Maple Donut Bars (Printable Version)

Soft, fluffy bars topped with luscious maple glaze—perfect for breakfast or brunch.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 tablespoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
08 - 1 cup whole milk
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - 1/2 cup maple syrup

→ Maple Glaze

12 - 1 cup powdered sugar
13 - 1-2 tablespoons milk
14 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or line with parchment paper for easy removal.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well blended.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and maple syrup until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold with a spatula until just combined—do not overmix to maintain tender texture.
05 - Transfer batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly using an offset spatula or back of a spoon.
06 - Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and edges are lightly golden.
07 - Allow bars to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
08 - Whisk together powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk until smooth. Add additional milk as needed to achieve thick but pourable consistency. Stir in maple syrup.
09 - Drizzle maple glaze evenly over completely cooled bars. Optionally drizzle with extra maple syrup. Allow glaze to set for 10–15 minutes before slicing into 12–16 bars.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • The texture is somewhere between cake and donut—soft, tender, and absolutely impossible to stop eating
  • The glaze sets beautifully while staying glossy, making these look like you spent hours at the bakery
02 -
  • Let the bars cool completely before glazing—warm bars will make the glaze melt right off instead of setting beautifully
  • Real maple syrup makes a noticeable difference in both the batter and the glaze
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients mix more easily and create a more uniform batter
  • The glaze should be thick enough to leave a trail when you drizzle it—too thin and it will run right off the bars
Go Back