I’m a bit uncertain when it began but I have this new association of donuts when I think about Valentine’s Day. Not like I am thinking a lot about Lover’s Day but usually the two weeks prior to when I am trying to figure out what desserts I want to make, my inner voice is always screaming “Valentine’s Day Donuts!”
They have to be pink and frilly though–I want my donuts to scream love and all things Valentine’s-y even though I’m not the biggest fan of this holiday. The reality is that I’m just a bit more practical than romantic. Case in point: Matt and I have been really doing well lately with watching what we eat. After a solid year+ of gluttony from falling in love, we saw pictures of what we looked like when we first met and then we looked back at each other and thought, Whoa. We may or may not have let ourselves go (and all bets are on the former). You see, we love good food and good wine but we are homebodies and after a long day of working, the gym has always been the last thing on our minds. Which we paid for in our waistlines this year. Eating good food, sharing a bottle of wine and no movement (unless you count the traveling from couch to kitchen) is never a good equation for keeping one’s figure.
So we made a few changes: We signed up with an awesome new gym only 2 blocks away and are actually enjoying a workout routine; we took to really caring about where our food is coming from so we make sure to buy organic, non-GMO, etc; and have greatly limited our eating out to 1x a week. I basically make dinner every night, making sure there are plenty of leftovers for both us for lunch the following day. With all of that to say (I promise I have point here), I want to do something special for Matt for dinner this upcoming holiday. One of his favorite places to eat prior to our new lifestyle was this Mexican food stand near where we live so for Valentine’s Day I’m wining and dining him there for dinner as a treat for all his hard work. See? Practical. Methinks I will win the Best Girlfriend of the Year award.
Oh, and I’m also making him these Valentine’s Day morning donuts…
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PinIngredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. Cara’s Gluten-free Flour Blend
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Wet ingredients
- 1/2 c. nondairy milk + 2 tsp. lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) -set for 5 minutes
- 1/4 c. oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. EnerG egg replace + 2 Tbsp. water – mix until frothy
For the icing
- 1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
- 1/4 c. coconut oil, melted (or non-hydrogenated shortening)
- 2 tsp. dark red juice (either beet, cranberry, dark cherry, etc.)
- 1-2 Tbsp. of hot water (start with 1 tablespoon and add another if still too thick)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a mini or regular-sized donut pan. This recipe makes 14 mini donuts or 6 large donuts.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Make a well in the middle of the dry mix and stir in the wet mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Place batter into a large Ziploc baggie and then cut a slit out of the corner to pipe out into the greased donut pan.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.
- Mix all the ingredients for the icing and dip the tops of each donut. Decorate as you see fit.
For the icing
- Combine all the ingredients together except for the hot water.
- Add 1 Tbsp. hot water at a time, just enough to make a thick icing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 donut
- Calories: 123
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Protein: 0.2g
These are really tasty looking, however if the nutritional info is correct, they pack a whopping 2788 calorie punch! Is that for just one donut?!? I’m hoping it’s a typo, perhaps? If not, is there a way you recommend to lessen the caloric overload yet retain the taste and texture of the donut?
Thanks!
Nope, this was simply a conversion into servings error. It’s fixed now š
Have you ever used flax to replace the egg?
My icing turned out….bad. very runny and not pink. I added so much powdered sugar hoping it would thicken but never did š what did I do wrong??
Hi Cara!
Thank you so much for sharing all these amazing recipes. I’m making these and your cranberry-orange bagels this weekend, and was wondering if I can substitute the gluten-free flour blend used in the bagel recipe for the GF flour blend here, since I’ll be making 9 cups worth anyway. Thanks again!
Sarah
If anyone made these for me, they would officially win My Favourite Person EVER award so I’d say you have Grlfirend of the Year in the bag š
You sound like you’ve more than earned the Girlfriend of the Year Award! I’m not a big doughnut fan, and I don’t even own a doughnut pan so I can’t make these, but boy they sure look fantastic.
I will be waiting for my sash for my GFOTY award– hehe. And not like donuts? I don’t understand those words… š
Rings are the perfect symbol for Valentine’s Day, especially when they’re all frosty and sweet! Beautifully done! š
I’m totally loving how you related donuts to rings–how adorable is that?!
Is the texture light and fluffy or more thick and heavy?
Hey Hippy Mom, these donuts are little more on the lighter side because of the baking powder and lemon juice. Not too dense but also not too airy–does that make sense?
These donuts are so cute and pretty…who cares if donuts aren’t the traditional Valentine’s treat. I’m glad you’re splurging on the holiday to enjoy good food and wine.
Thank you Sarah! Yay for splurging š
These are too cute! I’m definitely adding this to the ambitious list of sweets I’d love to make for V-day. š
Good for you guys getting on track with mindful, healthy eating & being more active – sounds like you have earned a few indulgent treats! š
We are definitely trying–thank you for the kudos š Can’t wait to hear what you choose to make for your lovers holiday! xo
i love that pink icing! these remind me of my dad getting us dunkin donuts on valentine’s day as a treat. always with the pink icing!
Mmmmmmm….donuts. Sorry, talking about donuts and icing makes me drool…
These are adorable!
Thank you so much, Katie!