Baked Blueberry Doughnuts

By Hklbrries

This Mother's Day, show some love with fresh-from-the-oven carbs.

Do-it-yourself doughnuts are easier than they sound, especially if you opt for a baked rather than fried variety. If you can make muffins, you can make baked doughnuts.

You will, however, need a special doughnut pan. These inexpensive pans resemble a cross between a shallow muffin tin and a mini-Bundt pan, with the funnel in the center of the tin forming the doughnut "hole."

Most varieties of these pans are nonstick, come in mini and standard doughnut sizes, and cost less than $15.

Be careful to read the directions that come with your pan. The key to producing a traditional doughnut shape is not using too much batter per doughnut. You pan's directions should indicate the proper amount.

The good news is that too much batter will still bake up and taste fine, but you might need to use a paring knife to trim the edges of the doughnuts after they have cooled.

Because baked doughnuts keep well, consider making them the night before, then decorating them just before serving. This also ensures the doughnuts cool completely, which is important for getting a good glaze.

The glaze recipe included here produces an opaque, crackly white glaze perfect for dipping the doughnuts into. If you prefer, a little food coloring can be added for a colored glaze.

For decorating, buy candy sprinkles, which can be dropped over the glazed doughnuts. But be quick. The glaze will harden in five to 10 seconds. Applying the sprinkles is a good job for the kids.

Alternatively, skip the glaze and dust cooled doughnuts with confectioners' sugar, a blend of confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder, or a mix of confectioners' sugar and ground cinnamon.

Ingredients

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup frozen wild blueberries

Details

Servings 9

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oven to 425 F. Lightly coat 9 doughnut tins with vegetable cooking spray.

In a food processor, combine the butter and sugar. Process until smooth. Add the eggs and process until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the milk and process until smooth.

Add the baking powder, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Process until well-mixed. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and blueberries. Toss until the blueberries are evenly distributed and coated with flour. Add the wet ingredients from the processor. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.

Transfer the batter to a large plastic bag. Twist close the top. Use scissors to snip off one bottom corner of the bag, creating about a 1/2-inch-wide opening.

Holding the bag over the prepared pan, gently squeeze batter into each doughnut mold. The batter also can be spooned into the molds, but the finished doughnuts might have a less even appearance.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.