donuts Archives - Makin' it Mo'Betta

National Donut Day! Recipes & Freebies

Kim

Not only is it Friday, which is awesome in itself, it’s also National Donut Day! If you follow me on (and you should! I share lots of stuff that doesn’t make it to the blog.) you already know this. Because some holidays are more exciting than others. ABC News released a list of all the places to score today…free donuts are definitely news worthy.

For the rest of us, who are trying to avoid fried dough like the plague, I have some healthier versions that can be baked up at home. Yes, I said baked. Yes, I know a baked donut is basically a muffin, but hey, we’re doin’ all we can here to fit into a dag blasted bathing suit. Yes, I said dag blasted. Because apparently I’m 80.

So, here we go:

Chocolate Glazed Baked Donuts

Baked Meyer Lemon Donuts (can be made with regular lemons or even oranges, or a combo of both!)

Baked Maple Cinnamon Donuts

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Mini Spiced Donuts

Chocolate Donut Holes

What’s your favorite donut?

Chocolate Glazed Donuts {Baked}

Kim

In yesterday’s post I mentioned Chocolate Glazed Donuts, so I wanted to share the recipe. My son (as with most kids) LOVES donuts. However, being the mean mama that I am, and being all concerned about trans fat and such, I very rarely buy them. Luckily, my children don’t realize that baked donuts are basically muffins in a donut shape, and consider it a treat when I make them.

I’ve made many, many donuts and these are among my top three. My other favorites being these Apple Cider Donuts and these Meyer Lemon Donuts.

Chocolate Glazed Donuts

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar (I like to sub 1/4 to 1/2 of the amount with xylitol)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Glaze:
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray donut pan with nonstick spray. (If you do not have a donut pan, you can use a mini muffin pan to make donut “holes” or make traditional muffins, adjust cook time accordingly.)
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (if using). *I usually just whisk everything until no clumps remain, but my girls actually used the sifter for this recipe. Yes, I had flour and cocoa everywhere.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, then add milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk until combined and smooth. Whisk in butter.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture (wet to dry) and mix just until combined.
Fill donut (or whichever) pan about 3/4 full and bake for 10-12 minutes (again, depending on pan being used), or until done. (Use the toothpick test if unsure).
Cool for 5 minutes in the pan,then transfer to a wire rack.
While cooling, whisk (or sift) the powdered sugar, then add the milk, vanilla and lemon juice. Whisk until combined. (If too thin, add more sugar; too thick, add more milk.) Dip warm (not hot) donuts into the glaze (you can do one side or both) and place on wire rack to set.

Recipe Source:

Donuts = Happy Kids. Baked Donuts = Happy Mom!

I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday) , , , , (Tuesday) , , ,, , (Wednesday) , , , , (Thursday) , , (Friday) , , , ,, , , , ,

Baked Meyer Lemon Donuts

Kim

Meyer Lemons are awesome. Donuts are awesome. Therefore, Meyer Lemon Donuts are awesomer. True story. They also make for pretty pictures 🙂 So many of my posts include camera phone shots taken on the fly as I am trying to get dinner on the table, and unfortunately, I don’t really see that changing anytime soon. I mean, let’s be real. I have 3 young kids. Enough said. ANYway, I have been working on my “food styling” techniques when I have time. (if I could just learn how to properly use my camera, that would be great.) But, there is just something ‘happy’ about Meyer Lemons that makes me want to take their picture!

Baked donuts are a favorite around here (b/c I am a mean mama and deprive my children of the store-bought trans-fat laden versions). When they get there first bite of a freshly baked, warm Krispy Kreme, I will most likely lose the “my mom is so awesome she makes us great donuts” status.

Meyer Lemon Baked Donuts adapted from

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup sugar substitute (I used )
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs
¾ cup low fat plain yogurt
6 Tbsp meyer lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a doughnut pan with cooking spray.

Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and sugar substitute (if using).
In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, eggs, yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix to combine.
Fill the donut pan 2/3 full of batter. (I just use a spoon, but some people prefer to pipe it in.)
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
Top donuts as desired.

A glaze of lemon juice and confectioners sugar is delicious, or you can dip them in powdered sugar. (or you can do both like we did!).

NOTES – You can use 3/4 cup granulated sugar and skip the sugar substitute if desired, or you could probably use all sugar substitute (for baking), but I haven’t tried that. You could also use regular lemons instead of Meyer lemons, or use orange juice, for orange donuts! Also, these are a dense, cake-like donut, not a light and fluffy one. (Cake donuts are my fave!)

Well, enjoy these bright, sunny donuts during this COLD, dreary day! Yes, I bragged too soon about our awesome weather….I actually saw a few snow flakes yesterday, with more in the forecast today!

I may be linking this recipe up at: (Monday) , , , ,, , , , , , , (Tuesday) , , , , , , , (Wednesday) , , , , , (Thursday), , , , (Friday) , , , , , ,, , , , (Saturday) , , (Sunday)

Time to make the (healthier, egg free) donuts!

Kim

You know those cute little powdered donuts that come in a bag in the grocery store? Kids love those things. Have you read the nutritional label?! Scary. Very scary. Donuts are a popular treat at school now b/c they are prepackaged and can easily be served at school (a lot of schools do not allow home baked goods anymore). Well, not only are they a nutritional disaster, they contain eggs…so my son has never had a commercially prepared donut! (yep, no Krispy Kremes or Dunkin’ Donuts either. Ever.)

However, I could never deprive my kids of donuts! They are fun to eat, they have a fun shape, they come in all kinds of yummy flavors…so, I make homemade donuts. They are baked, with much more wholesome ingredients, AND they are allergy friendly. Boo-yah! (Oh yeah, and most importantly….they’re easy!) You wouldn’t feel deprived eating these would you?

(Ok, I won’t lie…they are not as good as a chocolate cake donut from DD. Or the blueberry cake donut, which is my all time fave, but pleezzee, if I ate those things, I would need bigger doorways to fit through. And cholesterol medication.)

They made this little guy happy 🙂

and my girls help make them!

So, the recipe already….

Almost Healthy Chocolate Doughnuts

slightly adapted (my changes are in italics)

Makes 12-15 small doughnuts

1 cup white whole wheat flour (slightly rounded cup)
2 tablespoons Hershey’s Dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar or Stevia for baking
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1/4 cup skim milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice)
1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg or egg replacer (I used Ener-G)
Optional: glaze, powdered sugar or your favorite frosting, sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a mini donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda. Whisk in sugar, nutmeg and salt. Add in the coconut oil and use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients until it becomes coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk, yogurt, vanilla and egg/egg replacer. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Fill prepared pan 1/2-3/4 full (my batter was pretty thick).

Bake until donuts spring back when touched (between 6-10 minutes, depending on the size of your doughnut pan). Let cool before frosting.

**If you do not have a cute little donut pan, just make these as mini muffins.**

Chocolate Glaze – 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 t. dark cocoa (or more, to taste) and milk. Mix powdered sugar and cocoa together, then add milk by the teaspoons until you get desired consistency.

I have several recipes coming up using Coconut Oil (and a giveaway!). I had to see what all the hype was about! However, you can use butter, olive oil, canola oil or applesauce in its place if you do not have any.

I’m linking up this recipe with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Boston Cream Poke Cake & a Celebration!

Kim

I am thrilled to say that yesterday marked the 2 year anniversary of my Dad’s life-saving stem cell transplant! You can read more about it HERE. We celebrated by getting the family together and having a cook-out, and one of my Dad’s favorite desserts….

He loves anything Boston Cream…so I decided to make a version of this from Lil’ Luna. I changed it up just a little by adding a homemade chocolate icing to the top.

Boston Cream Poke Cake (with homemade Hershey’s icing)

*yellow cake mix (I used the Duncan Hines Butter recipe yellow cake mix)

*ingredients called for on cake box (eggs/butter/water)

*large box of instant vanilla pudding (I used sugar free, fat free)

*amount of milk called for on pudding box (mine was 3 cups; I used skim milk)

for icing– (from my MIL)

*1 cup sugar

*1/3 cup cocoa (I used Hershey’s Dark)

*1/4 cup milk

*1/4 cup butter

*1 teaspoon vanilla

To make cake – mix up cake batter according to directions on box. Bake as directed in a 13×9 pan. While cake is cooling, mix up vanilla pudding according to package directions. Poke holes in your cake with the end of a wooden spoon (see notes). Pour and smooth vanilla pudding over surface of cake.

To make icing – Mix sugar, cocoa and milk in a pot, bring to a boil over medium heat – stirring the entire time WITH A WOODEN SPOON. Boil for one minute (still stirring!) Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Mix until it just starts to thicken – don’t let it thicken too much or it is very difficult to spread over cake. Pour over pudding layer of cake. Icing will ‘set’ on cake.

Love the pretty layers

Now…notes! Don’t poke your holes too deep into your cake. I had never made a poke cake before, so I just stabbed my spoon into my cake with no regards to depth. Also, I let my cake sit overnight which also made a difference – but most of my pudding and half of my icing soaked into my cake! I think no more than half way into the cake would be plenty deep. I also think the cake would be better eaten the day it is made, if you want to keep the nice layers. Otherwise, you have a very moist cake with some chocolate on top…which is fine, but not what I was going for. That being said, my mom said the cake tasted just like a Boston Cream doughnut. Believe it or not, I don’t like Boston Cream doughnuts, or Chocolate Eclairs (I know, I’m weird like that), but I do like the cake versions!

If you do not want to mess with the homemade icing – the original version called for chocolate pudding over the vanilla pudding layer. You could also heat up canned icing and pour over the top. Of course, you could also make this cake using a homemade cake recipe, homemade pudding, with a chocolate ganache on top. Holla. Please send me some if you do that.

Also, check out for information regarding becoming a stem cell/bone marrow donor.

I’m linking up this recipe with , , , , , , , , (2/13/13) – Ingredient Spotlight: Chocolate