Baked Toasted Coconut Donuts

A high school friend of mine and her husband recently opened a restaurant in a Chicago burb. We finally got to visit last night and we got the royal treatment. She explained to us that she does all the baking and her husband, a trained chef, does all the cooking. The place was adorable, the food was wonderful, and unfortunately, we were quite the mess.

My brother broke the chair he was sitting on, I dropped at least 3 napkins on the floor, and I think I dribbled on my black dress at least three times. Okay, maybe I was the mess. I guess I was excited about the appetizer and three desserts they sent over to our table. I love being able to sample so much off the menu in one visit. I tend to struggle when having to commit to just one entree. In fact, Mr. Prevention is “trained” (I can say that since he doesn’t read the blog, right?) to offer me a bite of his meal when we eat out because he knows what “gets” me (ahem…food). It was certainly my best dining experience since Seattle.

Speaking of Seattle. After getting back, I’ve had coconut on the brain. All the fine ladies I sampled the best coconut cream pie with? Yeah, they decided to make the coconut cream pie…immediately. As for me? My stand mixer is in a moving truck…somewhere, and Mr. Prevention is no help when it comes to eating anything coconut, so I vowed to make this coconut cream pie as a belated Father’s Day gift when my parents visited us in Michigan for the first time. Which, thankfully, will be next week.

In the meantime, these Baked Toasted Coconut Donuts curbed my craving.

Not only was my craving curbed for 144 calories versus, ohhh..1,444 calories, but these were amazing! They caught my eye right away, and help from Mr. Prevention or not, these were my last hoo-rah before everything kitchen-related was packed in boxes and sent far, far away. I must say, I am handling the separation well and this was a killer pick for a last dance.

It’s been quite some time since my last baked donut making, and since Mr. Prevention vowed to lay-off donuts until we moved, it’s fair to say I was also craving donuts.

Now that we’re moved/moving, he has already made note that he 1) kept to his promise and 2) has every intention of buying donuts ASAP. As for me, this means my kitchen belongings must arrive sooner rather than later. For the sake of several unwanted and unnecessary pounds of donut gluttony.

Now, I just need to choose which guilt-free recipe is next to try…

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Baked Toasted Coconut Donuts adapted from Taste and Tell

Donuts:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp coconut extract
2 Tbsp canola oil

Icing:
1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut, for topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray.

Arrange coconut for topping on a small baking sheet. Bake for about 4-6 minutes while preparing the batter. Check frequently to avoid burning. Remove and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In small bowl, combine the coconut milk, eggs, coconut extract, and oil. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.

Pipe the batter into the donut pan, filling each about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake the donuts for about 10-11 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool.

Once the donuts are cool, make the icing. In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, coconut milk and coconut extract. Carefully dip the tops of the donuts into the icing. Immediately dip into toasted coconut. Return the donuts to a wire rack for the icing to set up.

Yield: 10 donuts.

Nutrition Information (per donut): 144 calories; 5.4 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 171 mg. sodium; 22 g. carbohydrate; 1.7 g. fiber; 0.7 g. protein

Result: If you love coconut and donuts, this recipe is a no-brainer. I love the texture of the coconut chips on top and the coconut flavor is obvious, but not over-done. Even the coconut-hating Mr. Prevention was able to enjoy some of these that were left without the coconut chips. Sadly, these didn’t keep well over night…edible, but not great. Make for a crowd or hungry bunch! Enjoy!

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 Our wood floors should be installed, sanded, and stained by the time we arrive. We’re leaving Chicago at 4:45am CST to be sure we beat the carpet installers to the house this morning. It could be a LONG day.

Be well,