The doughnut madness continues here at Rook No. 17. I think perhaps I'm trying to live out a childhood fantasy of living in a doughnut shop. Although it's hard to imagine anyone objecting too strenuously to a proliferation of doughnuts, I'd like to assure you, gentle reader, that there are other creative projects in the works (that do not lead to a sugar coma).
In fact, this post was not originally on the editorial calendar. Last night, the girls hit us up for a double-sleepover. The giggles died down by around 2:00 a.m., and thankfully everyone slept in. The sleepover zombies awoke with ravenous appetites, and much to my chagrin there was naught in the pantry but some baking essentials. Feeling a surge of energy (or delirium brought on by lack of sleep), I decided to modify my Lemon Blueberry Sour Cream Baked Doughnuts to make cinnamon-sugar dusted mini doughnuts. I used the gluten-free flour from Trader Joe's again, and the results were spectacular (as evidenced by the fact that not a single doughnut gem remains).
If the picture above looks a little different to you than the first two, it's because this is what the doughnuts look like when they are baked and rolled in cinnamon sugar while still warm. After I made two dozen this way, my husband came in the kitchen, noticed a pan of oil I had on the stove, and said, "I wonder what would happen if we fried a few." Healthy? No. Delicious? Yes. The flash frying makes the light and cakey baked donut gems taste more like raised doughnuts.
 |
| This photo shows what the doughnuts look like right out of the oven (left), and how they look after a few seconds in hot oil (right). |
You can't go wrong either way!
Baked Snickerdoodle Doughnut Gems (Gluten-free)
yield: 36 mini doughnuts
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream (or nonfat real Greek Yogurt for added protein)
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used Trader Joe's)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- Cinnamon sugar: (1/2 cup granulated sugar whisked with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Generously coat a 12-cavity mini doughnut pan with nonstick spray
Step
1: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a balloon whisk, whip
eggs and sugar on medium-high for 3 minutes till pale and fluffy. Add
sour cream and whisk to combine.
Step 2: In a small bowl, melt butter. Stir in oil and vanilla. Add this mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
Step
3: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking
soda, and salt.
Step
4: Add dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Wisk to combine. Let batter rest for 8 minutes.
Step
5: Place the batter in a large squeeze bottle, pastry bag or plastic zip bag (with a 1/4" hole in the tip). Pipe batter into the cavities of
the doughnut pan (2/3 full). Do not overfill.
Step
6: Bake doughnuts on middle rack of oven for 9 minutes. Cool for 5
minutes before removing from pan. The doughnuts will be less delicate after they've cooled slightly. Re-grease pan and repeat with
remaining batter (unless you're lucky enough to have more than one mini doughnut pan).
- For baked doughnuts: Remove from pan and dredge each doughnut in the cinnamon sugar. Place sugared doughnuts on wire rack to finish cooling.
- For fried doughnuts: Fry the baked doughnuts in 1" oil for just a few seconds per side. Remove from oil and place on a wire cooling rack. When cool enough to handle, dredge in the cinnamon sugar.
Serve immediately.
--------------------
This post has been linked-up with:
.JPG)