Kettle Corn Donuts

Kettle Corn Donuts

Kettle Corn is a pretty fantastic treat, on its own. That being said - what ISN'T better when you add donuts?! We adjusted our typical donut cake base to make a richer, brown sugar-sweetened donut, slathered it in rich butter glaze (yup, BUTTER GLAZE GUYS. I'm not messing around here.), and topped it with perfectly crunchy kettle corn. The kettle corn's combination of sweet and salty flavors was the inspiration for the whole combination. The sweet cake base slathered in thick, creamy butter glaze might be almost too rich without the addition of the popcorn, but with it becomes the perfect combo and sweet and salty! We used Pipcorn's Kettle Corn here because we love their simple, vegan-friendly ingredient list and that their kernels are smaller than normal kernels - perfect for topping donuts with!
They're super rich and delicious, which makes them perfect for sharing. Double the batch for a fun treat to share with friends or serve at a brunch, or make a single batch all for yourself! I would never judge when it comes to donut consumption. If you're looking for a creative new donut flavor, or just another excuse to squeeze a few more donuts into your day, these are definitely for you. So preheat your oven and let's get baking! 

Looking for more donut recipes? Try our Blood Orange Glazed Donuts or Baked Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Donuts! 

INGREDIENTS
Donuts:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Glaze + Topping:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
1 teaspoon unsweteened almond milk
1-2 cups kettle corn (we used Pipcorn)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375º. Lightly grease a 6-ring donut pan and set it aside. 

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine the almond milk and cider vinegar to curdle. Set them aside. 

In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the aquafaba, sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil. Pour in the curdled milk mixture and stir to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredient mixture and mix until just combined. Let the batter rest 5-10 minutes. 

Fill the donut pan molds with equal amounts of batter, then bake the donuts for 13-15 minutes until they're golden and fluffy. 

While the donuts bake, make the glaze by simply whisking together the powdered sugar, melted butter and unsweetened almond milk. 

When the donuts finish baking, let them cool slightly before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cooled, dip each donut into the glaze or drizzle a bit over each donut. Immediately top the donuts with kettle corn. Enjoy! 


​NOTES
Makes 6 donuts.

Leftover donuts last in an airtight container on the counter up to 3 days. 

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