Baked Vanilla Donuts

Baked Vanilla Donuts

     Today I thought I'd try this recipe that I found in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago. It is suppose to be a healthier donut. Really? Is there such a thing? I guess just putting the word healthier in front of it makes people think they are really not doing something that is too bad.

      Me? I say you have to do everything with balance. I don't say that I can't have something, because if I did it would just make me want it more. I just try not to over indulge.  I like my sweets, especially for breakfast, so I just let myself have a little. It's all about self control, right?

     I like donuts and I didn't want to hassle with deep frying them, but with these new donut pans all you do is bake them for about 15 minutes. How easy is that and that way you avoid the grease and they are not as fattening. This recipe also uses almond milk in it which is suppose to be very good for a person. So I guess you can say you are eating a better donut then what you would buy at the bakery and they are easy to make too!

     When I made the glaze for the donuts I used lemon extract. That lemon flavor was so wonderful. it just made it feel a little like spring. I also sprinkled them with non pareils to make them look pretty.

     I could have eaten a half a dozen, but remember it's all about self control. Besides I had to save some for family members that were not home this morning. I think they are going to love them and you will too!

Baked Vanilla Donuts
2 eggs
4 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla extract
2/3 C sugar
2 C all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 C almond milk

     Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 six-cup donut pans with cooking spray. In a bowl beat eggs for 1 minute on medium. Add butter, vanilla, and sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in flour, salt and baking powder. Add milk and stir until smooth. Spoon batter into the donut pans. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until light brown. Remove donuts from pans and let cool on a wire rack. Glaze and top donuts as desired. Makes 1 dozen.
Glaze
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
2 t vanilla extract or lemon extract
4 T milk
Stir together. Drizzle over cooled donuts.

Recipe adapted from Parade Magazine

Banana Bread Donuts with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze

 

 

Banana Bread Donuts with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze

     I have now found a new recipe to use those over ripe bananas. You know those 2-3 bananas that have now turned a little brown and no one wants to eat. Yeah, those! It happens to everyone. I think a lot of people just throw them away, but here's a recipe that will help you to put those old bananas to good use.

     I also like the versatility of this recipe. If you don't have the donut pans you can easily use a muffin pan. The donuts are most and taste so delicious with the glaze on top. Just imagine how a muffin would look and taste.

     The recipe originally called for Nutella in the glaze, but I didn't have any on hand. I did, however, have this chocolate peanut butter spread that I substituted instead. I would think that one could get the same result using a half peanut butter, half Nutella combination to get the chocolate/peanut butter flavor.

     The recipe makes only 6 donuts. I doubled the recipe to make an even dozen. This just made so much more sense to me since I had a couple bananas and the original recipe called for 1 small banana. Give this recipe a try, whether you make donuts or muffins I'm sure you will love it.

Banana Bread Donuts with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze
2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
3/4 C milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 t vanilla
1/2 C mashed banana ( about 1 small banana)

Glaze
1 C powdered sugar
2 T chocolate peanut butter
2-3 T milk

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a donut pan or muffin pan with cooking spray.
In an large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and banana. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix well.
Fill the donut pan with the batter about 2/3 full.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

To make glaze
Whisk together the powdered sugar, chocolate peanut butter, and milk. Use a rubber spatula to spread the glaze on top of the donuts.

Adapted from Kitchenmeetsgirl.com

Apple Cinnamon Donuts

    

Apple Cinnamon Donuts

Well it seems fall has come overnight. School has started, the leaves are falling and the weather has suddenly cooled off. I caught the weather report this morning and he said that fall has arrived with this whole week being quite cool and fall like.

     Officially fall doesn't arrive until September 22. That is still a week away, but I've already started doing some baking and cooking that would be considered more fall like menu. It's those dishes that have those yummy aromas that just fill the kitchen and make you feel all warm inside. Seriously, on Friday when I was making dinner I felt like making a fire in my little chimney fireplace on my patio. The weather was perfect for it and my dinner was one of those fall/winter specialties.

     On the weekends I like to make breakfast. It's the only time that I feel like I don't have to rush around and I can just take my time making something delicious that everyone will enjoy. Sometimes it's as simple as scrambled eggs or pancakes. Sometimes I go a little more extravagant.

     This time I went for the more simple. I made donuts. I know some people think donuts that's hard. You need oil, a deep fat fryer and a donut maker. But all you need is a donut pan from the store. You can pick them up just about anywhere and they are not very expensive at all. You actually bake them and that couldn't be easier.

     Now these donuts that I made filled the house with that wonderful cinnamon smell. Just what you want to smell in the fall. They are very moist and your family will gobble them up. I doubled the recipe, because quite honestly 6 donuts would not be enough for my family. Twelve was more like it. That way we had a few for the next day too.

Apple Cinnamon Donuts
1 cup flour
3 T sugar
3 T brown sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
2 T half & half
1/4 cup applesauce ( I used one of those package cups of applesauce you use in your kids lunches)
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
1 T canola oil

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/2t cinnamon
1 T half & half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray your donut pan with cooking spray.
Mix the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In another bowl mix the half & half, applesauce, egg, vanilla and oil. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix well. Do not over mix.
To fill the donut pan I put the batter in disposable decorating bags and just snipped the end off to fill the pans. You will need to do this twice if you double the recipe.
Bake for 10-12 minutes and cool in the pan for about 4-5 minutes. While they are cooling you can make the glaze. Once they have cooled dip in the glaze and put on a wire rack. I would put wax paper or parchment paper under the wire racks as glaze will run off slightly and then clean up will be much easier.

Recipe adapted from Sallys Baking Addiction