Baked Lemon Doughnuts
I always like to make baked goods for our Sunday brunches. My go-to are my banana crumb muffins. They are soooo good and so consistent and I HIGHLY recommend you make them.
My 3 year old has been asking about doughnuts lately. He doesn’t even know what a doughnut is. In fact, he sometimes thinks his muffins are doughnuts, but it got me thinking about trying something new….at least to him.
First, you’ll need these:
I got these in San Francisco in 2014 on my many ‘walkabouts’. I’m not sure why, because I could’ve gotten them in Toronto, but I felt compelled. Let me explain… We went to Napa, primarily, for our Honeymoon in 2010. It was like going to paradise. It was heaven. We had the best time. We finished off the trip in San Francisco for a few days, and I didn’t like it. It was just another big city to me and it paled in comparison to Napa. Fast forward to September of 2014. We had just lost our son in July of that year. I was on leave from work because of it. Michael was going to the Oracle Open World Conference that year. If you’ve not heard of this conference, it’s massive. Like over 100 000 people flock to San Francisco for this conference. We decided to make a trip of this and go to Sonoma before the conference. Again, it was amazing. We had such a great and relaxing trip. We made our way back to San Fran for the conference and were staying at the hotel that was the hub of the conference! People were EVERYWHERE! Given I was still grieving our son hard, I didn’t want people around. It was torture. Add to that that Michael was gone 24/7 at the conference, I found myself alone in a big, foreign, and very busy city. So, for now, I hate San Francisco, but I love my doughnut pans.
Michael actually found this recipe and shared it with me. It’s an Anna Olson recipe. Can’t really go wrong with anything she bakes. Originally, I wanted to glaze these doughnuts, but I didn’t have any icing sugar at the time. So, I stuck to the recipe. Later that day, I did run to the store, grab some icing sugar and glazed a few for dessert. Leila did the decorating. She had fun.
As good at the lemon sugared doughnuts were from the morning, I think the glazed ones were better. Just maybe with a few less sprinkles. 😉 Am going to try a blueberry glaze next! That would be a perfect pairing with the lemon.
Enjoy!
Baked Lemon Doughnuts
Equipment
- Baked Doughnut Pans
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup avocado oil The original recipe calls for vegetable oil, so if you have that on hand, go for it! Avocado oil is also a neutral oil that your body can break down more easily. Â
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For sugar coated doughnuts:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
For glazed doughnuts:
- 2 cups confectioners sugar (or icing sugar)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or 200 C) and grease two doughnut pans.*
- Whisk the sugar and lemon zest together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Â
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.** Â Add this all at once to the liquid and whisk until well combined. The batter will still seem quite liquidy.
- Transfer the batter to a measuring cup, or anything with a spout, and slowly pour the batter into each doughnut cup, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the doughnuts spring back to the tough, but there is no browning on the top. Cool doughnuts for 10 minutes and prepare your topping of choice.
- For the coating, whisk the sugar and lemon zest together. While the doughnuts are still warm, roll them in the sugar mixture and set aside to finish cooling.
- For the glaze, whisk together the icing sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Take one doughnut at a time and dip the top of the doughnut into the glaze without dropping it and coat the doughnut generously. Allow excess glaze to drip off and set aside on a rack to set. If you want to add sprinkles, now is the time to do it!
Notes
Skor and Chocolate Chip Cookies
I made these cookies on a whim for Christmas this year and they were so popular, I made another batch for New Year’s Day! I had picked up skor bits and milk chocolate chips when I was buying ingredients for Christmas cookie baking, but had no real plan for them. Thought I would throw the two ingredients together and make a new cookie! How bad can milk chocolate and skor bits be together, right?
The first time I made these, I thought I should’ve added some pecans to help break up all the sweet that is going on in these cookies. but they were so well received, I decided to leave well enough alone. That and two of my nieces are allergic to pecans. But, I still may add those to half the recipe next time to see how they taste.
Enjoy!
Skor and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 package milk chocolate chips
- 1 package skor bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and skor bits.
- With a teaspoon scoop, place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Cool before removing from cookie sheet.
Notes
Ree’s Fruit Salad with Orange-Vanilla Syrup
I made this the first time when we had friends over for brunch a couple of years ago and it’s been a go-to fruit salad for me ever since! The Pioneer Woman is one of those Food Network chefs that I love to watch. I could have her playing in the background all day on my TV. Her kitchen is a dream and her voice is so inviting. She does make many ‘meat and potato’ dishes, which aren’t always for me, but after all, she’s cooking for cowboys! Even still, I trust her cooking. I think there was one in all the many that I have tried that didn’t cook according to her recipe.
I have made this salad both with and without the mint. It’s good either way. Mint can be a tricky herb. Too much could ruin this salad. I think my preference is to omit the mint, but should you want to add some, use it more as a garnish than an ingredient in this salad.
The simple syrup for this recipe really transforms the fruit. I also like that it is largely a berry fruit salad, in addition to the grapes. I’ve not experimented with other fruit, but I imagine any fruit would work well with this syrup. My daughter is not a fan of orange, but she still enjoys this salad. The syrup also adds a nice sheen to the fruit. It’s really yummy and such a nice addition to your brunch menu.
Enjoy!
Ree's Fruit Salad with Orange-Vanilla Simple Syrup
Ingredients
Orange-Vanilla Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste*
Fruit
- 2 pints strawberries hulled and halved**
- 2 pints blueberries
- 2 cups green grapes halved
- 2 cups red grapes halved
Instructions
- Place the sugar, 1 cup water, orange zest, juice and vanilla bean paste in a small pan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Then bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes to thicken. Set aside to cool completely. Pour over fruit and stir often to toss the fruit in the simple syrup.
Notes
**Original recipe calls for 4 pints of strawberries. I find 2 is plenty. If you have a really large party to serve, go for 4. Adapted from Pioneer Woman
Baked Raspberry French Toast
My rainbow baby is turning 3 tomorrow, and as I’m in Windsor taking care of my mom, I had my family over for a Sunday brunch to celebrate my little man. It was so good! This dish is relatively new for my family. I made this once before for my parents and sister, but not everyone else (I have 3 older brothers as well and 7 nieces and nephews). They weren’t all here today, but most of my nieces and nephews were here, so it was great!
The best part for me, once breakfast was served, the house went quiet! 12 people, including a handful of kids and you could’ve heard a pin drop. Everyone was enjoying everything so much, they weren’t talking! 🙂 Winning! 😀
French toast bakes like this are so satisfying, in so many ways. I made everything last night and put it in the oven this morning! So easy! It’s almost like dessert for breakfast. You really must make this! Would be perfect for Christmas morning. 🙂
Baked Raspberry French Toast
Ingredients
- Butter to grease the pan
- 10 extra-large eggs
- 2 3/4 cups half-and-half
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest plus extra for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 loaf of challah or egg bread cubed
- 1.5 pints of fresh raspberries
- Maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your dish with butter and set aside (I used a 9 x 13 x 2-inch oval baking dish). In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and salt.
- Spread half of the diced bread in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle on the raspberries in one layer. Top with the rest of the bread and pour on the egg mixture, pressing down lightly to moisten the bread. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight*.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is slightly browned. Check after 45 minutes; if the top is getting too browned, cover it lightly with aluminum foil. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup.
- Enjoy!!
Notes
Jamie Oliver’s Spinach Salad
My husband discovered this salad years ago when he was making me dinner. I was skeptical at first because the dinners he’d made for me before this time were…let’s just say, not what I would make. 🙂 The first bite of this salad and I was so pleasantly surprised! It’s sweet, but surprisingly, not too sweet. The almonds give it a really nice and needed crunch. We’ve since made this for my family and it has become an all-around favourite salad to make!
This salad is more of a ‘summer salad’, but as it’s one of my mom’s faves, I’ve made it several times already since I’ve been home taking care of her.
I, typically, serve this salad with barbecued chicken breast, but it can go with pretty much anything. Don’t be intimidated by the amount of sugar in this recipe. I know it’s a lot, but it’s not a salad you’ll have every day, and it’s a salad kids love because of the sweetness. A great way to get them to eat lots of spinach!
Enjoy!
Jamie Oliver's Cranberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 cup almonds blanched and slivered
- 1 pound baby spinach
- 1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries*
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons onion minced
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup avocado oil**
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and avocado oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries and toss with the dressing.
Notes
**The original recipe uses vegetable oil, which is fine to use if you can't find avocado oil.
Make-Ahead Cinnamon Buns
Okay, so these are indulgent, but such a treat to wake up to on a special, lazy, morning with family. The BEST part about these buns is that most of the work happens the night before!
Important to note that this dough must rise for 1.5 to 2 hours before it can be rolled out, so don’t start preparing these too late the night before. I have made the mistake in the past of deciding to make something later at night and realizing the recipe needs to chill for so many hours in the fridge before moving on to the next step. Bah!
I like to add raisins to my cinnamon buns, but you can also add pecans if you like that kinda thing.
I first saw Valerie Bertinelli make these on her show for Christmas morning, and I thought it was such a nice idea! We’ve tried to do a big breakfast on Christmas morning, but it takes so long and with all the food we have to look forward to for dinner, it’s too much of a production to have a big breakfast and then a big dinner. Having something comforting and tasty like this that takes little effort in the morning is perfect!
I highly recommend you make these. Your family will love you all over again! 🙂
Make-Ahead Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
For the dough
- I cup warm whole milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 .25 oz package active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- vegetable oil for the bowl
For the filling
- 6 tablespoons salted butter softened, plus more for the baking dish*
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins optional
For the icing
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons of milk plus more as needed
Instructions
For the dough
- Combine the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment and stir to combine well. Add the eggs and stir until well mixed. Add the flour and mix on medium-high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let stand in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down and lightly flour a work surface. Lay the dough out and roll the dough out into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle.
For the filling
- Butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Spread the softened butter evenly all over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border, then sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle raisins, if using. Roll up the dough and press and crimp the edges to seal. Cut the dough into 12 slices and arrange them in the buttered baking dish. If you want to bake them the same day, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Otherwise, refrigerate overnight; take out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the cinnamon buns until puffed and golden brown all over, about 25 minutes.
For the icing
- Put the icing sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the melted butter, vanilla and milk Whisk until smooth. Add additional milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to achieve the right consistency. Drizzle the icing over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve warm.
Notes
Ina’s Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
It’s been a while since I’ve written, even though I think about this blog all of the time. I take pictures of almost everything I make and then I never seem to have the time to sit down and post about them.
Life has taken a turn recently, and so quickly. I’ve found myself on leave from work and back home to help take care of my mom, as she is very ill. So far, her appetite has been amazing, so I have been cooking up a storm, making sure she has whatever she wants on hand. All my cooking has brought me back here.
These muffins are easy, fresh and light.
Something I have never done with these muffins is gotten all the ingredients to room temperature. The buttermilk ALWAYS ends up being colder than the cooled melted butter, and that butter gets chunky once stirred in. Not to worry! I’ve had no issues with the batter.
This recipe makes 2 dozen muffins. As you can see, 2 muffins are already missing from this pic! 🙂
I really hope you make these. They are one of our go-tos.
Ina's Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted My preference, generally, is to bake with salted butter. But, use whichever works best for you.
- 1.5 teaspoons grated lemon zest When using the zest of a lemon, buy organic lemons, so that you aren't consuming any pesticides sprayed on the fruit
- 2 large eggs The original recipe calls for extra large eggs. It won't impact this recipe at all to use large eggs.
- 2 cups fresh blueberries 2 half-pints
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with muffin liners.
- Measure out and mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, cooled and melted butter, lemon zest, and eggs.
- Make a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until just blended.
- Fold in the blueberries into the batter. Don't over mix!
- Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes
Cookie Dough (flourless) Muffin Bites
A friend of mine from Sherry Thacker’s 6 week challenge – actually she was my amazing coach throughout my 6 weeks! – posted this recipe on Facebook and I made it that very same day! The trouble is, I made it all wrong! I like the blogger who posted this recipe. I’ve followed her in the past, but I found her page busy this time and I had trouble following the recipe. So, I messed it up! But, they turned out to still be tasty, in the end. Enough that I made them again (the right way) and have been making them ever since!
You MUST make these and keep them in your freezer! They really do taste like cookie dough, right out of the freezer! They are my little Sunday early morning treat, and I love them.
The original recipe calls for store bought (sugar added) peanut butter. I did use JIF on my first go at this recipe and it was good. The second time I made them I used natural peanut butter, and there was no difference in flavour (or sweetness, which is weird). Don’t waste your calories using the store bought, sugar laden peanut butter. The honey in this recipe does the trick for the sweetness (as does the chocolate chips) and they taste so good! You’ll feel even better knowing you’re using a natural peanut butter!!
I did make a batch of these using almond butter instead of peanut butter. It was interesting how different the consistency and texture was. I didn’t like them as much as the peanut butter variety when at room temp, but I’ve liked them from the freezer much the same.
If you don’t own silicone mini muffin pans, you need to buy them now. 🙂 They work brilliantly for this. I wouldn’t trust getting these little guys out of the metal pans. As you can see, I filled them generously. They don’t puff up too much, so don’t be shy. I added some chocolate chips on top for effect, but you really don’t need to.
Enjoy!
Cookie Dough (Flourless) Muffin Bites
Equipment
- Blender (or food processor
- Non-stick mini muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 medium ripe banana
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup almond butter Can also sub for natural (no sugar added) peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt to taste
- 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips Plus more for sprinkling on top, if desired.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- Add all ingredients except the chocolate chips to the blender and blend until combined well.Â
- Remove the mixture into a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, drop a mound of batter into each prepared muffin cup.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the tops are set and ‘springy’. Allow muffins to cool slightly in the pan, before removing them.
The BEST Granola!
It’s a SNOW DAY today! Snow days in Toronto NEVER happen! In my 14 years of teaching, this is my first! It’s an exciting day. To celebrate, I made more of this amazing granola!
My husband loves granola, even more than my kids. I’ve always had intentions of making it, so they could have a homemade variety, but I never found one that really motivated me to make it. That was until this recipe showed up in my email.
When I read how simple it was, and how natural the ingredients were, I knew I had to make it! I actually went out during my lunch break to get the ingredients, so that I could make it that very night!
My second batch turned out darker than my first, but that’s okay! Still tastes just as good. And I actually think it’s supposed to be this colour more than my first picture.
This granola is really good with some yogurt and fresh berries. I often eat it plain or with just berries and/or grapes. It’s sooooo good.
The original recipe calls for 1 cup of walnuts and 1 cup of sliced almonds, but I’m not a big fan of walnuts, so I just doubled the amount of almonds. You could do any nut in here. You could also add chia seeds, dried cherries/cranberries or anything you want. I like to keep it simple.
Enjoy!
The BEST Granola!
Ingredients
- 5 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup good olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 cups sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, syrup, olive oil and salt. Toss well to coat evenly. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through (at the 15 minute mark) to ensure the oats get evenly coated.
- Remove the tray and stir in the almonds.
- Bake for another 30 minutes, stirring halfway through again.
- Cool completely on tray.
- Can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks (but it won’t last that long! :))
Deconstructed Egg Roll – Must Make!
Don’t judge all of my food based on my pictures. I’m still learning. lol But, you need to make this tonight! Or, at least, this week. It’s so good and such a perfect weeknight meal. Works great as leftovers for lunch as well.
Michael sent me this email with a bunch of different Keto recipes attached. Most of them were meh. But, I saw this one and I was intrigued, mainly because it was super easy and quick – and healthy!! Requires no weekend prep, which is so nice, because much of my Sundays are spent prepping our food for the week.
Bonus, my kids gobble this up!! This dish is at my finger tips if I’m in a pinch (or if I’m not) for dinner or lunch on the weekends.
First things first. If you have not tried Coconut Aminos you MUST!!!! Ladies, especially, throw the soy sauce away! Replace it with this. Soy is no good. Honestly, this tastes sooooo good with sushi and is a direct substitute for soy sauce. I LOVE this stuff! You don’t have to get this brand (although it’s good). I’ve tried others that are also good. I get this at Whole Foods, but I’ve also picked it up at Noah’s Natural Foods.
As long as you have a bag of coleslaw in your fridge and 1 pound of ground beef (grass fed preferred) in your freezer, you are on your way to making this dish! Easy peasy.
You are going to finish this dish with Sesame oil, so use a good one, if you can. I love this brand.
One last note I would make to this recipe is that you must use the required amount of garlic and ginger, especially. There’s a real lack of flavour if you chince on these two ingredients.
Let’s get to it!
What you need to do:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves of minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced ginger (or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 lb Ground Beef (Grass fed preferred)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 lb shredded coleslaw mix
1/4 cup coconut aminos
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup green onions (optional)
Heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant.
Add beef. Season with S&P. Cook until browned – 7/10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium/low. Add coleslaw and coconut aminos. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in toasted sesame oil.
Enjoy!!
Source: https://(https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/low-carb-crack-slaw-egg-roll-in-a-bowl-recipe/)
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