Heart-Shaped Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

Makes 24 doughnuts

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray (I used Pam for Baking).
2. In large mixing bowl, sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla; mix gently until just combined. Fill each doughnut cup approximately 1/2 full (2 tablespoons batter).
3. Bake 4-5 minutes or until the tops of the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes before removing. Repeat with remaining batter. Finish doughnuts with desired toppings. Doughnuts are best served fresh.

Raspberry Glaze:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Pink food color (optional - I didn’t use it)

Directions:

1. In small bowl, stir together sugar, jam and milk; mix until sugar is completely dissolved. Mix in color if desired. Use immediately to glaze doughnuts.

Chocolate Glaze:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add the confectioners’ sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Spice Loaf with Maple Glaze

Ingredients:

For the Loaf:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup plus two tablespoons organic confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup

Directions:

To Start: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Prepare the Batter: In a medium bowl, stir the pumpkin, oil, sugar, almond milk, and vanilla together. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Bake the loaf: Fill the prepared loaf pan with the batter. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean (be careful not to over-bake, this trick to super-moist baked goods is pulling them out of the oven a minute before they look really “done” - they will continue to cook slightly as they cool).

Remove loaf from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, remove from loaf pan (you should be able to carefully turn the pan over and the loaf will fall out). Let fully cool before glazing.

In the meantime, prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar sugar and vanilla. Gradually whisk in enough maple syrup to make a coating consistency. Using a fork, drizzle the glaze over the pumpkin loaf in lines, back and forth width-wise until the length of loaf is covered.

PRO TIP

The trick to perfect baked goods is pulling them out of the oven a minute before they look done - they’ll continue to cook slightly as they cool.

Baked French Swirl Toast

Prep Time: 15 mins / Total Time: 2 hr

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf (16 ounce) Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread, cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
• 6 eggs
• 3 cups half-and-half or milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• cinnamon-sugar or confectioners’ sugar
• Whipped butter
• Pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Place the bread cubes and cranberries in a greased 3-quart shallow baking dish. Beat the eggs, half-and-half and vanilla in a medium bowl with a fork or whisk. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
2. Uncover the dish. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Serve with the butter and syrup.

Baked Apples with Maple-Walnut Sauce

Apples made the top 20 in a USDA list of foods with the highest antioxidant scores. The richest concentration of antioxidants is found in the fruit’s skin, so this recipe calls for unpeeled apples. Halving the apples before baking them saves cooking time and lets the fruit soak up more of the sweet, cinnamon-laced juices.

Ingredient List:

• 4 large apples, such as Gala or Granny Smith, halved crosswise and cored
• 2 tsp. Lemon juice, divided
• 2 tbs. light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Brust cut slices of apples, cut sides up, in baking dish. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle cut sides of apples with sugar mixture. Pour maple syrup in bottom of dish. Cover with foil, and bake 10 miutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until apples are tender. Transfer apples to serving platter.
3. Pour syrup and pan juices into small saucepan, and stir in remaining 1 tsp. lemon juice and salt; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Stir in walnuts. Spoon sauce over apples, and serve warm.