Blueberry Lemon Doughnuts

It is finally Spring! (Well, still only 40-50 degrees here in the U.P. but it is sunny, and I have a sunburn, so it still counts.) Time to bust out one of my favorite "flavors" with pretty much any combination, as long as lemon is involved somewhere. These baked doughnuts pack a lemon punch that of course goes perfectly with blueberries. Every time I think lemon and blueberry, it just screams Springtime to me. And they are baked cake-like doughnuts, so you SORT of feel better eating them....

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 c. veggie oil
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 c. buttermilk
2 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. blueberries

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and grease your doughnut pan(s) with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, oil and sugar together. Add in the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, buttermilk and whisk again until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients and stir until a thick batter forms. Stir in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut pan and bake for 7-8 minutes, until the bottom of the doughnuts are a nice golden brown and the top springs back when you lightly press on it. Repeat until you have no more dough left.

Lemon Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. lemon zest
7-8 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (2 large lemons)

In a small bowl, combine the lemon glaze ingredients together. Line parchment or wax paper underneath cooling racks and dip each side of the doughnut in the glaze mixture. Place on the rack to cool fully and let the icing dry.

Baked Mardi Gras Doughnuts

It is fat Tuesday and why not eat doughnuts by the handful, right? Well, sorry to say that this baked doughnut recipe helps you feel a "little bit" better about pigging out on a day that celebrates eating whatever then heck you want. Make up a batch for your fat Tuesday celebrations and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. almond milk

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a doughnut pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, egg and almond milk together until fully incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients and stir together until there are no lumps left. Pour into the molds 2/3 of the way full and bake for 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbs. almond milk

Mix the powdered sugar and almond milk together until you have a slightly runny glaze. Dip the doughnuts round side down into the glaze and place on a parchment lined baking sheet to cool fully. Divide the remaining glaze into three small bowls. Add one drop of green to one bowl, one drop of gold-yellow to another bowl, and a drop of purple to the last bowl. Stir until the fool coloring is fully mixed in. Using a toothpick for each color, dip the end into the frosting and dot the tops of the doughnuts with the different colors.

Cake Batter Doughnuts

We went out to camp yesterday before heading out to a surprise party. A friend that I hadn't seen in years, who also happens to be a cop, hit a milestone birthday and since he is a person that can take a joke pretty well, I decided to bake cake doughnuts. They turned out awesome, and I FINALLY perfected the doughnut glaze frosting!

To give you a peek at why I love baking at camp, i'll show you a few pictures. Our old camp burned down about 12 years ago now, and in 2013 we finally rebuilt. It is one of my favorite places in the world, and regardless of where I will go and haven't traveled to yet, it always will be. It's one of those places that you can close your eyes and just feel at peace. But anyways, back to the ambiance that I had going for me...

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (I did one batch of French vanilla, and one of Chocolate)
1/4 c. oil
1 c. water
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the cake mix with the oil, water and egg. (If you plan on dying the dough, add your food coloring now.) Add the batter to a Ziplock, or piping bag. Spray a doughnut pan with non stick cooking spray. Cut the corner, or end of the bag with batter and fill the cavity of the doughnut pan. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the batter is fully cooked. Turn the doughnuts out onto a wire rack or counter top and let cool fully. Each box of cake mix, for me, made 14 doughnuts. If you want thinner doughnuts, you could stretch it to maybe 20? Just make sure you lessen the baking time.

Doughnut Glaze/ Icing:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbs. melted margarine
2 Tbs. milk, 1%

Whisk the powdered sugar, melted margarine and milk together in a wide bowl. Add food coloring if you want to color the glaze. Slowly dip the top of each doughnut into the glaze and swirl around upside down in the air to get rid of any excess. Place back on your cooling rack or counter top and add sprinkles. Let the frosting sit and room temperature and dry for at least 10 to 15 minutes, especially if you plan on stacking them together.

They really did turn out amazing! I know I am going with picture overload on this one but I am excited to finally find the right consistency for a doughnut glaze. The doughnuts themselves were easy as, well, cake! Now for a "few" more pictures.....

Banana Chocolate Chip Doughnuts

 Ingredients:

2 large bananas, very ripe and mashed
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. fat free vanilla Greek Yogurt
1/4 c. margarine, melted
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a mixer, combine the bananas, sugar, yogurt, margarine and eggs. Add in the dry ingredients slowly until the mixture is well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips on low speed. Scoop the dough into a Ziplock bag, squeeze the air out and zip. Spray a 6 cavity Doughnut Pan with non stick cooking spray. Cut one of the corners of the Ziplock bag and pipe the filling into the cavities. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the oven. Repeat until all of the batter is done.

This recipe makes around 24-27 doughnuts, 3 WW points each!

Pumpkin Doughnuts

I have been doing a bake sale fundraiser for the last few weeks at my work place and these had to have been one of my favorites so far. I don't eat doughnuts very often, but when it comes to fall, I love everything pumpkin and cinnamon flavored (which is funny, because I don't actually like plain pumpkin pie). These are a must try if you have a doughnut pan! When they are baked and not deep fried, I feel a lot less guilty about stuffing one in my face...

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. pumpkin pie mix
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk, 1%
1/4 c. margarine, softened

Glaze:
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. milk (or less/more depending on consistency)

 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a doughnut pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In an electric mixer, cream the butter, pumpkin, eggs and milk together. Add in the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda until everything is well combined. Fill the molds 2/3 full and bake for 8-10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients and spoon over the top of the doughnuts, or dunk the tops in the glaze. Let the glaze harden slightly.

This recipe makes around 18-22 doughnuts.

Jelly Doughnut Splenda Muffins

Ingredients:

1/4 c. margarine
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. Splenda
1/3 c. Splenda brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 2/3 c. flour
1 c. almond milk
1/4-1/3 c. sugar free strawberry jelly


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 12-15 cupcake tins with paper liners. In an electric mixer, beat the butter, oil and both sugars until smooth. Add eggs and continue to beat. Add the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and vanilla. Add the flour and milk alternating. Divide into the baking cups and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes, cut a hole on the tops of the muffins and fill with 1/2 tsp. of the strawberry jelly.

Oreo Doughnuts

 

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. half and half
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. melted margarine
7 Oreos, crushed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a doughnut pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the doughnut ingredients until everything is well combined. Pipe into each doughnut cavity about 2/3 full. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the top of the doughnuts spring back slightly when touched. Let cool fully on a wire rack. (This makes about 18 doughnuts).

While the doughnuts are cooling, mix 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1 Tbs. half and half. Dip each doughnut into the glaze and place on a wire rack. Sprinkle with more crushed Oreo (I ended up needing about 5 crushed Oreos for on top). 

Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbs. butter, melted
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a doughnut pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, mix all of the above ingredients together until well combined. Place in a piping or ziplock bag and cut the tip off. Pipe the batter into the mold and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown on the bottom, and bounces back when you slightly push on the top. Let cool fully on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt a 3 oz. bar of dark chocolate, chopped up, in a small bowl with 1 tsp. of vegetable oil. I melted it in the microwave for 35 second intervals (I needed 3) on 50% power. Dip the top of each doughnut in the melted chocolate and if you are using sprinkles, dip immediately into the sprinkles and then let the chocolate fully cool.

Bacon Pancake Doughnut

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. brown sugar
6 Tbs. maple syrup
1/2 c. milk, 1%
1 egg


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Spray a doughnut pan with non stick cooking spray. Fill each mold with about 2 Tbs. of the batter in an even layer (piping makes this part much easier). Bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottom is golden brown and the top springs back slightly when touched. Let cool fully on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, combine 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1 Tbs. milk together. In another small bowl, pour your sprinkles. Dip the top of each doughnut in the icing and then directly onto the sprinkles. Flip over and let cool fully on a wire rack.