Mini Pumpkin Spice Donuts

In honor of my very last day of massage therapy class, I made a nice fall treat for the class to enjoy. Also, it was ridiculously warm outside today (eighty degrees!), which I actually really didn't like because it's October 24th, and I should be snuggling up in the brisk air with a warm sweater and a mug of chai tea in hand. I should not be sitting outside in a t-shirt and jean shorts getting burnt on my pale face and sweating as I write in my journal. It ain't right. So, making a fall-ish treat, such as these delightful little donuts, helped me to pretend like it really is still fall, despite the crazy weather. I still made myself some Twinnings tea and enjoyed the pumpkin morsels as they ought to be enjoyed.

Anyways, here's the recipe :)

Ingredients

raw! (before they become unhealthy)

For Donuts:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup melted shortening (natural!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup whole milk

For Coating:
1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (more if you're a cinnamon lover)

who doesn't love butter?

Create
1) Preheat oven to 350, coat mini-muffin pans with butter (or a true donut pan)
2) Combine flour, salt, spices, baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
3) Mix oil, brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, vanilla, and milk until just combined. Then, add in the dry ingredients. Don't over-mix :)
4) Pour into the pan, and bake for about 13 minutes. If you're using a donut pan, it may only take about 9 minutes. Be attentive!

5) After taking out your donuts and allowing them to cool slightly, melt the butter, and mix up your cinnamon-sugar. While donuts are still a bit warm, dip them in the butter and coat them with cinnasugar. Set them out and watch them disappear as they are quickly gobbled up by anyone in their path.

enjoy!

Almond Cakelettes with Figgy Filling

So, it's been a while. The main reason I haven't recorded my creations is because I've been enjoying summer and traveling too much to create creative foods.

Anyways, it's officially autumn and I really love autumn. So here's a baked good to start off my new season!

 I really love figs. I think that they are the most beautiful colors. To me, they taste exactly as they look. Sweet, soft, honey-like. 

Ingredients (for Almond Cakelette)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups  sugar
• 2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup almond meal/flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup warm milk
• Handful of almonds  

Combine

1) Preheat oven to 325. Line 24 cupcake molds with paper liners.
2) In a large bowl, cream together butter and shortening. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, until mixed completely. Add sugar, mixing on a low speed.
3) Whilst alternating with warm milk, add in the dry ingredients, one at a time.... Pastry flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the sliced almonds.
4) Fill the liners about 2/3 full with cake batter. Bake for 16-20 minutes. Let them cool :)

Ingredients (for the Figgy Filling)

• 5-10 ripened black figs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dashes of cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg... whatever you want. 

 Combine

1) Basically, just blend it all together! 
2) Cut out a small circle in the middle of the cakelette, fill the middle with some figgy filling, and place the center-top back on. If this is too confusing, click here for a better description.

Because I was too lazy to make a frosting, I just swirled some more of the figgy filling on top of the cakelettes and added a few sliced almonds atop.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did :)