Blood Orange Glazed Donuts

Blood Orange Glazed Donuts

That big romantic holiday that everyone loves to hate (or loves to love, depending on your couple status) is right around the corner! I actually think Valentine's Day can be pretty great, but I'm engaged, so maybe I'm biased? Because Alex and I have been together for 6 years, we don't celebrate by going out and fighting for a seat at a restaurant anymore. Instead, we make each other delicious treats and spend the evening snuggling on the couch, enjoying the treats together. This year I wanted to make Alex something a little less chocolate-centric and a little more in his wheelhouse. If he loves anything more than me, it just might be donuts. So I whipped up this batch of healthier baked donuts and covered them in sweet, seasonal blood orange glaze! The blood oranges gave the glaze a really lovely pink color and a light citrus taste. They're perfectly fluffy and the added flax means you can have two (or three...) instead of just one, because flax makes everything healthier, right? Seriously, these donuts come together from start to finish in about a half an hour - all you have to do is resist eating them all until your Valentine gets home! Let's get baking.

INGREDIENTS
Donuts
2 tablespoons ground flax + 6 tablespoons warm water
1 cup all purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk 
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Blood Orange Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons blood orange juice
1 teaspoon blood orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
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DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together the ground flax and warm water in a small dish to gelatinize, about 5 minutes.

In a separate large bowl, mix together the sugar and orange zest until fragrant. Pour in the flax mixture, milk, coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about a cup at a time, stirring until a batter forms. Let the batter set while you grease a 6-mold donut pan.

Pour the batter equally between the 6 donut molds and bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes clean.

While the donuts bake, whisk together the powdered sugar, blood orange juice, blood orange zest and vanilla in a shallow bowl to make the glaze. When the donuts finish cooking, move them to a cooling rack for to cool slightly, then dip them generously in the glaze. Serve immediately! 

NOTES
Leftovers last up to 3 days on the counter.

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