Homemade Glazed Donuts and Apple-Pecan Muffins

One tradition I read about whilst making my New Year's Day dinner menu was that round or ring shaped desserts are considered lucky foods. So round cakes and pastries are generally ate on the first day of the New Year. So what round dessert did I go with?? DONUTS!!! Yeah, I want to eat healthier, but how can you NOT want want to make your own donuts? I love challenges and I took this one on.


I immediately googled 'Homemade Doughnut Recipes" and saw that Ree Drummond of the amazing blog The Pioneer Woman had a recipe. I read on and I didn't just want, but NEEDED to try this recipe.



They turned out even more amazing than I thought they would be! They're so light and airy and not overly sweet  and dense like a lot of donut places. I HIGHLY recommend you make these whether you're on a diet or not. Make them for a pot-luck, birthday, Martin Luther King Day, a good hair day, because it's Tuesday just do this!!!! I posted the photos of these lovely rings of awesome on my personal Facebook, flickr, and twitter pages and got so much positive feedback so I had to share with my blog friends and readers!!! Check out the full recipe with amazing photo tutorial HERE.


Please check out Ree's post so you can share her delicious donuts with your friends and family....hell don't share them. You have my permission!


On to a less guilty recipe. And it's from you guessed it....Ellie Krieger! This woman is phenomenal and she really gets me into the idea that eating healthy should be normal not something you do occasionally. Every recipe I've tried by her has been amazing, and I've developed my own delicious healthy recipes because of her.

Since school is starting back soon, I thought a healthy energizing muffin would be excellent. Great for breakfast, after school snack, with coffee; anytime you need a picker upper! They're sweetened mostly with no sugar added apple sauce,  tender apple chunks and the deep molasses flavor of brown sugar. Topped with my favorite pecans and brown sugar, you will for sure have a big hit with your friends and family!! My whole family loved these gorgeous apple-filled treats. Give these babies a shot!!!



Apple-Pecan Muffins
Ellie Krieger
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (i used regular whole wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup natural applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, stir with a wooden spoon the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and oil until combined.

 Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.

Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir just until combined.

 Gently stir in the apple chunks.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pecan mixture. 

Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.