Caramel-Glazed Baked Donuts

It’s National Doughnut Day and that’s not a day too soon for these Caramel-Glazed Baked Donuts adorned with melted dark chocolate. If that’s not a way to celebrate this national day of doughnuts, I don’t know what is.

Caramel Glazed Baked Donuts drizzled with melted dark chocolate

It’s the first Friday of the month of June. That makes it National Doughnut Day. It’s a day worthy of celebration, if you ask me. Which I know you didn’t, but I just feel the need to tell you anyway.

And since I’m telling you things, I guess I should tell you this too. I have never been one for doughnuts.

Chocolate sauce waits to be poured on baked donuts with caramel glaze.

I remember a job I had after my freshmen year in college. Everyone used to contribute money to a fund throughout the week and someone would go out on Friday mornings and bring in doughnuts.

It’s not that I never contributed and participated in the eating. I just wasn’t happy about it.

These doughnuts are vegan and baked, making them a little healthier than most

And on the days I didn’t participate in that doughnut fund? I would eye the box sitting on the break room counter. With that shiny coat of glaze dancing in the light from the break room window, those doughnuts seemed almost magical.

“Come have one,” they would call to me like my own personal siren call. Homer had beautiful maidens. I have doughnuts. Go figure.

“Nope. I can’t,” I would respond. To myself of course. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was crazy.

“We’re soooo good…”

“Oh, I know you are. I surely do.”

But I’m no fool to the allure of doughnuts. They sing a lovely song but they offer me nothing but immediate and long-lasting discomfort. I feel plain awful after I eat them.

Baked donuts glistening in the morning sun are ready to be eaten.

Too bad chocolate doesn’t have that kind of impact on me. And peanut butter for that matter. I’d be as skinny as a rake!

I figured out over the years that it was the combination of the grease and sugar that did me in.

That’s why I was so excited to buy this special doughnut pan. The kind that lets you bake the doughnuts. Whoever thought of that was surely a genius. Well, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. But whoever it was, they’re good as gold in my book.

Caramel glaze to put on top of baked donuts

So, now I get to celebrate National Doughnut Day with the rest of the world. You can’t see me, but I’m doing a little happy jig in the kitchen. It’s a great day!

Baked Donuts are vegan and can be made gluten-free

I stay away from gluten these days as well so I’ve provided a gluten-free option too. No one puts gluten-free baby in a corner!

So, Happy National Doughnut Day. 

 

Caramel-Glazed Baked Donuts

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour*
  • 1 teaspoon yeast
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon flax seed meal
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ cup margarine
  • ½ cup soy buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Caramel Glaze Frosting (See recipe below)
  • Chocolate Topping (See recipe below)
*Make this gluten-free by using 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup buckwheat flour, & 1/4 cup white rice flour…or a gluten-free flour blend)

Directions

  1. Heat your oven to 350F and coat a baked donut pan with vegetable spray.
  2. Place flour, yeast, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stir, and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl combine the corn starch, flax meal, and water. Stir until the ingredients are combined and set aside for the ingredients to thicken.
  4. In a food processor add the margarine and sugar. Pulse a few seconds until they’re mixed together. Then add the corn starch mixture and pulse again until combined. Then add the soy buttermilk and vanilla and pulse again until everything is combined. Combination is key!
  5. Now add your flour mixture to the food processor and pulse a few more seconds until your dough is formed. It should be a thin, sticky kind of dough. Is that the best kind or what!
  6. Now you’re going to want to pour the batter into each doughnut mold in your prepared pan. I used a tablespoon and measured out 3 tablespoons for each doughnut mold. I used a spatula to spread it out a little, while trying to keep everything nice and neat.
  7. Let the batter sit in the pan for a minute or two so the yeast can start to get kind of full of itself. Then bake the doughnuts for 15 – 18 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when they get a nice golden color. Remove them from the oven and cool.
  8. Add the Caramel Glaze Frosting (recipe below) to each doughnut and drizzle with Chocolate Topping (recipe below).

 

Carmel Glaze Frosting

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup margarine
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat the margarine and brown sugar over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Stir and let the mixture boil for a minute or so. It will start to get a deep, rich color and that’s when you know it’s ready.

Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Stir that around a bit. Allow the mixture to cool for a bit and then add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring between each addition. You’re going to have more of this yummy frosting than you’ll need for these doughnuts. Lucky you!

 

Chocolate Topping

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  • ½ tablespoon soy milk

Directions

Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and add the agave nectar. Microwave this for 11 seconds (the agave helps it melt fast!). Your chocolate chips should be melted now. Stir the melted chocolate and agave together until you get a nice, thick consistency. Add the soy milk and stir until everything is smooth and creamy and ready to roll!

 

Enjoy!

Tweet
Pin2
Share
Yum
2 Shares

Updated by Marly · Permalink