Easy donut recipe...baked not fried.

This recipe was adapted from the  Friendly Fig, where they have loads of ideas for these baked vegan treats.  I desperately wanted to deck mine out with copious amounts of Rainbow Jimmies, but alas, I couldn't find any vegan ones in my local stores ( but you can find them here).   So, I improvised and used what I had.... and you know what, they hit the doughnut spot.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 C.  Flour (I used AP)
• 3 tsp. Baking powder
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 C. Culinary coconut milk ( I used SoDelicious lite, can sub with another milk)
• 3 T. Butter (vegan, melted)
• 3 tsp. Vanilla extract(pure)
• 1 tsp. Almond extract
• 6 T. Chickpea brine (aquafaba, can sub other vegan egg replacement)
• 2/3 C. Maple syrup (pure)

{ Chocolate Glaze }

• 1/4 C. Semi-sweet chocolate chips (vegan)
• 1 T. Butter (vegan)
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract (or powder)
• 1 tsp. Maple syrup

{ Maple Glaze }

• 1/2 C. Powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1-3 tsp. Culinary coconut milk (can sub almond or soy milk)
• 2- 3 T. Maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°

{ Prep } 

1. Drain your can of chickpeas and reserve the brine in a bowl and set aside.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan on medium-high heat.  Once butter starts to melt, remove from heat and swirl pot around until there are no more solids left.
3. Set butter aside and let cool.
4. Take out milk to come to room temp.
5. If not using a non-stick donut pan, spray lightly with a cooking spray.

In a large bowl, sift flour and baking powder together.  Next, add salt and mix the ingredients together until well combined.    

In another bowl, add milk, butter, chickpea brine, maple syrup, and extracts.  Wisk the wet mixture until fully incorporated, about  1 minute.

Slowly add the wet mix to the dry ( in thirds is usually good),  combining the mixture together each time you add.  Mix until the wet mixture is fully incorporated into the dry, taking care not to over-mix the batter, which will result in tough donuts.

I find that since the batter is not totally liquidy and the donut pan makes things slightly akward, it is easiest to use a piping bag to get the batter in the pan.  If you do not have one, no worries, just use a smallish spoon instead and use it to smooth the batter around the pan.

Once your pan(s) are filled, place on the center rack of the oven and let bake for about 8-10 minutes (you know how to check, just insert a toothpick or fork and make sure it come out cleanly).  

Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 3 minutes until they are cool enough to handle, the place on a cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes.  While donuts are cooling, you can make your glaze. 

If you are making the chocolate glaze, grab a medium size sauce pot and fill it about a 1/4 of the way full with water.  Set on burner turned to high heat.  Place a glass bowl on top of the pot (bain marie) making sure that it is not immersed in the water.

 Add the chocolate chips, butter, vanilla, and syrup to the glass bowl.  Once the water starts to boil and the the chocolate and butter start to melt, stir the mixture in the bowl.  Keep stirring the chocolate to help it melt and get the ingredients well combined.

 Once chocolate is mostly melted, remove from heat and keep stirring until mixture is silky-smooth.

Now, you are ready to dip your donuts.....  Just give them a dunk and let the excess drip off. You can either sprinkle chopped nuts, coconut flakes, or sprinkles on top of the donuts- or you can dunk them too.  Place onto a grate over a cookie sheet to cool.

If you are making the maple glaze, grab another small to medium size bowl and add powdered sugar, maple,vanilla, and a teaspoon of milk.  Start mixing until the sugar melts and a glaze starts to form.  If the mixture is too thick, add another teaspoon milk or more maple syrup until you reach the right consistency (you want it loose, but not too drippy).

Same as the chocolate, go ahead and add a topping, if you like.  Pecans would be really yummy here,  or chocolate chips or some coconut bacon.  I had some poppy seeds on had, so I decided to sprinkle a little bit on mine. 

As you can see, these donuts are super simple to make.  They are different from a donut that comes from dough and is fried, but they are still really good....and of course, since the are baked, not fried you can eat more.... Right?

Ready to give this recipe a try???  My fellow dougnutarians (thanks Sapling Vegan), what kind of creations will you come up with?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

{ debbie }