Baked Orange Coconut Banana Donuts

[PurplePuppy]

Baked Orange Coconut Banana Donuts



Makes 8 donuts

1/4 cup banana, mashed (about 1/3 of a large banana)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup buttermilk (you could use 1/2 cup regular milk/cream/nut/soy milk + 1/2 teaspoon vinegar to mimic buttermilk if you don’t keep buttermilk on hand)

1 egg (or flax/chia egg or other egg replacer)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup coconut flakes (I used Tropical Traditions unsweetened shredded coconut. They are unsweetened and very fine flakes. If using Baker’s or grocery-store brand shredded coconut, increase to 3/4 cup)

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup + all-purpose flour* (Note: depending on the type of coconut flakes used and how “runny” your mashed banana is, you may need to add more flour. Batter should be fairly thick. Thicker than pancake or waffle batter, not as thick as cookie dough. Add enough flour to reach a fairly thick batter, possibly 1/4 cup more)

Pre-heat oven to 325F and spray the donut pan with cooking spray, very well. In a microwave-safe bowl, mash the banana and add the butter. Microwave the banana and butter for 20 seconds, or until butter begins to melt, and stir to combine.

 Add orange zest, sugars, cinnamon, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and stir to combine. 

Add the coconut flakes, baking powder, and flour and stir until just combined. Neatly spoon batter into donut cavities (or pour batter into a Ziploc bag and cut the corner off and then pipe the batter into donut pan).

Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until dough is set and spring back when touched. Watch for signs of browning as coconut flakes tend to burn easily and baking times will vary. Allow donuts to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Orange Coconut Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze

1 teaspoon+ orange zest (increase if you like more orange flavor)

1/2 cup+ powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon+ vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon+ shredded coconut

1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream

While donuts are baking and cooling, make the frosting by combining all ingredients except for the cream. Note: All amounts are suggestions and add more or less of certain flavors, to taste and based on how thick or thin you prefer the glaze. 

Add cream slowly, whisking or stirring, until desired consistency is achieved. Spoon the glaze over cooled donuts or dip them in the glaze bowl. If you glaze the donuts while they are hot, the glaze will run more, and that’s okay, too.

Add a final dusting of coconut flakes, orange zest, cinnamon-sugar mixture; sprinkles, or other extras over the top of the glazed donuts, if desired.

To make Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free flour blend. To make Vegan: Replace the buttermilk with full fat coconut milk or almond milk and add 1 teaspoon vinegar as noted in the recipe to mimic buttermilk; increase the amount of baking powder to 1.5 teaspoons. Use melted margarine or Earth Balance, use a flax/chia egg or other egg replacer rather than regular egg, use Tofutti instead of regular cream cheese.

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