Baked Vanilla Donuts (a.k.a. Homer Simpson Donuts)

Last week was My Husband's birthday and as it approached, My Boys wanted to know what they could get for his gifts.  This is always an interesting conversation since we don't let them buy us gifts, and always ask that they make us something.  It could be a card, a craft project, or something else that appeals to them.

My Oldest has tired of writing cards at 12 years old, but has a new interest in baking.  At first he wanted to bake him a cake, which was a great idea... pretty simple to find a recipe that he could make on his own.  As it got closer, he changed his mind to donuts.  The change is completely related to his fascination with The Simpsons - between the show that has been on for over 25 years to the comics he's collecting, he loves everything related to The Simpsons.  So, vanilla donuts with pink glaze and sprinkles became the creation for this year's birthday.

I was not willing to fry up donuts, because we have been working hard at eating healthy and the idea of having a large pot of oil just to make donuts on my stove really didn't appeal to me.  I wanted us to be able to indulge without feeling quite as guilty.   Treats are always welcome, but if we can enjoy without adding unnecessary calories that's the way I'll go.

I found a 6 cavity donut pan and gathered ingredients for My Oldest to get started.  I love that he prefers to bake from scratch now that he's getting more comfortable in the kitchen!  He recognizes the taste difference between packaged foods and what I make at home, which is a very good thing.

The donuts were a snap to put together and the pan worked beautifully!  I did have him spray the pan with cooking spray first to ensure that they would pop out nicely.  I think it was most exciting for him to see that once he made the glaze and it turned pink after a couple of drops of red food coloring... as each donut was dipped and then sprinkled, they looked EXACTLY has he wanted them to!

Overall, the donuts were a hit with everyone!  I think I'll be making donuts the next time we have their friends sleepover... yes, they were that tasty!

Baked Vanilla Donuts with Vanilla Glaze

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 - 2 teaspoons milk
  
• 1-2 drops red food coloring
  
• rainbow sprinkles

Cooking Directions

1. For the donuts: Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray pan with cooking spray.
   
   
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
   
   
3. Add milk, egg, vanilla and butter to the flour mixture. Stir to thoroughly combine.
   
   
4. Add batter to a large Ziploc bag and cut a corner off; carefully, squeeze out enough batter into each donut cavity to fill to no more than 2/3 full.
   
   
5. Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until the tops spring back to the touch. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.
   
   
6. For the glaze: Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of milk in a bowl. Stir until it becomes a slightly loose consistency (it should be thick enough to stick to the donuts), add an additional teaspoon of milk if it is not loose enough. Add 1-2 drops of red food coloring to achieve a pink color.
   
   
7. Dip each donut in the glaze and then place on a plate; add rainbow sprinkles, if desired.

Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.