Name: Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 12-15 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (for bars); 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (for bars); 1/4 cup milk (for bars); 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (for bars); 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (for glaze); 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (for glaze); 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for glaze); 2-4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream (for glaze); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for glaze); Pinch of salt (for glaze)

Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars are about to become your new favorite treat, redefining what you thought was possible with a simple baking sheet! Imagine sinking your teeth into the warm, tender crumb of a cake donut, perfectly infused with the comforting essence of maple, all without the fuss of deep-frying. I’ve perfected a recipe that delivers all the delightful nostalgia of a classic donut in a delightfully easy-to-manage bar form, making gourmet baking accessible to everyone.

This dish beautifully marries the rich, buttery texture of a freshly baked cake with the warm, inviting sweetness of pure maple. While traditional donuts have graced breakfast tables for centuries, becoming a beloved staple across many cultures, our version celebrates that universal love for sweet, tender delights with a modern, convenient twist. People absolutely adore these Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars because they offer the ultimate convenience without sacrificing an ounce of flavor or that irresistible melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Each bite is a tender embrace of maple goodness, creating a truly memorable experience. They are absolutely perfect for a relaxed weekend brunch, an afternoon pick-me-up, or a satisfying dessert, appealing to all ages. Get ready to impress everyone with this deceptively simple yet utterly delicious creation; it’s a celebration of comfort in every single bar!

Ingredients:

For the Soft Baked Donut Bars:

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temperature (or homemade: ½ cup milk + ½ tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar, let sit 5 minutes)
¼ cup (60ml) whole milk, at room temperature

For the Irresistible Maple Glaze:

2 cups (240g) powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar), sifted
¼ cup (60ml) pure maple syrup (make sure it’s pure, not pancake syrup!)
2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted
2-4 tablespoons (30-60ml) whole milk or heavy cream, as needed
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Optional Toppings:

Chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
Sprinkles (for a fun touch!)
A light dusting of ground cinnamon

Equipment You’ll Need:

9×13 inch baking pan
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowls (at least two)
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
Wire cooling rack
Small saucepan (for melting butter for glaze) or microwave-safe bowl
Sifter (for powdered sugar)
Pastry brush or spoon for glazing

Baking the Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars:

Get ready to create some truly amazing Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars! This section will walk you through the precise steps to ensure your donut bars are perfectly tender and moist.

Preheat and Prep Your Pan: First things first, let’s get our oven ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While that’s heating up, grab your 9×13 inch baking pan. This is a crucial step for easy removal and cleanup: line the bottom and two longer sides of the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. You’ll thank me later for this trick! Lightly grease any exposed parts of the pan that aren’t covered by parchment, and the parchment itself, with cooking spray or a little butter. Set it aside.
Whisk Together Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine your 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Whisk these dry ingredients together thoroughly for about 30 seconds to ensure everything is evenly distributed. This ensures that the leavening agents and spices are spread throughout the batter, leading to an even rise and consistent flavor in every bite of your Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars.
Cream Butter and Sugar: Now, for the wet ingredients! In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the ½ cup (113g) of softened unsalted butter and ¾ cup (150g) of granulated sugar together. Beat on medium-high speed for about 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale yellow. This creaming process is vital as it incorporates air into the butter and sugar, which contributes significantly to the soft, tender texture of our donut bars. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
Add Egg and Vanilla: To the creamed butter and sugar, add the 1 large egg. Beat on medium speed for another minute, until the egg is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Next, stir in the 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. The vanilla not only adds a wonderful aroma but also enhances the overall flavor profile, complementing the maple beautifully.
Alternate Dry and Wet Ingredients: This is where the magic really starts to happen for the Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars. We’ll be adding the dry ingredients mixture and the liquid ingredients (buttermilk and whole milk) in alternating additions.
- First, add about one-third of the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix!
- Next, pour in half of the ½ cup of buttermilk and ¼ cup of whole milk mixture (which you should have gently stirred together in a separate small bowl before starting this step). Beat on low speed until just combined.
- Repeat this process: add another third of the dry ingredients, beat until just combined.
- Then, add the remaining half of the buttermilk and milk mixture, beat until just combined.
- Finally, add the last third of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until no streaks of flour remain. It’s paramount not to overmix the batter at this stage. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough, dense donut bars instead of the soft, fluffy texture we’re aiming for. A few lumps are perfectly fine; we just want everything incorporated.
Transfer to Pan and Bake: Gently scrape the batter into your prepared 9×13 inch baking pan. Use your rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly to all corners of the pan. Give the pan a gentle tap or two on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles and ensure an even surface.
Bake to Golden Perfection: Place the pan in your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. The exact baking time can vary depending on your oven, so keep an eye on them. You’ll know your Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars are ready when the edges are lightly golden brown, the center springs back when gently touched, and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Cooling Down: Once baked, remove the pan from the oven. Let the donut bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15-20 minutes. This allows them to set up properly before you attempt to move them. After this initial cooling, use the parchment paper overhang to carefully lift the entire slab of donut bars out of the pan and transfer them to the wire rack to cool completely. This complete cooling step is crucial before glazing. If you glaze warm bars, the glaze will melt and run off, resulting in a soggy mess rather than a beautiful, set coating. Patience is key here!

Preparing the Irresistible Maple Glaze:

While your Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars are cooling, let’s whip up a glaze that’s so delicious, you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful! This glaze is the crowning glory of our donut bars, providing that quintessential maple flavor.

Sift Powdered Sugar: In a medium bowl, sift your 2 cups of powdered sugar. Sifting is important here to remove any lumps, ensuring your glaze is perfectly smooth and silky. Trust me, you don’t want a lumpy glaze on your beautiful donut bars!
Melt the Butter: In a small saucepan over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl, gently melt the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. You want it just melted, not browned or bubbly.
Combine Glaze Ingredients: Add the melted butter to the sifted powdered sugar. Then, pour in the ¼ cup of pure maple syrup, ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and a tiny pinch of salt. The salt really helps to balance the sweetness and brings out the depth of the maple flavor.
Whisk Until Smooth: Begin whisking the ingredients together. Start by adding 2 tablespoons of whole milk or heavy cream. Whisk vigorously until the glaze is completely smooth and free of any lumps.
Adjust Consistency: Here’s where you become the glaze master! The perfect glaze consistency for these Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and opaque, but still pourable. It should drizzle smoothly from the whisk. If your glaze seems too thick, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk or cream, one teaspoon at a time, whisking well after each addition, until you reach your desired consistency. If, by some chance, it becomes too thin (oops, sometimes it happens!), you can add another tablespoon or two of sifted powdered sugar until it thickens up.
Keep Warm (Optional): If your bars are still cooling significantly, you might want to slightly warm the glaze before applying it, especially if you used butter. A very gentle warming in a microwave for 10-15 seconds (stirring well after) can make it more fluid and easier to spread, but be careful not to overheat it, or it will become too thin.

Assembling and Finishing Your Donut Bars:

You’re almost there! Now comes the fun part: transforming your plain baked bars into truly irresistible Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars. This is where they get their signature glazed finish.

Confirm Cooling: Double-check that your donut bars are completely cool. I can’t stress this enough! Even slightly warm bars will cause the glaze to melt, become transparent, and slide right off, resulting in a sticky mess rather than a beautiful, even coating. They should be cool to the touch all the way through, which usually takes at least 1-2 hours on the wire rack.
Glaze Application: Once the bars are cool, place the wire rack with the bars on top of a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil. This will catch any drips and make cleanup a breeze. Pour the maple glaze evenly over the entire surface of the cooled donut bars. Use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to gently spread the glaze all the way to the edges, ensuring every square inch gets a generous coating of that delicious maple goodness. Allow the excess glaze to drip off through the wire rack.
Add Optional Toppings: If you’re using any optional toppings like chopped toasted pecans, walnuts, or sprinkles, this is the time to add them! Sprinkle them generously over the wet glaze immediately after applying it. This ensures they adhere nicely to the Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars before the glaze sets. A light dusting of cinnamon can also be added for extra warmth and flavor.
Allow Glaze to Set: Let the glazed donut bars sit undisturbed on the wire rack at room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes, or even longer, until the glaze has fully set. You’ll know it’s set when it forms a firm, slightly opaque coating and is no longer sticky to the touch. This step is important for neat slicing and handling.
Slice and Serve: Once the glaze is firm, carefully transfer the entire slab of Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice them into individual bars. You can make them into traditional donut bar shapes, or smaller squares, depending on your preference. A typical 9×13 inch pan yields about 12-15 bars. For cleaner cuts, you can wipe your knife with a warm, damp cloth between slices. Serve these delightful Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars immediately and watch them disappear!

Tips for Perfect Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars:

Achieving bakery-quality Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars at home is absolutely within reach! Here are a few extra tips to help you master this recipe and ensure every batch is as delicious as the last.

Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: I mentioned this a few times, but it bears repeating: ensure your butter, egg, buttermilk, and milk are all at room temperature. This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a fundamental principle of baking. Room temperature ingredients emulsify much better, meaning they blend together more smoothly and evenly. This creates a homogeneous batter that traps air more efficiently during mixing, which translates to a lighter, softer, and more tender crumb in your finished Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars. Cold ingredients can cause the batter to curdle or become lumpy, affecting the final texture.
Measure Flour Correctly: For baking, especially when using recipes like this one for Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars, accuracy in flour measurement is incredibly important. The best way to measure flour is to use the “spoon and level” method. Gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup until it’s overflowing, then use the back of a straight edge (like a knife or the handle of a spoon) to level it off without compacting the flour. Do not scoop flour directly from the bag with your measuring cup, as this can compact it significantly, leading to too much flour and a dry, dense donut bar. Better yet, if you have a kitchen scale, weigh your flour – 240g for 2 cups is ideal.
Don’t Overmix the Batter: I emphasized this in the instructions, but it’s crucial for soft baked goods. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, making the resulting Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars tough and chewy instead of wonderfully soft and tender. A few small lumps in the batter are perfectly fine and will bake out.
Use Pure Maple Syrup: For the glaze, insist on using pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup or artificial maple-flavored syrup. Pure maple syrup offers a complex, rich, and authentic flavor that is incomparable. Artificial syrups are often just corn syrup with flavoring and won’t give your Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars that truly gourmet maple taste we’re aiming for. It makes all the difference!
Cool Completely Before Glazing: This step cannot be stressed enough. Glazing warm Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars will cause the glaze to melt, thin out, and become transparent, soaking into the bars rather than forming a beautiful, set coating. It also makes them incredibly sticky and difficult to handle. Patience is a virtue here; allow the bars to cool completely to room temperature on a wire rack before even thinking about adding that glorious maple glaze.
Storage: These Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars are best enjoyed the day they are made when the glaze is perfectly set and the bars are at their peak freshness. However, they will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. If stacking, you might want to place a piece of parchment paper between layers to prevent the glaze from sticking. You can also refrigerate them if your kitchen is warm, but bring them back to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Get Creative with Toppings: While the basic maple glaze is absolutely divine on its own, don’t hesitate to experiment with toppings! Toasted nuts (pecans or walnuts are fantastic), a sprinkle of flaky sea salt (which beautifully enhances the maple flavor), a dusting of powdered sugar after the glaze has set, or even a light drizzle of melted white chocolate can take your Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars to the next level.
Parchment Paper is Your Friend: Lining your baking pan with parchment paper, especially with an overhang, will make your life so much easier. It ensures that your Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars won’t stick to the pan and allows you to easily lift the entire slab out for cooling and glazing. This minimizes breakage and makes cleanup a breeze.

Conclusion:

And there you have it, friends! After all our baking adventures together, I truly believe this recipe for our Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars stands out as an absolute triumph and a non-negotiable addition to your baking repertoire. It’s more than just a dessert; it’s an experience. We’ve meticulously crafted these bars to deliver that elusive combination of an incredibly moist, tender crumb with the unmistakable, comforting sweetness of real maple, all wrapped up in a convenient bar form that sidesteps the fuss of traditional deep-frying. Imagine biting into a fluffy, cake-like texture that practically melts in your mouth, infused with that warm, inviting maple flavor that evokes cozy mornings and delightful treats. This isn’t just a simple baked good; it’s a revelation, offering all the delightful charm of a classic donut without any of the greasy guilt or complicated techniques. I promise you, the aroma alone as these bake will have you utterly captivated, transforming your kitchen into the most inviting bakery on the block.

What truly makes these bars a must-try is their sheer versatility and universal appeal. They’re sophisticated enough for a special brunch, yet comforting and simple enough for an everyday treat. The magic really lies in their perfectly balanced texture – light and airy, yet substantial enough to feel satisfying. Each bar is generously coated with that luscious maple glaze, which hardens just enough to create a delicate crackle, revealing the soft interior beneath. It’s a textural symphony that perfectly complements the rich, earthy sweetness of the maple. This recipe was designed with you in mind, aiming to bring maximum flavor with minimal effort, ensuring that even on your busiest days, you can whip up something truly extraordinary that will impress everyone fortunate enough to get a taste. Seriously, once you try these, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them!

Now, let’s talk about enjoying these beauties! While they are absolutely divine eaten straight from the pan, still slightly warm with that glistening glaze, I have a few suggestions to elevate your experience even further. Picture this: a cozy Sunday morning, a freshly brewed cup of coffee or a steaming mug of chai tea, and a warm Soft Baked Maple Donut Bar on the side. Utter perfection! For a more decadent dessert, try serving a warm bar with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream that slowly melts into the maple glaze, creating an irresistible pool of creamy sweetness. A light dusting of powdered sugar or a sprinkle of toasted pecans over the top just before serving can also add an extra touch of elegance and crunch. Don’t hesitate to get creative with your plating; a few fresh berries can add a pop of color and tartness that beautifully cuts through the richness. These bars are truly a canvas for culinary creativity.

And for those who love to experiment, this recipe is incredibly forgiving and open to delightful variations. Feel free to stir in a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter for an added nutty crunch that pairs wonderfully with the maple. A touch of cinnamon or a pinch of nutmeg mixed into the dry ingredients can enhance that cozy, autumnal spice profile, making them even more comforting on a chilly day. For an extra fruity twist, a small amount of finely diced apple or dried cranberries could be folded into the dough, adding another layer of flavor and texture. If you’re feeling extra indulgent, a drizzle of melted white chocolate or a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes over the maple glaze after it sets would be truly exquisite. You could even try baking these in muffin tins for individual maple donut muffins, adjusting the baking time slightly to about 18-22 minutes, or in a mini donut pan for delightful bite-sized treats. The possibilities are truly endless, allowing you to customize this already amazing recipe to your heart’s content and your family’s preferences.

So, what are you waiting for? I wholeheartedly encourage you to carve out some time this week, gather your ingredients, and embark on the delicious journey of making these Soft Baked Maple Donut Bars. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you, and your home will be filled with the most heavenly aromas. There’s a special kind of joy that comes from baking something so wonderfully delicious from scratch, and even more joy in sharing it with loved ones. Once you’ve had a chance to bake and taste them, I would absolutely love to hear about your experience! Did you try any variations? What did your family think? Please, come back and share your thoughts, your photos, and any tips you discovered in the comments below. Your feedback and creative ideas inspire me and our entire baking community to keep exploring and creating deliciousness together.

Thank you for joining me on this culinary adventure. Happy baking, my friends! I can’t wait to see what delicious creations you whip up.