Wilton Doughnut Twist Pan, reviewed

Donut and mini donut pans are a fun piece of bakeware to have in the kitchen. Baked donuts tend to be lower in fat than their deep fried counterparts, and they’re even easier to make. Wilton introduced a Doughnut Twist Pan a few months ago that bakes twist-shaped donuts (also called crullers at many donut shops, even though they’re not made the same way as traditional French crullers). I happen to be a big fan of these twisty donuts and kept an eye out for this particular pan when I was out shopping so that I could give it a try myself.

The pan bakes 6 twist donuts, each about the size of the standard twist that you would see in a donut shop. The packaging comes with a recipe that is scaled to fit the pan, but a standard size muffin recipe should work well with the pan and allow you to fill the cups 2/3 full, as directed (simply discard excess batter if you have it, or bake it off in a separate pan. I simply used the recipe that came on the packaging, adding a few flavor twists with subsequent batches. The pan is nonstick and it released my donuts very easily.

The donuts look fantastic just out of the pan – and the recipe that comes with the packaging is quite good. Only one side has the twist design, of course, but it wraps around the donut in such a way that it really looks like the “real thing.” I brushed mine with some melted butter and rolled them in sugar when they were still hot, then allowed them to cool before serving. Overall, the pan performed exceptionally well in terms of how evenly it baked and how easily it released the finished donuts. The design is fun and unique, too, meaning that this is a pan that will be put to good when I have a brunch occasion to bake for!