GLUTEN-FREE DONUTS WITH CARMEL GLAZE

All photos by Morgan Brinlee

It's expected to snow for at least the next few days in Istanbul, which means it's the perfect time to bunker down, turn up the heat and start baking. Today's blog post features gluten-free donuts that are easy to make because they can be baked right in your oven! This recipe was adapted from here.

What you'll need:

For the Donuts

• 2½ cups almond flour or meal (I used the left over pulp from homemade almond milk that I had dehydrated in my oven; if you are not gluten-free, you can sub regular flour)

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• A pinch of sea salt

• 6 tablespoons honey (If vegan, you can sub maple syrup or brown rice syrup)

• ¼ cup coconut oil, softened or liquid

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 3 whole large room temp eggs (I used organic eggs and if you are vegan, you can sub chia or flax seed eggs)

• About 1/2 a cup of the chocolate of your choice, chopped

• A metal or silicon donut pan for baking (You can also make these into muffins by using a muffin tin)

For the Caramel Sauce

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk (about 1½ cups)

• ½ cup honey or maple syrup

• A pinch of sea salt

• 1 rounded tablespoon ghee, coconut oil or vegan shortening

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Baking Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.

• In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking soda and salt.

• In another bowl, combine the honey, oil, vanilla, lemon juice and eggs.

• Add the oil/honey mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.

• Fill each well-greased donut mould or muffin tin till almost full. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

• Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, remove from the pan, pop out the middle of the donut and cool completely on a wire rack.

• Makes 12-15 mini donuts or 6 regular sized ones.

• While the donuts are baking, make the carmel sauce by bringing the coconut milk, honey and salt to a boil over medium high heat, making sure that everything is well combined. Reduce to a medium heat, and let the mixture boil down for about 35 minutes.

• Add the ghee and vanilla, stirring it in till well incorporated. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes or as long as needed until it's a deep caramel color. Be patient. Stir often toward the end to keep the glaze from burning. A little burning is fine as long as you are stirring constantly.

• Remove from heat, let cool for five minutes, transfer to a bowl, then stir vigorously until it’s creamy. To help it set even more, put it in the fridge, where it will thicken.

• Once your donuts and carmel glaze are both cool, you can frost your donuts (or muffin), or simply drizzle some glaze on top. It doesn't have to be fancy. It will be delicious either way.

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