The Perfect (Healthy-ish) Spring Donut

by guest blogger Stephanie Eckelkamp, senior associate editor at Prevention magazine

This spring, my goal is to eat more donuts. Not exactly the most common thing for a chick to say a mere two months from bathing suit season, but hear me out. I'm the new owner of a donut pan, and I'm absolutely obsessed. Not just because I get to make these sweet treats whenever I damn well please, but because I get to tweak the ingredients so they're no longer the love-handle-inducing sugar bombs they've always been. Plus, they're baked, not fried!

My latest creation (the awesomely fresh and zesty lemon-blueberry donuts below) are totally grain-free and contain no refined sweeteners, so they're perfect for those of you who eat paleo or lower carb diets--or anyone with taste buds, really. Enjoy!

Grain-Free Lemon-Blueberry Donuts

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Donuts:

• 1 cup almond flour


• 2 Tablespoons coconut flour


• 2 Tablespoons honey


• 3 large eggs


• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted


• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract


• 2 teaspoons lemon zest


• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 cup blueberries (either fresh or frozen will work)

Glaze:

• Juice of 1 lemon


• 2 Tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease a donut pan with butter or coconut oil (grease really well...my first batch was a crumbly mess because they stuck to the pan!).

2. Make donuts: In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, honey, eggs, butter, vanilla, lemon zest, and baking soda. Mix until smooth. Add the blueberries and stir until evenly distributed. Spoon batter into the donut pan, filling each cavity about ¾ full. Bake about 20 minutes, or until a tooth pick poked into a donut comes out clean. Allow donuts to cool, then remove from pan.

3. Make glaze: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine honey and lemon juice and stir to combine. Simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and reaches a glaze-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Allow glaze to cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4. Assemble donuts: When donuts and glaze have cooled, drizzle some glaze onto each donut with a spoon. Sprinkle donuts with additional lemon zest, if desired.

5. Eat! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Stephanie Eckelkamp is a senior associate editor covering food and nutrition at Prevention magazine and is also a certified holistic-health coach. She's obsessed with her pup, Milo, and loves to get a little crazy in the kitchen. For more from Stephanie, visit StephEckelkamp.com.






For more from Maria Rodale, visit www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com

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