Apples and cinnamon sugar — what could you possibly make this pair better? Oh, I know, combine them in doughnut recipe that is both vegan and delicious!

I always thought doughnuts were one of those things I would have to give up if I wanted to maintain a vegan diet. This doughnut recipe makes quite a compelling case as to why my assumption is oh so very false — it contains no butter, eggs, milk, or cream. Meanwhile, these doughnuts are also free of refined white sugar and flour and, get this, oil-free. So, how do they taste so good? They are sweetened with lower-glycemic coconut palm sugar, thickened with coconut milk and applesauce, and flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and apple cider vinegar. You do the math.

Admittedly, these vegan apple cider doughnuts don’t exactly compare to traditional doughnuts. Sure, they look the part and are so soft and moist that you’ll quickly forget all the doughnuts you enjoyed in the past, but their nutritional breakdown is far more redeeming.

The Benefits

Instead of white flour, this recipe uses spelt flour, an ancient cereal grain in the wheat family. Although spelt flour is not gluten-free, it contains less gluten than whole wheat or white flour. It is also rich in vitamin B2, manganese, niacin, thiamin, and copper. White flour is often so over processed that it loses nearly all of its nutritional integrity.

This recipe also calls for coconut sugar as the sweetening agent. Coconut sugar contains far less fructose than white table sugar. And while it will raise your blood sugar levels, it won’t do as much damage — its glycemic index is half that of white sugar. Coconut sugar is relatively expensive, but it’s worth the buck!

When eggs, milk, and butter aren’t part of a baked recipe, it’s tempting to fill in for their (often obvious) absence with vegetable oils and, popularly, coconut oil. Relying too heavily on a fat, even a plant-based one, can transform any well-intentioned vegan baked good into a just-as-dangerous-as-the-original-version indulgence. In this doughnut recipe, the only significant fat added to the mix is coconut milk. Coconut oil is also sprayed on the doughnut pan to prevent sticking, but that’s it!

What You’ll Need

Once the doughnut batter is all mixed and ready for baking, it’s important to have a doughnut pan on hand, so you can uniformly shape your apple cider doughnuts.

Vegan Apple Cider Doughnut Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup 100% apple juice
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the sugar topping

• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 6-cavity doughnut pan with coconut oil.

In a large bowl, mix together the spelt flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and then pour them into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold the mixture together until just combined.

Fill each doughnut hole in the pan with an equal amount of the batter. Bake the doughnuts for 12 minutes. Allow the doughnuts to cool on a wire rack. While still warm, dip them into a mixture of the sugar topping of coconut sugar and ground cinnamon. Enjoy them warm, when they are most tender and aromatic.

Related on EcoSalon
The Original L.A. ‘Fauxnut’ Doughnuts Recipe
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The post Feast on Fall With Vegan Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts appeared first on EcoSalon.

Doughnuts are not the kind of thing you imagine could be easily made healthier – to say nothing of the fact that they’re not the most common among home-baked goods. Luckily, you can do both. That is, you can have your doughnut and eat it too, without violating your healthy diet or failing to continuously impress your family and friends with your home-cooked creations. Enjoy this sweet vegan figure-friendly doughnut recipe and say goodbye to (some of) the guilt.

In one glazed Dunkin’ Donut, there are 260 calories, 50 percent of which is fat, 14 grams of fat, 330 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbs, 12 grams of sugar, and only 1 gram of dietary fiber. It contains the allergens eggs, milk, soy and wheat. As far as the ingredients list goes, most of it is hard to pronounce. From sodium stearoyl lactylate to sodium acid pryophosphate to thiamin mononitrate, you can rest assured (alarmingly so), that what you’re ingesting isn’t the most “real” of treats.

The following vegan baked doughnut recipe takes out all the preservatives, artificial flavors and other additives and makes doughnut baking a fun and easy experience. Enjoy!

Vegan Baked Doughnut Recipe

Makes 12-15 doughnuts

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

• 1/4 cup spelt flour
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping Options:

• Turbinado sugar
• Chocolate glaze

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Slowly stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to form a sticky batter. Fill a pastry bag (or a regular plastic bag with a snipped corner) with the batter and squeeze the batter into the holes of a regular-sized doughnut tin. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly browned. Toss while still warm in turbinado sugar before serving.

Related on EcoSalon

Vegan This: Nutella Donut Muffins

Strawberry and Cream Doughnuts Recipe

The Original L.A. ‘Fauxnut’ Doughnuts Recipe

Photo Credit: nfnitloop

The post Vegan Wheat-Free Baked Doughnut Recipe (that Doesn’t Suck) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Inspired by strawberry shortcake, this summertime treat, yeasted doughnuts are split open and filled with sweetened fresh strawberries and freshly whipped cream. Give this homemade strawberry and cream doughnuts recipe a try.

Makes 16 doughnuts

Strawberry and Cream Doughnuts Recipe

Ingredients

Dough for Yeast–Raised Doughnuts made through the first rise (see below)
1 pint Driscoll’s Organic strawberries (or fresh from your favorite farmer’s market), hulled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

 Directions

1. Gently punch the dough down. Lightly flour a work surface and a baking sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a ½-inch-thick round. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out rounds of dough, dipping the cutter in flour before each cut to prevent sticking.

2. Transfer the doughnuts to a lightly floured baking sheet, cover with a dry clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

3. Heat the oil in a cast-iron Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat to 375°F on a candy or deep-fat thermometer.

Place a grid-patterned wire rack on a baking sheet or line the pan with two layers of paper towels.

4. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, drop the doughnuts into the hot oil in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the doughnuts are puffed, golden brown, and cooked through. Break open a “test doughnut” from the first batch to make sure the doughnuts are cooking correctly; adjust the heat level of the oil as needed.

5. Using a slotted spoon or a skimmer, transfer the doughnuts to the wire rack or paper towels to drain. Let cool.

6. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the 2 tablespoons sugar and let stand for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. until the sugar is dissolved.

7. In a deep medium bowl, using a whisk or a hand-held electric mixer, beat the cream until thickened. Add the 1 teaspoon sugar and the vanilla extract and continue beating until soft peaks form. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip.

8. Slice each doughnut horizontally, cutting about three-quarters of the way through. Gently pry open the doughnut and tuck in a layer of strawberries. Pipe in a thick ribbon of whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.

Dust the doughnuts with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Yeast-Raised Dough Ingredients

¾ cup warm milk (110° to 115°F)
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons)
active dry yeast
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

 Directions

1. Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and let stand for 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast.

2. Add the eggs and vanilla to the yeast mixture and beat on low speed for 1 minute.

3. In a medium bowl, combine 3 cups of the flour, the sugar, and salt. Stir with a whisk to blend. Add to the yeast mixture gradually and mix on low speed for 4 minutes, or until the dough begins to clear the sides of the mixer and form a ropy ball of dough around the hook.

4. With the machine running, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each piece be absorbed by the dough before adding the next.

Continue mixing for 3 to 4 more minutes, adding the remaining ½ cup flour a little at a time as needed to make a soft dough.

5. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn the dough to oil it. Cover with a damp clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

This recipes courtesy of  World of Doughnuts (Egg & Dart Press, June 2013)

The post Strawberry and Cream Doughnuts Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.