Seriously, I don’t eat them that often. The thing is, they’re usually fried, and while that’s delicious, I feel kind of gross after I eat one. The donut pan is a much better option!
Plus, when I bake my own, I can customize flavors at will. Like this chocolate peanut butter version. It has the loveliest, thickest PB chocolate icing. And sprinkles! Can we all just stop for a moment and enjoy the sprinkles?
When you think about it, sprinkles are a donut’s best accessory. Accessories matter, and I often forget about them. As much as I want to remember to coordinate my jewelry with an outfit along with maybe a scarf or a great hat, it’s just so much work. If I had the dedication to accessorize fully, I’d sure look a lot better. But it’s not high on the priority list.
Neither is makeup. As I get older and paler, I should probably be doing something to make my face look a little less drawn. The effort involved, though, is kind of daunting. I’m totally uneducated about makeup, so there’s a steep learning curve. Plus I’m a face toucher. I seriously run my hands across my face way too many times a day, which would totally ruin a beautiful facial palette. So why bother?
And in a perfect world, I’d have gorgeous nails. Not only am I a baker, but I also play the guitar. Anything painted on my nails chips right off, and I can’t keep them long if I want to be able to play. But I’m very jealous of women with beautifully decorated hands. Mine are teeny tiny, plain, and don’t look imposing at all.
The only way I make up for lack of accessorizing is by pushing the funky fashion envelope. Clothes are fun, and I don’t mind putting time into picking them out. But still, I wonder how much cooler my outfits would look if I could just get the little details taken care of.
Like if I’d left the sprinkles off these donuts, they wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting. Thankfully, I remembered the bling this time!
These are chocolate peanut butter all the way up, down and through. The batter has both. The icing has both. These flavors are unbeatable!
And of course, the kids run straight to them. My youngest insisted on having what she called “a whole bagel,” which means she saw the sprinkles and decided that would be lunch. I had a hard time convincing her otherwise without eliciting a major tantrum.
Any donut that gets baked rather than fried is naturally more guilt-free. Are these a health food? In the normal world, no. But in the world of donuts, you just won!
Whether or not you can accessorize yourself, definitely try to add some flair to your baking. It’s not hard, and everyone loves a little pop of razzle dazzle!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a 6-yield donut pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter and peanut butter for 30 seconds until melted. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Add the peanut butter mixture and stir again until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir until everything is combined, but not further.
- Using a spoon (the batter will be thick), fill each donut cavity about three quarters of the way. Take care not to fill them all the way.
- Bake the donuts for 10 minutes until firm. Remove from the oven to cool.
- While the donuts are cooling, make the icing. Combine the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until smooth and glossy.
- Carefully remove the donuts from the pan. One at a time, dip each donut upside-down into the icing bowl, flicking your wrist to remove excess icing. Place each donut on a plate to let the icing set. Add sprinkles if desired.
- Once the icing is hardened, serve and enjoy!
With the exception of one twisty road trip through the mountains where I drank a cup of cider right after and things didn’t go well, I’ve always been a fan of apple cider. Not apple juice. Cider. Totally different animal. The alcoholic version is nice, too.
And donuts are just a natural next step. You may have had a fried apple cider donut before, but have you tried the healthier baked version? With a maple cinnamon glaze? Step right up!
So the other day, I was sharing some of my thoughts about body image and the challenges that most (not some, most) women face when it comes to accepting and loving ourselves. And then this morning as I was doing my workout, I started thinking about where women develop our shared insecurities.
How many of you were made fun of as children? Just wondering. Because I was mercilessly teased. For whatever reason, I never got the cool memo, the one that signals the popular girls to let you alone. So of course, I spent a majority of my childhood thinking that I was ugly, that I was somehow wrong, and that I was missing whatever elusive piece it took to be part of the in crowd.
That probably explains why as an adult, I’ve always been very careful about all the external stuff, like fashion and appearance. It’s a self-defense mechanism to prevent people from making fun of me. That might sound silly, but the younger version of me still exists somewhere, and she’s afraid of being teased or left out.
We all have a backstory, and I’m insatiably curious about everyone’s stories. So if you ever want to share, put it in the comments! Did you have an experience that shaped the way you view yourself as an adult? If it’s private, ignore me. If not, then just stop to consider that as long as women continue to operate under the mistaken assumption that other women who seem fine on the outside are perfectly content with themselves all the time, nobody is benefiting from that kind of charade.
I’m all for sisterhood, and we can bond over childhood trauma or over donuts. Or both. Because both legitimately deserve to be discussed.
Donuts are evolving along with every other treat under the sun, and I’m glad. As delectable as a fried donut can be, it doesn’t exactly help your heart stay healthy. And it’s not even a sacrifice to go the baked route when a donut is this good!
These have a lovely apple cider kick, not to mention a perfect maple cinnamon coating. The glaze is made from sugar that gets pureed in the blender to be somewhere between granulated and powdered sugar. The result is a topping that is a hybrid of a traditional donut glaze and an equally delectable cinnamon-sugar topping. Who says you can’t have it all?
We never stop being who we were as kids, and that’s a mixed blessing. Even painful experiences can become empowering after the fact. And along the way, we can gather good friends and good donuts to help us on our journey.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a donut pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix in the apple cider, milk, eggs, vanilla and oil until smooth.
- Fill the donut pan carefully using either a spoon or a piping bag. I prefer to use a spoon, but it's whichever method you can use that will make the least mess. You only want to fill each cavity about three quarters of the way.
- Bake the donuts for 12-14 minutes until they are firm and spring back when touched lightly. Cool completely.
- When you're ready to make the glaze, pulse the sugar in a blender until it becomes finer in texture, somewhere between granulated sugar and powdered sugar. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar with the butter,cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup. Add the milk until the glaze becomes spreadable.
- Dip each donut into the glaze, twisting off the excess with a flick of the wrist. Place each donut carefully onto a plate and let the glaze set.
- Store loosely covered.
So here we are! In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I’ll be posting recipes through next Monday that are holiday-themed. And this hot chocolate is definitely not the kind you see here in American coffee chains. For one thing, it’s made of chocolate, not cocoa. And it’s wonderfully thick and decadent. On my honeymoon in Mexico, this is definitely the kind of hot chocolate I was enjoying.
Before we revel in chocolate and cinnamon heaven, I need to delve for one second into a pretty large and combustible topic: the Mommy Wars.
Anyone who is a mom is very much aware of the one-upmanship that occurs among some mothers the second any babies are born. I’ve made it my goal to avoid the women who engage in this kind of interaction, and so far, it’s going pretty well. After all, I make myself feel guilty enough. I don’t need anyone to add to that.
I’ve always been very open about my approach to parenting, and I don’t give a rat’s behind if people don’t agree with me. I love my children more than I love myself. That’s a given. But that doesn’t mean that I still don’t love myself. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I sprinted back to work after each of my children was born, that I still do things just for myself weekly, and that I can’t sit through most kiddie theater without wanting to run screaming out the door.
Because I’m pretty candid about maintaining individuality in the face of motherhood, a lot of people think I’m a bad mom. In fact, one woman at work once had to apologize to me for judging my views harshly before she became a mom herself. Then she realized that I wasn’t a terrible mother. I just wanted to keep parts of the old me alive.
Listen, you have to do what works for you. If you love children’s theater, then I’m actually kind of jealous. If you love being at home with newborns, I am in awe. But it’s just not for me. We just have to learn to celebrate these differences, not engage in subtle (or not too subtle) digs at other people.
Now we can talk about the day I first dipped a cinnamon donut into Mexican hot chocolate.
A new restaurant had just opened around the corner from my single-girl condo, and my best friend decided we had to go. Alene (a.k.a. best friend) is a restaurant expert, and I learned a lot about food from her. If she said this was the hot spot, she was right. And now, 15 years later, this restaurant is one of the hardest spots to get into.
I still remember the thick richness of the hot chocolate, the crisp cinnamon sugar exterior of the donut. To call it by any ordinary adjective would be unfair. The experience was life-changing.
It took a few tries to get these donuts to their fluffy best, but this is the result of trial and error. I’m very happy with it. I hope you are, too!
As it happens, Alene and I are now mothers with totally different approaches. She’s a baby person, and I’m not. She had a hard time ending her maternity leave, and I didn’t mind at all. But it’s never been a problem because we love each other. And boy, do we love donuts!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spray two donut pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Into a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Using a spoon (or a piping bag if preferred), transfer the batter into the donut pans, filling each one a little over the halfway mark.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Cool slightly and then release the donuts onto a platter.
- Make the topping. Pour the melted butter into a medium-sized bowl. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Dip each donut first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, covering both sides fully.
- Make the hot chocolate. Put the dark chocolate and half of the milk in a saucepan over very low heat and cook, stirring consistently, until the chocolate has melted. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk and whisk the mixture into the chocolate along with the sugar. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate thickens (anywhere from 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Pour the chocolate straight from the saucepan into heat-proof cups. Serve along with the donuts.
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Or maybe it’s just a nice post for a nice day.
Boys, this one’s for you. You like donuts. And your feminine counterparts are pretty wild for brownies and anything with maple syrup. Actually, we like donuts, too. Why gender stereotype?
I bring you…the Bronut.
Yep, it’s a brownie, but a donut. A donut, but a brownie. How is such a thing possible? And it’s dipped in thick, maple syrup glaze.
I wasn’t sure if this recipe would work, and it took two tries. The first time they came out too sticky and I couldn’t dig them out of the donut pan. Bu another try and 1/4 cup more of flour later, perfection!
If you want to go really crazy, have these with a beer. Or a spiked hot chocolate. But honestly, they’re pretty good plain, too. And by “pretty good,” I mean fabulous.
When you transfer the batter into your donut pan, you can opt to use either a piping bag (a lot of people think this is a neater method) or you can use a spoon. I like the spoon. Oddly enough, it gives me more precision, as does chilling the dough first. But if you don’t feel that way, and you don’t have a piping bag, cut a corner out of a Ziploc. It’ll work just as well.
When you’re done, you’ll have a manly snack that men and women alike will love. Just don’t forget to call it a Bronut. I was very proud of my Wownie mashup the other week, and I’m just as proud of this! Bronut. Bronut. They’re gonna be famous!
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cocoa into the butter until fully dissolved. Add the sugar and stir again. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Finally, add the salt and flour and stir until the flour is just incorporated into the batter.
- Chill the batter for 1 hour.
- When the batter is chilled, preheat the oven to 350. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray or, if you have it, pan release spray, which works a little better.
- Spoon the brownie batter (or you can pipe it) into the donut pan. This recipe makes 8 Bronuts, so you will might have to do 2 batches.
- Bake for 14 minutes until puffy and set. Cool for 10 minutes. When you can pick up the pan without hurting yourself, invert the Bronuts onto a plate.
- While they're cooling, make the glaze. Put the butter and maple syrup in a saucepan over low heat, stirring every now and then. When the butter is melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar until it's fully incorporated.
- Set the glaze aside to cool and thicken for about 15-20 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- When the bronuts are cool and the glaze is thickened, dip each bronut in the glaze, twisting your wrist to get the excess glaze off each bronut. When you've dipped each bronut, go through the process again for an extra-thick layer of glaze.
- Allow the glaze to harden before serving.
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Every day, donuts used to be my after-school snack. That was back when my metabolism was working in my favor. Now I can still have donuts, but maybe not every day.
That’s why I love my donut pan! Because you can bake healthier donuts, and they taste phenomenal. And you can get really creative with your flavors. Plus, you don’t get that weird feeling in your tummy that sits there after fried food has invaded the premises.
These donuts are totally breakfast food. They’re peanut butter and banana bread-flavored with a lovely peanut butter glaze. The glaze even has maple syrup in it! So fruit, protein, maple syrup…breakfast! With or without glaze. Here they are before their dunking:
The best part about the donuts is that they’re healthy. In the donuts themselves, there is no butter at all. There isn’t a ton of sugar either, so you won’t suffer a sudden crash and have a bad morning. And when you first glaze them, they’re shiny. Then the glaze hardens.
In fact, your morning will be cheery and bright! If you don’t have a donut pan, these can be made as muffins. That said, I highly recommend getting the pan. It makes all the difference in how you perceive your breakfast.
Waking up can be rough. Make it a little easier with a happy donut!
Donuts:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons oil (I used canola)
- 1 egg
- 2 small mashed ripe bananas
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter (creamy)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup flour
Glaze:
- 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a donut pan with cooking spray.
In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients except the flour until well combined. Add the flour gradually, stirring until just mixed.
Using a piping bag or a spoon, fill the donut pan about 3/4 of the way, being sure to be neat. This recipe makes up to 10 donuts, so you may have to bake two batches.
Bake for 10 minutes until the donuts are firm. Allow to cool.
While the donuts are cooling, microwave the glaze ingredients for about 1 minute. Stir until smooth.
Pop each donut out of the pan and dunk the top (it was on the bottom in the pan) into the glaze, using your wrist to shake off excess glaze. Place on a platter to let the glaze set.
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