Pumpkin Donuts

Today we got lucky and called up two families we like to play with for a last minute no notice playdate.  We only had an hour and a half to play and the kids took full advantage.  While they ran around using up energy the moms hung out in the kitchen and made these yummy pumpkin donuts.  I swear I'm not obsessed with donuts, it's just so nice to be able to enjoy a fall treat while I'm eating soy and dairy free.  I'd say it was an hour and a half well spent!  Now if only I had a pumpkin late to go with the donut...

Recipe Modifications

• used fleishmanns unsalted margarine (dairy-free)
• used kirkland real eggs (like egg-beaters)
• Used own topping instead of the on in the recipe 
• added 1/2 cup pumpkin
• the batter is super thick and there isn't any to spare.  I used the baggy to put in pan then spread with a butter knife

Ingredients

For the donuts:

Baking spray

1 cup flour

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp butter, cold

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

For the topping

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

dash or two cinnamon

dash nutmeg

2 tablespoons fleishmanns unsalted or other butter/margarine

Recipe

This recipe comes from a food blog new to me Confections of a Foodie Bride but I like it!

Click Here for Recipe

For the topping

1. After the donuts cool.  Melt the butter in shallow bowl.  
2. Mix sugars and spices in another shallow bowl.
3. Dunk donuts in butter on both sides then roll in the sugar mixture

Diary-Free Hot Cocoa

Today felt a bit dreary and chilly and I just picked up some cocoa so we decided to experiment and create a yummy dairy free hot cocoa.  The end result was a success!  I have tried in the past but couldn't get it right with rice milk.  The thicker consistency of almond milk was just what we needed.  And at only 40 calories for a cup of almond milk even with sugar and marshmallows this is a treat that tastes much more indulgent than it is.  Might try sweetening with honey the next go around.  

Ingredients

dash of salt

3/8th cup of sugar

1/4 cup of cocoa

1/3 cup of water

2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

marshmallows or marshmallow fluff

Recipe

1. Cook salt, sugar, cocoa and water over medium high heat until it boils stirring frequently.  Cook for a minute at a boil stirring constantly.
2. Add almond milk and cook until hot, does not need to boil.
3. Carefully pour into cups and top with marshmallows, enjoy!

Note:  You may try adding vanilla extract but we found that this gives an off taste with almond milk.  You are better off using the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Apple Cider Donuts

The weather outside is dreary and I have two little girls that want to bake so we made up a new donut recipe!  These are apple donuts with a cider glaze or sugar and cider topping.  They were a huge hit today and will be added to our must-make-for-fall list.  Next weekend I'm thinking pumpkin, I absolutely love pumpkin baked goods.  One benefit of eating milk and soy free right now is that it's forcing me to create my own recipes.  Almond milk bakes very well but does impart a bit of almond flavor.  Rice Milk doesn't bake as well but doesn't add a flavor.  Good thing we love almonds ;-)

Ingredients for 6 donuts

1 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

dash or two  ground nutmeg (optional)

dash or two ground cinnamon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup almond milk (we use almond breeze original, they come in milk box size)

* can substitute buttermilk or make your own with skim/1% and vinegar) 

1 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon margarine melted (smart balance light in the tub is dairy and soy free)  or butter melted

1/2 cup applesauce

1 1/2 teaspoons real maple syrup (costco has a good deal on the real stuff!)

Sugar Coating 

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon margarine melted (smart balance light in the tub is dairy and soy free)  or butter melted

1/4 to 1/2 cup apple cider

Glaze

1/8 cup apple cider

1 cup powdered sugar

pinch of salt 

Donut Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a doughnut pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt with a whisk. 
3. Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla, apple sauce, maple syrup and melted butter. Beat together until well blended.
4. Pour dough into a ziplock bag.  You can place bag in a large mug to make purring easier.
5. Snip of one corner of ziplock bag and fill each doughnut cup almost but not quit full.  These are more dense donuts and will not rise as high as some recipes. 
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until doughnuts spring back when touched. They will not be brown, should appear still pale.  Allow to cool for two minutes before removing from pan.  These took two minutes longer in my oven then less dense donuts.
7. Cool completely before adding toppings.

Sugar Coating

1. Combine white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in shallow bowl.
2. Pour enough cider into small bowl to cover bottom.
3. Dunk donuts on both sides in cider quickly, shake off excess, and then roll to cover completely in sugar.

Apple Cider Glaze

1. Microwave cider in small bowl for 40 seconds.
2. Add powdered sugar and salt to bowl and whisk until smooth.  
3. Dunk top of donuts in mixture.  Let cool and glaze will harden.