Baked Orange Doughnuts

Spring is here!!  The birds are singing, the sun is shining, the daffodils are blooming, and I’m eating doughnuts.

Yes, doughnuts.  Freshly baked, orange-infused, too good to pass up doughnuts.  There’s nothing about these doughnuts that doesn’t spell out Spring.

First, you squeeze fresh orange juice and add orange zest to infuse that wonderful orange flavor into the doughnut batter.  Then, to make these doughnuts even more amazing, you dip them in an orange zest glaze.  The glaze makes sure the doughnut stays moist and full of orange flavor.

Baked doughnuts never tasted so good.

Baked Orange Doughnuts

Ingredients:

Orange Doughnuts

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
• Zest of one orange

Orange Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 1/2 cup milk

Instructions:

For the doughnuts:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and grease a large doughnut pan with cooking spray.  (You can also use a small doughnut pan, which will yield 2 dozen mini doughnuts.)

Prepare a piping bag with a large round tip, and set aside.  (You can also just spoon the doughnut batter into the doughnut pan, but piping it in is easier.)

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Add in the milk, vanilla, eggs, melted butter, orange juice, and orange zest.  Stir until well-combined.

Scoop the batter into the prepared piping bag, and pipe the batter into the doughnut pan, or spoon the batter into each doughnut mold.

Bake at 425 degrees for 8-9 minutes, or until the top of the doughnut springs back when you touch it with your finger.

Let cool slightly in pan, then glaze the doughnuts immediately.

For the glaze:

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, orange zest, and milk until combined.  Use immediately.

Makes 1 dozen (12) large doughnuts, or 2 dozen (24) mini doughnuts.

Original recipe by La Casa de Sweets.