go-to source. They have the brightest, most plump, most perfectly round red and green cherries.  You can get all of their products online. Be sure to check out the website!

STORING, PACKAGING, AND FREEZING

These donuts will stay fresh for about 3 days in a covered container. I like to pile them all onto a cake stand with a domed cover. They look great on your countertop! But, if you plan to freeze these donuts, use a food-safe container that can be frozen. You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. (I use these quite often when freezing baked goods.) I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that donut freshness locked in!

You can freeze these donuts for up to three months. They will come out of the freezer looking just like they did when you put them in there. Once you thaw them, they will taste just as fresh, and be just as soft, as the day you first baked them! If you don’t finish all of the donuts in the first 3 days they will become a little stale. To breathe new life back into them, wrap one in a paper towel and microwave on medium power for 10 seconds!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!