Baked Doughnuts & Week's Menu Plan

For my parents' last morning with us, I wanted to make a nicer breakfast. I mentally ran through some of our favorite options: scones...I didn't have enough time, crumb coffee cake...I didn't have enough butter. I found the link to a baked doughnut recipe that I had stored and bribed Bryant go to the store for all-purpose flour in exchange for doughnuts (seriously, who wouldn't take that deal?).  These doughnuts were easy to make in the morning; they don't need to rise so you just mix the ingredients and pop them in the oven for 10 minutes.  I was also surprised by the ingredient list, too - it didn't have the levels of fat and sugar that one expects from a doughnut. Don't get me wrong, doughnuts are still a treat, but at least this recipe turned into a pretty easy and tasty morning treat!

I did my doughnuts free hand without the doughnut pan (there was no way I was going to shell out for such a pan!).  They definitely didn't come out as pretty but were obviously tasted just as good!

And so you don't have to worry that we're just eating doughnuts for the rest of the week, here's our menu plan:

Week's Menu Plan

Sunday: Light Loaded Potato Soup

Monday: pasta primavera

Tuesday: Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Avocado Creme and steamed broccoli

Wednesday:  chicken tandoori salad

Thursday: Lentils & Sweet Potatoes

Friday: Moo Shu Pork with veggies

Baked Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts
Taken from: Handle the Heat
Makes 6 doughnuts

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 1 6 oz container of non fat organic vanilla bean yogurt
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tablespoons real maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter (melted)

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray (or a doughnut pan, if you happen to own one).
-In a large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients. In a second bowl stir together oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, egg and yogurt.
-Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the hole. Gently fold everything together until combined. The batter will be thick.
-Scoop batter into a piping bag or ziploc bag, snip a bottom corner with scissors, and squeeze out the batter in 6 doughnut shapes onto the baking sheet (I learned that the doughnuts spread and puff up while in the oven so don't make them too big and leave room between them!).  You could also make doughnut holes (but adjust the time to cook for only 5ish minutes.)
-Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few moments and then flip over onto a cooling rack while still warm.
-Use a pastry brush the melted butter over your donuts and then dip each donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Serve immediately after coating with cinnamon sugar mixture for best texture.