16 January 2012

Mini Baked Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts has a special place in my heart... for one very important reason. But also, and although I probably shouldn't, I adore a large hot cup of their decaf coffee (black, naturally).

Sure, I wish their decaf was SWP. I wish they didn't use styrofoam cups. Although, 100% of their espresso is Fair Trade, which is more than can be said for one rather ubiquitous corporate coffee overlord.
Regardless, DD is neither vegan nor gluten-free friendly** - maybe the hash browns, if you trust them and don't care about suspect ingredients; some bagels perhaps, for gluten-eating vegans who don't care about suspect ingredients; donuts are entirely a no-go.
**As of early 2013, I understand that DD does now offer some gluten free items; they are, however, still not vegan.

What's a conscious, gluten-free vegan to do? Uh.... well... make your own, of course.

Vegan, Gluten-Free Cake Donuts?!  Indeed.
I adapted this recipe from Gluten Free Goddess (who also shared a DD story; neato!!). I love that they're slightly sweet, but I wanted to do without the brown sugar, xanthan gum, rice flour and nut flour.
I went to my laboratory, made a few tweaks, and these moist, cake-y gems turned out beautifully. I used the same mini donut pan GFG used; although, it's non-stick (!!), so I've been in the market for a new one.1
I actually halved the recipe in testing but, even with the same pan, still ended up with 12 donuts; must've been the tweaks. Eh. Fewer ingredients to make 12 donuts... sure; it's straight economics.
The tweaks also gave these donuts an extended "life span";translation: they don't become stiff, dense and dry the next day, as is the wont of many2 gluten-free baked goods.


I cinnamon-glazed a few, and sprinkled the others with powdered coconut sugar and cinnamon. We didn't enjoy this batch with a DD coffee, but they were really good with the Caffè Kimbo we brought home from Italy.

Mini Baked (GF, Vegan) Donuts (adapted from Gluten Free Goddess)
(makes 12 mini donuts)
  • 3/4 Cup (88g) Sorghum Flour
  • 1/4 Cup (30g) Tapioca Flour
  • 2 Tbsp (15g) Potato Starch
  • 1 Tbsp (7g) Coconut Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder (or make your own)
  • 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
  • 2 Tbsp (25g) Coconut Sugar
  • 1 tsp (5g) Blackstrap Molasses
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
  • 2 Tbsp (30g) Earth Balance Coconut Spread (or sub any vegan, un-hydrogenated shortening)
  • 1 Chia Egg (1T Ground Chia + 3T filtered water)
  • 1/2 Cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
  • 2 tsp Vinegar ( I use Bragg's)
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla
Oven 350F/180C

In a small bowl or glass, prepare the chia egg, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut sugar and molasses. Mix until the sugar is more or less the consistency of brown sugar (you just made your own, again!). Add all of the remaining dry ingredients and whisk together, until well-combined.

Add the buttery spread to the dry ingredients, and use a pastry cutter or fork to blend in, until it is evenly distributed and the mixture is crumbly.

In a separate glass or bowl, combine the coconut milk and vinegar and stir well. The coconut milk should start to coagulate. Then add the coconut milk mixture, chia egg and vanilla to the flour mixture.

Mix well until a smooth dough forms. It should be able to easily hold its shape when rolled, without sticking all over your hands.
Separate the dough into 12 even pieces, and very gently roll each piece into a 4-5 inch log. Gently place the dough into the well of the donut pan, and lightly smooth the ends together - you can also do this step separately and with lightly oiled fingers, after all of the donuts have been placed; I was just lazy/eager to pop them in the oven.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the donuts are firm to the touch.

Once the donuts have cooled slightly, glaze them, powder them, or eat them nude.3 They're delicious with a hot beverage.4


Enjoy!


1. If anyone has any good non-non-stick/non-scary-material recommendations, that would totally rule!
2. Not mine... well, not the majority of mine. Really! I think I've really perfected my flour blend and ratios. You can always try out recipe to test out my claims :-)
3. Cheeky! I meant unadorned, but hey, whatever floats your boat. 
4. Just be really careful, if enjoying them as possibly interpreted above.

3 comments:

  1. The donuts look very light and fluffy.
    I've never gone to a DD before. Is that crazy or what?

    http://daily-iphoneography.posterous.com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! They are nice and light but cake-y too!

      I know DD isn't nationwide, so it's not so crazy :-) There aren't any on the West coast- much to the dismay of some of my loved ones.

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