It’s almost Valentine’s Day and I’m in love…with a donut.

The Big O.

Thank God for Babycakes! Without Erin McKenna’s tutelage, I would never have had the courage to venture into gluten-free baking & my tummy thanks her!

Despite my initial reservations, her gluten-free donuts turned out amazingly well with just a few substitutions. I actually prefer them plain [without the glaze] because they’re just that delicious, but the glaze is super simple if you’d like to give it a try.

Donut Ingredients

1 1/3 c vegan sugar*
[*I was running low on all of my dry sweeteners so I used 1/3 c beet sugar, 1/3 c Sun Crystals (which are twice as sweet as sugar), & 1/3 c raw turbinado sugar]
1/2 c brown rice flour
1/3 c all purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c  + 2 tbsp arrowroot
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c vanilla extract
1/2 c hot water
1/3 c melted coconut oil + a touch more for the pan

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Brush 2 6-mold donut trays with melted coconut oil & set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients [sugars, flours, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & xanthan gum].
In a smaller bowl, mix applesauce, vanilla, hot water, & coconut oil.
Add wet ingredients to dry & stir until just combined.
Using a spoon, carefully drop approximately 2 1/2 tbsp of batter into each donut mold & distribute evenly around the circle.
Bake for 8 minutes, rotate, & bake for 8 minutes more. Let cool before removing from molds by loosening edges with a butter knife.
If desired, top with glaze.

Glaze Ingredients*
[* This recipe makes more than enough glaze for one batch of 12 donuts.
It will keep for up to 4 days when stored at room temperature in an airtight container.]

3 c vegan powdered sugar
1/3 c hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients & whisk until smooth.
Spread over top or dip donuts into bowl to glaze. Enjoy!