Baked Orange-Banana Nut Donuts

To download a copy of the recipe for Baked Orange-Banana Nut Donuts, click HERE.

A warm greeting to new subscriber Raquel! Welcome!

Donuts: what a beautiful word. As treats go, if you’re thinking it’s got to be hard to beat fresh-baked donuts, you’re right. Some form of these warm, sweet delights are frequently found on Sunday mornings in the Kissing the Cook household. (That a batch of donuts can be put together for breakfast on a Sunday morning is proof of how fast and simple making them really is.) Now it’s time to share them.

Some readers got an advance look at an early version of this recipe on Facebook a couple of weeks ago. This week, it’s my pleasure to give you the upgraded version, complete with photographs.

The orange-banana flavor combination used in this recipe is one I learned – and came to love – when I was a small child and my mother would give me containers of orange-banana juice to drink. Baked donuts give it a whole new platform from which to shine. Another feature of this recipe is that it avoids being simply donut-shaped orange-banana nut bread. The flavor may be orange-banana nut, but the mouth-feel is all donut.

                

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin.

• You’ll need a donut-baking pan to make these, of course, but believe me when I say it’s worth getting. I don’t know that any baking pan can change someone’s life, but a donut pan comes pretty close.

• I used fat-free half-and-half in these donuts, but feel free to use skim milk instead.

• In some of the photographs, you may notice that I’m mixing ingredients by hand using a spatula. This is just something I do every so often to remind myself of why it’s easier to use some kind of electric mixer. When you make these, feel free to use your hand mixer, Kitchen Aid, etc.

This recipe makes about 12 donuts.

Begin preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

Use the preheating oven to lightly toast 1 to 1-1/2 cups of chopped walnuts.

To make the batter:

Mash 2 medium bananas to a creamy consistency and set aside. (Two medium bananas should make about a cup of mashed banana.)

Blend 7 Tbsp of softened butter substitute (a firm-textured brand is best) and ¾ cup of granulated sugar.

Add 2 egg substitute eggs and mix well.

Sift in 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp nutmeg into the bowl and mix to combine.

Add 1/3 cup of fat-free half-and-half, 1/3 cup of orange juice, and 1 tsp vanilla, and stir to combine.

Stir in the mashed bananas, and stir to combine.

To prepare for baking:

Lightly spray the baking pan with cooking spray. Put the batter in a pastry bag or a food storage bag with the corner removed. Fill each of the donut portions of the tray 3/4 full.

Bake until golden, about 16 minutes, turning the tray half-way for even baking.

When the donuts are almost finished baking, make the icing for the topping as follows:

Mix 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar and 2 Tbsp of orange juice till smooth. The mixture should be liquid, but thick enough not to be drippy.

Now let’s complete our donuts!

When the donuts have finished baking, let them rest in the baking pan for a minute or two, then remove them. (The side that was in the pan will be darker than the side that was on top. This is normal.)

While the donuts are still warm, dip the tops (the lighter-colored half) in the icing.

 Turn the iced donut with the frosting side up.

Sprinkle with the toasted nuts.

Repeat for the remaining donuts.

To download a copy of the recipe for Baked Orange-Banana Nut Donuts, click HERE. 

Now prepare to revel in the unique glory that can only be found in a fresh-baked donut!

Please visit again next week for another delicious recipe, kitchen tested and home-cook friendly for your pleasure. Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Peach Pie Cookies

To download a copy of the recipe for Peach Pie Cookies, click HERE.

Real food is all well and good, but every so often a person has to have cookies. With that in mind, this week’s recipe for Peach Pie Cookies makes a soft, peach flavored cookie, seasoned similar to peach pie, bakes them into a miniature pie shape, and tops it with peach-flavored icing made to look like a lattice top. (These cookies are not only delicious; they’re fun to make and to eat!)

This recipe makes about 30 cookies. (The number you get will vary with exactly how you spoon out the cookie dough.)

We'll start by making the peach puree.

In a saucepan, combine the juice of one lemon, 2 Tbsp water, and a 28 ounce can of sliced peaches (well drained but not rinsed) over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.

Simmer until the peaches have broken down to a sauce consistency, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Mash the peach flesh with a spoon or masher if necessary.) This should make about 1 cup of peach puree.

Place the puree in a separate container and let cool a little in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Next, we'll make the cookie dough.

In a medium size bowl, mix ¼ cup of granulated sugar, ¼ cup of light brown sugar, and 6 Tbsp of softened butter substitute together until combined and creamy.

Stir in ½ tsp of vanilla and ¾ cup of the peach puree, reserving the remaining puree.

Sift 1 cup of all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, a pinch of salt, ½ tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg into the mixture, and stir to combine.

To bake the cookies:

Drop a heaping teaspoon of the mixture into each cup of a medium-size (12 cup/pan) muffin pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. (You can also drop them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon baking sheet, but it’s the muffin tin that gives the cookie its pie-like shape.)

Bake the cookies until golden and the edges are browned, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and allow the cookies to cool completely before applying the glaze as described below.

To glaze the cookies:

While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze by combining 1 Tbsp of the reserved peach puree and 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar until thick (but spreadable) and smooth. It’s ok to use a little more of the puree if necessary, but make sure the glaze remains thick; if the glaze is too thin, it will tend to soak into the cookies.

After the cookies have cooled completely, apply the glaze and wait 30 minutes for the glaze to get firm. (As an added touch, you can apply the glaze in a lattice-top pattern!)

To download a copy of the recipe for Peach Pie Cookies, click HERE.

I hope you’ll make and enjoy these delicious, and slightly unusual, cookies. And that you’ll visit again next week for another recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)