Lemon-Glazed, Blueberry Baked Donuts
They may not look as pretty or elegant as the pan does, but I assure you, there were deliciously sweet and tangy!
This was my third attempt at baking donuts in my new donut pan, and I guess as the old saying goes, it took three tries to build the barn! (Okay, I just made that up, butI just couldn't bring myself to actually say it! It felt too cheesy, but really, as if that was better..) My previous batches more resembled a muffin that had initially aspired to be a donut, but simply settled on being utterly tasteless instead. I have recently developed a bad(or good?) habit of not being able to follow a recipe without experimenting at least a little, which has led to some great successes, but also some MAJOR flops. But finally, after all my failed attempts at a healthier donut, I actually succeeded in making something people would try, and even return for seconds!
My sister was a matron of honor(though she positiviely hates being called "matron") for one of our friend's this summer, so her bridal shower seemed like a perfect opportunity to give another recipe a try! I slightly modified Jessica's Lemon Glazed Blueberry Donuts from A Kitchen Addicition (which I recommend checking out!), and they were a huge hit.
With not the greatest track record this summer for baking, I was thrilled when these turned out fabulously! I used frozen blueberries out of convenience, so they indeed were a tad blue tinted, but they were delicious nonetheless. Plus, being wild blueberries, there were the perfect petite size for my mini muffins.
At first, I was dreading the hassle of zesting lemons, but once I got going, I went a little zest crazy! It smelled so wonderful, so I ended up added much more zest than I anticipated. I think I ended up zesting a nearly two lemons! I had already decided that I would use bottled lemon juice to avoid dealing with straining seeds, so I didn't think extra lemon flavoring would hurt!
Piping the batter into the pan was surpringly easy, using a freezer bag with a corner snipped off. I would imagine it would nearly impossible if they were larger as opposed to wild blueberries though, because there would have been a signigicant amount clogging, I'm sure!
The muffins rose beautifully in the pan as they baked, and fell out relatively easy. I am glad I sprayed the pan first, though!
After they had cooled, I mixed up the lemon glaze, adding in more lemon zest for kicks. I know it would have looked classier without it, but I didn't care. It sure tasted better with it!
Glazing them was probably the most enjoyable part. I dipped each donut halfway into the glaze, swirled them around gently, lifted them out so that the excess dripped off the side, and VOILA!!! Yes, somewhat chunky, but still beautifully glazed if I do say so myself! (And I just might have licked out the icing bowl..maybe..)
The glaze set really well and they were quite popular that afternoon at the bridal shower, but I will certainly have to make them again as they did not last as long as I was hoping! The shower itself was a huge success in spite of some gusty wind, and everyone went home happy and well fed! (I also have to note that my sister did an incredible job decorating, as per usual!)
I would highly recommend purchasing a mini donut pan to anyone who enjoys baking! They are quite inexpensive, and so much fun to use!
Low Fat Lemon-Glazed Blueberry Donuts
Makes 2 - 1/2 mini donuts.
Ingredients
Donut Batter
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup almond milk mixed with 1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp yogurt
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup fresh wild(mini) blueberries
Glaze:
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp lemon zest
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease or spray mini donut pan.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
3. Blend lemon juice, almond milk and lemon juice, eggs, butter, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Fold blueberries into batter.
5. Cut the tip off of a large freezer bag or use a pastry bag to pipe batter into greased donut pan. Fill about 2/3 full.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly browned.
7.Let cool for a few minutes before removing from pan onto a wire rack.
8. Repeat using up the rest of the batter.
9. When donuts are cool and ready to be glazed, mix icing sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla.
10. Dip donuts in glaze, and place on wire rack to allow the glaze to hard.
11. Put some donuts aside for yourself, because these delightfully fruity bites won't stick around long!
