Vegan Whole Wheat Doughnuts

It seems, too often, that our food choices fall into one of two categories:

1.Healthy.

2.Delicious.

But why must these two be mutually exclusive? Yes, everything in moderation. And yes, we should all be eating more fruits, veggies, legumes and lean proteins.

But life is all about balance. And when it comes to eating, that includes the occasional sweet treat.

And the good news is that you can absolutely have your cake and eat it too.

Or in this case, a doughnut.

By making just two simple tweaks, you can up the nutritional value of yes – even a doughnut – while minimizing its less-than-healthy qualities.

First, bake instead of fry. This has the added benefit of making the process of baking doughnuts faster, easier and far less messy. There’s no yeast to struggle with, no oil to heat up to just the right temperature and no splattering from the whole deep-fry thing.

Next, swap out nutritionally weak white flour for whole wheat.

This batter couldn’t be quicker or easier to whip up, pop in the oven, and enjoy any time the urge strikes. You probably have all the ingredients you need on-hand, and once you discover the ease of using a doughnut pan – and baking instead of frying – you’ll never look back!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup sugar (or artificial sweetener equivalent)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup almond milk (can use regular or fat-free milk if preferred)
½ teaspoon vanilla
egg replacer for 2 eggs (can use 2 egg whites if preferred)
1 tablespoon melted non-dairy spread (can use butter if preferred)

For sugar-cinnamon topping:
½ cup melted non-dairy spread (can use butter if preferred
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two standard –size doughnut pans.
2. Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium size bowl. Whisk milk, vanilla, egg replacer and non-dairy spread in a small bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk to blend.
4. Transfer batter to a small ziploc bag and snip an opening in one corner. Pipe batter into pans, filling 1/3 – 1/2 full.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or till a toothpick tests clean. Transfer doughnuts to a wire rack to cool slightly.
   Meanwhile combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Working with one doughnut at a time, dip into the melted non-dairy spread, allowing any excess to drip off. Coat all sides with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and return to wire rack to cool completely.