Vanilla Bean Donuts

Healthy Donuts?

Who doesn’t love a delicious donut from time to time? What would make them even better? The answer would be swapping out a few ingredients to make them a little “healthier” so that you can have them more often! THAT IS A WIN! These Vanilla Bean Donuts are the solution.

Donuts are a perfect pairing to a hot cup of coffee or tea. They are a sweet treat to enjoy on the weekends and often times you’ll find them at some type of brunch or breakfast buffet. There are so many flavors of donuts and everyone is sure to have their own favorite.

I absolutely think donuts should be enjoyed from time to time. As part of my healthy lifestyle I always leave room for a yummy treat or dessert. Probably because I LOVE baking so much!  In my opinion, I don’t think a sustainable healthy diet is one that is a quick fix or that is too restrictive.

When you follow the 80/20 rule like I do, you can maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy foods about 80% of the time and leave 20% of your diet for some of your favorite foods. If you are moving your body and being mindful of how much you are eating, the two can co-exist.

   

That being said, I decided to swap out a few of the ingredients in this Vanilla Bean Donuts Recipe to make them a little “healthier”. I know healthy and donuts may be two words that don’t seem like they belong together but trust me when I say they can.

The whole point of being more mindful and living a healthy lifestyle is knowing when to choose better ingredients, and avoiding a lot of the processed ones as much as possible.

Regular donuts are usually fried and are some type of a cake donut or yeast donut like you would have with a traditional maple bar. With just a few simple swaps, donuts can be whatever you need them to.

Recipe Swaps

I personally try and switch out white refined sugar (Granulated table sugar) for coconut sugar whenever I can. Yes sugar is absolutely still sugar but choosing a lower glycemic one can be helpful since it doesn’t spike your blood sugar in the same way. I still have refined sugar sometimes but not for the most part.

Another swap I love to use when baking is switching from regular All-purpose white flour to an all-purpose whole wheat flour or even a gluten-free blend sometimes.

I don’t do gluten free because I need to or have an allergy, but because I feel better overall avoiding gluten for the most part. Especially when sticking to more of anti-inflammatory lifestyle which I have been lately.

One last swap I love to use is omitting the oil/butter when possible and using applesauce instead. Some recipes you really need the butter or oil to make it turn out just right. But I find that donuts, muffins, or scones etc can easily have these ingredients swapped out and it won’t alter the final product too much.

When omitting the oil or butter I like to replace it with an unsweetened apple sauce. This swap has never let me down. We use it in our waffles, pancakes, muffins, and now our donuts. It makes them soft, fluffy, and adds the perfect amount of moisture.

After all baking is fun! Dessert is fun! It should be enjoyed. But like I mentioned before, a few healthy swaps can make them a little better for you. Why not give it a try? This is how you can have balance and still enjoy the things you want.

Quality Ingredients

One important thing when it comes to baking healthier also involves using good quality ingredients, and buying Organic when you can. This will make your flavors turn out better and help to avoid the flavorless “healthy desserts“ we have all had. I want healthy but I still want it to TASTE good! Right!?!?!

Organic, sustainably grown ingredients are the goal. At least in my household. We aren’t perfect at it but its something we strive for. It’s so important to know where your food is coming from and making sure it is preserving the planet and not putting it into more harm.

     

Java Sisters Vanilla

I am so proud to have partnered with Java Sisters Vanilla for this recipe collaboration. They are a woman-owned small business that believes in fair-trade, organic and sustainable ingredients. Two sisters that are taking their amazing vanilla bean business to big places.

All of their vanilla beans are grown sustainably on the Island of Java (Indonesia) and 10% of their profits are given to organizations dedicated to serving humanity and the environment. Go check out their website HERE to read all about their story and all the reasons you will want to support their business!

I am happy to be able to offer you guys a discount on these delicious Java Sisters Vanilla beans! Use this referral link HERE to get 10% off your purchase. Stock up now so you can have plenty for all of your upcoming holiday recipes.

So all of this now leads to this AMAZING Vanilla Bean Donut Recipe I am sharing with you today. Vanilla is by far my FAVORITE flavor in anything!!! It’s traditional and widely loved by many.

The Java Sisters Vanilla beans that I used in this recipe are delicious! They can add the perfect dreamy vanilla bean flavor to homemade ice cream, cakes, muffins, cookies etc. The possibilities are endless and the best vanilla flavor comes straight from the source.

Layers Of Flavor

These donuts are layered with vanilla flavor. I feel this is the best way to make these Vanilla Bean Donuts shine. I used an unsweetened vanilla almond milk, pure vanilla beans and a touch of vanilla extract on the inside.

Then I dipped them into just the right amount of vanilla bean glaze. To me that means two layers! I love to dip them once and let the glaze set while they sit on a cooling rack. Then go back and glaze them one more time. SO GOOD! When you put parchment paper below your donuts while the excess glaze drips off, it makes for easy cleanup.

Vanilla Bean Donuts

These Vanilla Bean Donuts are surprisingly soft considering they aren’t fried. They still have all the flavor you want in a good donut. Baking them instead of frying and swapping ingredients makes them a little “healthier”. Then topping with a good glaze still allows you to feel like you’re having a donut shop type of donut. A little sugar is ok in moderation in my book!

These donuts have become a FAVORITE in my family and I hope you enjoy them too! Please be sure to share your own creations with this recipe and tag me on Instagram HERE (@Motivate.Educate.Repeat) or use the hashtag #MotivateEducateRepeat. I can’t wait to see your donuts!

If you are looking for another delicious dessert recipe also check out my Strawberry Lemonade Scone Recipe HERE!

     

Recipe Tips:

-To ensure you have the correct amount of flour, always measure your flour by spooning it into a measuring cup instead of packing it. You want that loose spooned flour full to the top and then using the flat side of a butter knife, smooth off the excess.

-Turn donuts upside down to cool. When baking donuts in the donut pan the tops will not be as pretty as the bottom side that baked in the pan. Flipping them over and glazing the even side makes them more appealing.

-Let donuts COMPLETELY cool before dipping in glaze. This ensures the glaze will stay on the donut and not soak in or melt right off.

-Line a cookie sheet or just lay a piece of parchment paper underneath your cooling rack when glazing your donuts. This allows any excess glaze to drip off and helps with easy cleanup.

-Donuts are best served same day. If you need to keep them another day you can either not glaze them until just before you eat them or glaze them and place in a paper bag or some type of tray with a cover.

-You don’t want anything like plastic wrap or foil touching the tops because it will remove your glaze. If your room is too warm, its best to keep them in the fridge. I don’t recommend keeping them more than a day if glazed. Unglazed may keep up to a week.