18 Minutes

The day proceeded almost as planned: with skiing and donuts. However, it took a slight right turn after I found a set of pristine donut pans in my pantry when I was looking for something else. Donuts!  Baked donuts! Exactly during the time they baked in the oven (18 min) I cleared the entire driveway of its 10 inches snow layer. Without a snow blower, it would take me about 2 hours.

My reward was a freshly baked, delicious donut, with glaze and still warm, a cup of coffee and the prospect of skiing in winter wonderland for the rest of the afternoon. Not bad.




Baked chocolate donuts (GF, vegan)

Donuts:

• 1 cup all-purpose GF flour/baking mix (Bob Mill)
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup Dagoba cocoa powder
• 2 TB almond meal
• 2 TB fine coconut flakes
• 2 TB ground flax meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 TB grapeseed oil (or organic canola oil)

Chocolate glaze:

• 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons earth balance buttery spread
• 2 TB almond milk
• 1/4 ts rum extract
• 1/2 ts instant espresso powder

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F and grease a donut pan.
• For the donuts: Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir until combined. Make sure to remove all clumps with a sieve. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Let batter sit for 5 minutes for the flax seed to plump up and bind the dough.

• Spoon the batter into the donut pan, filling each mold about a little bit more than half (I definitely overfilled mine). Smooth out the top of the batter with a spoon. The batter should be enough for 2 of these pans, not just 1 plus one extra donut.

• Bake for 18-24 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Use a fork to remove the donuts and place on a cooling rack and allow to fully cool before adding glaze.
• For the frosting: Add the frosting ingredients into a medium bowl and beat with electric mixer until smooth. Apply with large spoon.
• Enjoy!