I finally bought a mini donut pan. It’s been long overdue and I justified my purchase by telling myself that I would make donuts all the time. That’s a good enough of a reason, right?

Now these cute little lemon poppy seed donuts were the first batch I whipped up with my new donut pan. They were light and airy, topped with a wonderfully sweet and lemony glaze. The donuts itself weren’t too overpoweringly sweet so the glaze was the perfect complement for these donuts. But be careful when you’re around these. These donuts are adorably cute and itty-bitty, making you want to eat at least a dozen in one sitting!

Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts (adapted from The Novice Chef):

Yields 24 mini donuts

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a mini donut pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat in the egg, lemon zest and poppy seeds until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.

Scoop the batter evenly into the donut pan. (A piping bag is perfect for this.)

Place into oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the donuts are slightly browned and spring back when touched.

Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add lemon juice as needed.

Dip the top of each donut into the glaze.

Allow glaze to set before serving.