Baked Doughnuts for Everyone {giveaway}

I have this thing with doughnuts. I think it was embedded in my brain as a tiny child; with each passing birthday nana would always come over with a pink doughnut and a birthday candle to sing, “Happy Birthday.” I always was aware of the pure awesomeness that is a fresh doughnut.

It’s one of the many foods I couldn’t wait to introduce to Liv. Conveniently, next to the salon where I get my eyebrows done, a Dunkin’ Donuts appeared from out of nowhere. So of course, every time I have an appointment, I go through the drive-thru to get a few treats for Liv and myself. One of the best mental images ever is of Liv doing the “doughnut dance,” bopping around with a munchkin in her hand. (Ok, I totally do the doughnut dance too.)

While we enjoy them quite a bit, they’re more of a “once in a while” kind of a treat since I haven’t really dabbled in making donuts at home. They’ve always kind of intimidated me, and I think I’ve made one batch using my donut pan. Since then, it’s remained in the storage closet collecting dust. That is, until very recently.

My friend Ashley just released a cookbook with gluten-free donut recipes: Baked Doughnuts for Everyone. 

In the beautiful pages of her book, you’ll find anything from sweet to savory recipes, cakes, and twists on the classic faves. When she offered to send me a copy, I knew it would be something I’d love, and something to use for upcoming special occasions. 

For my first recipe attempt, I decided to roll with the classic: cake donuts with chocolate glaze.

It was my first time using sweet rice flour:

and while I was mixing the batter, I could tell that Ashley’s creation would yield fluffy, sweet doughnuts.

I had enough for six, and then used some cute Halloween mini muffin liners to make some bites with the extra batter  since I only have one donut pan. 

The result?

Incredible. The donuts were soft, perfectly sweet with a delicate vanilla flavor — I had to stop Liv and myself from eating all of the little bites before I had a chance to frost them 😉

I took some over to Kyle and Meg’s house when we went to visit Luna, and they couldn’t believe they were gluten-free.

I can’t wait to try more recipes from Baked Doughnuts for Everyone, especially since I love knowing what goes into treats and desserts. There’s something to be said about a decadent treat, homemade with love and whole ingredients. I’m so proud of Ashley, and so excited for her. She has always amazed me with her photography and recipe creations, and has done a truly beautiful job with her book.

Here’s what to expect from Baked Doughnuts for Everyone:

(From Ashley’s sneak peek post)

• Simplicity! Almost every single recipe uses only 2 bowls, a spoon, a whisk, doughnut ingredients, and your doughnut pan. 
• Tips & Tricks!  This is where I specify the oil + milk I like to use, what tool can help release your doughnuts more easily from the pan, an explanation of coconut cream, a quick tutorial on making your own powdered sugar, and so much more!
• Flour details: Get the skinny on each type of flour I use throughout the book.  You’ll even find a substitute for gluten-free oat flour. [pssst! You can sub all-purpose GF flour if you can’t tolerate oat flour!]
• 101 doughnut recipes PLUS a bonus EIGHT vegan + gluten-free recipes at the end of the book.
• In the More Than a Doughnut chapter, you’ll see how to turn doughnuts into an actual meal, how to make doughnut stuffed ice cream [!!!!], how to make doughnuts for your dog, etc.  This chapter was such a fun addition to this book!
• 50+ photos – Photographing only doughnuts for a cookbook had its challenges.  I tried to get creative and vary the styling, angles, and colors as much as possible.  I’m thrilled with how they 

She kindly offered a Fitnessista reader a copy of the book, along with some fun measuring spoons!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your favorite donut flavor.

Mine: tie between chocolate cake with chocolate frosting or Boston creme

This contest is open to residents of the US, UK and Canada. It will end Sunday night (10/6) at midnight EST.

Thank you again to Ashley for sending me a copy, and to all of you for entering!

xoxo

Gina