Baked Mini Donuts

I'm pretty picky when it comes to donuts. For the most part, I don't love a lot of fried foods. But every once in while the lure of a freshly made donut, with a smattering of colorful sprinkles and the glaze barely set, is a treat I can't resist. These donuts are actually baked which makes them a little more enticing for me. I'm also a sucker for miniature foods. Somehow, eating a tiny, adorable sweet delivers big satisfaction with a small amount of guilt. Unless of course you eat way too many, but that's between you and your willpower.

These tiny donuts are easy to make, fun to decorate and travel well. Which makes them the perfect party food for any gathering. The mini donut pan is easy to find online or at most shops that sell bakeware. So as we begin to gingerly step back into our social lives, while respecting our social distance, consider making these for your next picnic or dinner party.

One of the few varieties of fried donuts I really can't resist are from a little shop called Frosty's.
Lucky for me, you can only find them in Maine.  So I'm safe until our next family trip.

Setting out all your ingredients before baking helps to avoid leaving anything out. I've done that and it's not fun.

Pro tip: to avoid mess, place your pan on the door of your open dishwasher before applying the non stick spray.

Using a disposable piping bag makes filling the pan a snap. You can also us a resealable storage bag with a snipped corner.

Donuts only need a brief cooling on the rack before glazing. Try not to eat them as you go!

Baked Mini Donuts 

Makes about 20 

Ingredients:

1c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 egg

1/3c brown sugar

1/4c whole milk 

1/4c plain yogurt (greek or conventional)

2 tbl butter, melted and cooled

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract 

Glaze:

1/2c semi sweet chocolate chips

2 tbl butter

2 tsp water

2 tsp corn syrup

sprinkles

disposable icing bag

waxed paper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat your pan lightly with a non stick spray.

I like to place the donut pan on my old, trusty cookie sheet for easy access in and out of the oven.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg.

3. In another bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, milk, yogurt, butter and extracts.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until blended.

5. Place your icing bag into a tall glass and fold down the top. This will help to stabilize the bag for the batter. Pour the batter into the icing bag. Unfold the top, twist and hold closed or use a clip to fastened it and keep the batter from spilling out.

6. Snip the tip of the bag and pipe into the pan, filling each cavity about 2/3 of the way.

7. Bake for about 8 minutes or just until you see a bit of color around the edges and the top is just set. Don't over bake.

8. Tumble the baked donuts onto a cooling rack.

Prepare the glaze:

1. Place the chips, butter, water and corn syrup in a small mixing bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds. Remove and stir just until the chips are melted and glaze is smooth.

2. Place a piece of waxed paper under your cooling to catch any dripping glaze and place your sprinkles in a small bowl or ramekin.

3. Dip one side of each donut into the glaze and top with some sprinkles. Place on the cooling rack just until set. Enjoy!