Vanilla Bean Donut Muffins with Peanut Butter Glaze

Sometimes you just crave things that are really bad for you. For instance, donuts. I've tried to make baked donuts at home, they're just not that great. I mean, compared to fluffy, fried donuts.




There are just some things that aren't okay baked.



Which brings me to this post. I wanted donuts. My husband needed breakfast for the week. So I made donut muffins.

When these muffins came out of the oven, I decided I needed a glaze for them. I quickly threw together some powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond milk...but it just wasn't great, so I threw it out. I opened the fridge and looked around, trying to decide what I could put on top of these muffins. Maple syrup? Meh. Butter and honey? Maybe, but no.




Then it hit me; peanut butter and honey. I mixed together a small bowl, drizzled it on top of a warm muffin and took a bite.

HOLY CRAP. These were good.

They're best straight out of the oven, though my husband ate them all week.

They're borderline cupcakes, that's how delicious and sweet they are. That's why I consider them a mix between a donut and a muffin.




Slightly crisp on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside, like an old fashioned donut. They really have little to no nutritional value, but nothing wrong with that! I did use spelt flour and coconut sugar instead of white flour and white sugar, so that helps.

I sprinkled them with extra coconut sugar before baking, to enhance the crispy, sweet outer layer.

Ingredients: Makes 6-8 muffins

1 1/2 cups spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut sugar
6 tablespoons butter, room temp
1 egg, room temp
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup soy or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Peanut Butter Glaze:

1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1-2 teaspoons milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together and set aside. In a standard mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, then add egg and cream for another 30 seconds or so. Add in yogurt, milk, and vanilla bean paste and mix until incorporated.

Gradually fold in the flour mixture, about a half cup at a time. Divide the batter into six paper lined muffin tins and bake 12-15 minutes, making sure not to over bake.

Remove muffins from sheet and allow to cool for 5 minutes. While muffins are cooling, mix together glaze ingredients. With a spoon, carefully scoop a small spoonful of glaze on top of each muffin, spreading it around the tops so the entire muffin is covered. Serve warm!

Wheat-Free Blueberry Scones

I've really been craving scones lately, and since I had some fresh blueberries on hand, I decided to experiment with wheat-free blueberry scones. The recipe (from Petit Foodie)  that I followed sounded good, but I added a few of my own twists. With the addition of quinoa flour, oat flour, vanilla bean paste, and greek yogurt, I think I found a winner. Mind you, because I used spelt flour these are wheat-free, but not totally free of gluten. You can try using just oat flour in place of the spelt flour for gluten-free.


 


Ingredients:

2 cups gluten free oat flour
1/3 cup quinoa flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup baking truvia sugar (or you can use 1/2 cup white sugar, or omit completely)
8 tbsp cold butter (1 stick, chopped)
3/4 cup almond milk (or any milk you like)
1/4 cup greek yogurt
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp lemon
1 egg white (for glazing)
raw sugar for sprinkling
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter (or process in food processor) until pea-sized lumps form. Add in lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, greek yogurt, and milk, and mix until just incorporated. Fold in blueberries and move dough onto a floured surface and pat down to an 8-10 inch circle. Cut into 8 triangles and place onto baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly baste beaten egg white on each scone and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake 15 min, until golden.