Mini baked doughnuts that are healthier than usual, easily dairy free, and the batter’s made in one bowl.
Doughnuts, is there anything they can’t do?
Before you think I’m reminiscing about old episodes of The Simpsons again (or, alternatively, have completely gone nuts), let me tell you a very short story.
When I went on a family trip with my cousins to an amusement park several years ago – actually, make that around a decade ago – one of my cousins kept complaining about feeling nauseous and having a stomach ache. At this stage he hadn’t actually gone on any rides, but let’s just ignore that fact for a moment.
Anyway, here we are dealing with a case of queasiness. So, what did my cousin do in this situation? He went and bought a giant cream-filled doughnut.
As skeptical as I was of the ‘doughnut cure’, I have to hand it to him – he made no more complaints about feeling ill after that.
The day before yesterday, June 3, was ‘National Doughnut Day’. Originally I had planned to post this recipe before or on Doughnut Day, but alas, it was not to be. Not to worry, freshly baked doughnuts taste just as good no matter what day it is (or isn’t). Especially when they’re made with peanut butter.
These mini Peanut Butter Baked Doughnuts are healthier than your average doughnuts. Not only are they baked rather than fried, the only butter/oil in the recipe comes from delicious peanut butter.
As an added bonus, the batter’s made in one bowl.
Forget all that talk about these doughnuts being healthier for a minute, because we’re about to talk toppings.
I kept it simple by dredging most of the doughnuts in good ol’ cinnamon sugar. Just brush the warm doughnuts with a little melted butter, them in ¼ cup of granulated sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
Some of the other doughnuts were covered in chocolate sauce. Not surprisingly, warm doughnuts and chocolate sauce are a winning combination.
To make a simple chocolate sauce, pour two tablespoons of milk into a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Then vigorously stir in ¼ – ½ cup chocolate chips, depending on how thick you’d like it. If the chocolate hasn’t completely melted, microwave it on a low wattage in 10 – 20 second intervals and keep stirring.
But those are only two of a about a gazillion topping possibilities. When you’re dealing with something as versatile as peanut butter, you can really go nuts with the toppings (literally). Try a maple glaze, or melted white chocolate and sprinkles, or peanut butter frosting and chopped nuts, or raspberry icing and M&M’s… hmmm, what about marshmallow fluff?
Given I missed National Doughnut Day, I guess I’ll just have to extend the holiday to Doughnut Month. Doughnuts (and toppings) all round!
Fun Fact: A doughnut burger – also called a Luther Burger – is where the burger bun is replaced by two glazed doughnuts. I’m not sure if there is more or less crazy than the bacon-topped hot dog in a Krispy Kreme bun.
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup (70g) peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons (25g) brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons (30mL) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) milk
- ½ cup (65g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25g) almond meal
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 12-hole mini doughnut pan with cooking oil spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg with a fork. Whisk in the peanut butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Pour in the milk, and whisk until completely combined.
- Add the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared mini doughnut pan, filling each hole approximately ¾ of the way up.
- Bake for 9 - 12 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean (or with a few crumbs). Let the doughnuts sit in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
For a simple cinnamon-sugar coating, brush the warm doughnuts with melted butter and roll them in a mixture of ¼ cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
Alternatively, top the doughnuts with a maple glaze or chocolate frosting.
Dairy Free
To make these dairy free, replace the milk with almond milk (or another plant-based milk)
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