Wellness Wednesdays: Vegan Lemon Mini Donuts
Nutritionist Approved!
By: Jenny Nicol
Healthy donuts? Say Whaaat?!
It’s true friends. I have achieved the impossible with my delicious recipe for baked, gluten-free, vegan lemon donuts.
Sweetened with applesauce, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, monk fruit sweetener, cinnamon and organic cane sugar; you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about when popping one of these little gems in your mouth!
The next time you want to indulge, give my recipe a try. You’ll love how light they are but still oh so yummy and flavourful.
MINI DONUTS RECIPE (yields 26-28)
What you need:
2/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce (organic if possible)
1/3 cup of non-dairy milk of choice (almond, rice, hemp, oat)
1/3 cup sunflower oil
3 teaspoons pure maple syrup
1 cup + 2.5 tablespoons of Bob’s Redmill Gluten-free 1-1 Flour or wheat flour (for not gluten-free version)
¼ cup granulated cane sugar (organic if possible)
¼ cup granulated coconut sugar
1 teaspoon monk-fruit sweetener (I used Lakota brand)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
mini donut molds
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease the donut cavities with coconut oil or coconut oil cooking spray. I sometimes do not grease the pan and they turn out great, just a little softer on the outside, not so crisp. But try it both ways to see what you prefer.
In a large mixing bowl combine all the wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine gently, do not over mix! The texture will change and not be nearly as light. Just lightly stir until combined.
Transfer mixture to a piping bag and squeeze enough batter into each donut cavity to fill it to about 90% full. Just leave a tiny bit of space at the top and be sure that you can see the centre circle of the donut mold, simply wipe the batter away if it’s covered.
**If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a spoon to distribute the batter. A piping bag does however make it much easier when pouring such small quantities into molds.
Bake for 12-13 minutes. (wheat flour may take up to 15 minutes)
Immediately turn over onto a cooling rack, the donuts should fall out. Do not leave the donuts in the mold for more than 1-minute; they start to go soggy quickly.
Allow to cool 15-20mins, glaze and enjoy! The glaze is optional; you can also eat them plain or top with a sprinkling of organic icing sugar and cinnamon.
Glazed donuts are at their best when eaten within the first few hours.
To store leftovers, do not glaze the donuts until just before serving. Store unglazed donuts in an airtight container on the counter for 24-36 hours or in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Lemon Glaze Recipe
4 teaspoons of organic icing sugar (I used Wholesome brand)
1.5 teaspoons of water
¼ – ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract (to taste)
In small bowl mix all the ingredients together until smooth. Use a brush to lightly glaze each donut. Or use a spoon and lightly drizzle on top of the donuts.
