These maple cinnamon donuts have maple syrup inside and out- and are just the right balance of wholesome and decadent!
One of the things I love about milling my own flour at home is coming up with different ways to incorporate them at each meal.
For years, I’ve struggled with breakfast. Personally, I’ve never liked cold cereal for its lack of nutrition and staying power. At the same time, a bowl of oatmeal can get really tiring, even jazzed up 67 different ways.
We do love our freshly milled whole wheat bread popped into the toaster and then slathered with some butter or jam. But it’s fun to try something new, and especially something that feels like a dessert at breakfast!
Yes, I have possibly the biggest donut-loving family ever. It’s a treat my husband would buy every morning if I let him. (I just felt my blood sugar shudder just thinking about that.)
So when I mentioned to the kids I was going to come up with a more wholesome donut recipe, they really didn’t believe it was possible. One child declared he was not eating any “healthy” donuts.
Not surprisingly, they loved these maple cinnamon donuts (even the aforementioned healthy-donut-denier) – and have begged for more ever since.
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What you need to make cake donuts with whole grain flour
First of all, you can either mill your own grains for this recipe, or you can buy whole wheat flour and/or spelt flour that’s already milled for you.
You get the biggest bang for your buck – and nutritional value – from milling wheat berries and spelt berries at home. I love my refurbished Nutrimill Harvest grain mill and it does an amazing job for all my breads, donuts, muffins, cookies…you name it.
The only other tool you really need for this recipe is a donut pan. I am using a Trudeau silicone donut pan, which I love for these particular donuts. It is SO easy to pop out the finished donuts and they are less likely to stick than with a metal version.
Read next: Best Fresh Milled Flour Waffle recipe
Tips for Amazing Whole Grain Donuts
First, be sure to measure your flours as accurately as possible. Personally, I don’t weigh my grains, but go by cup measurements. You should use the full 2 cups of berries (combined).
After you mix your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, it should look like a thick pancake batter. Don’t skip the “resting” step as it helps the flours to absorb the liquids more thoroughly.
IF your mixture looks really runny after resting for 15 minutes, go ahead and mix in a few more Tablespoons of spelt or soft white wheat flour. Otherwise, it should thicken on its own while resting.
I like to fill the donut wells just to the edges, and then use a spoon to push back any batter that covers the middle where the donut hole will form. It doesn’t have to be pretty though!
When you take the donuts out of the oven, be sure to let them rest for 10-15 minutes or they may crumble.
Once they’ve rested, set your cooling rack on top of the donut pan, then, holding the edges of both, flip them over and onto the cooling rack. If you’re using the silicone donut pan, you can gently push them out of the molds.
Making the Maple Glaze for your donuts
I’m going to be honest here: I am a big trial and error fan when it comes to the glaze! Start with the recommended measurements in the recipe below, but it’s easy to adjust the consistency if it’s not right at first.
If your icing is too thick, add more syrup or coconut milk. If it’s too runny, add a little more powdered sugar.
You need it just thick enough to be able to dip your donuts in without them crumbling into the glaze.
There are few things better than fresh, homemade baked maple syrup cinnamon donuts with a cup of coffee in the morning.
Your kids might be convinced they’re just as good as their bakery look-alikes (we are for sure). Try them and let us know your thoughts!
Maple Cinnamon Donuts with Whole Grain Flour
Homemade cake donuts made with rich maple syrup, a hint of cinnamon, and healthy whole grains.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft white wheat berries, milled
- 1 cup spelt berries, milled
- 6 Tablespoons melted butter
- 2 Tablespoons light olive oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
Maple Glaze
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
Instructions
- Measure and mill the soft white wheat berries and spelt berries. Mix in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the flour mixture. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl (of a stand mixer), whisk together the butter, oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and the 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk.
- Slowly mix in the flour mixture at a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl. Combine thoroughly but do not over-mix.
- Let batter rest for 15 minutes. It should look like a thick pancake batter. If it's too runny, add just a tablespoon more of wheat flour at a time until it's at the thick pancake batter stage.
- While batter is resting, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spoon mixture into donut pan, wiping down the center post of each donut well when finished. You can use a spoon to smooth the batter around each well evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 12-14 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.
- Let donuts rest about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- While donuts are cooling, make glaze with the powdered sugar, maple syrup and coconut milk. Add more liquid or powdered sugar to get a thick glaze consistency.
- After approximately 20 minutes, donuts should be cooled and ready to ice by dipping upside down into the glaze.
- Transfer back to cooling rack until glaze becomes firm. Enjoy!
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Whole Grain Sandwich Bread Recipe
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