Vanilla Spice Donuts

So I’m newly invested in the show Pretty Little Liars. 

I read the books a couple summers ago (and by ‘read’, I mean tore through them mercilessly), and only recently got into the shows.

So pretty much, if you want me to watch a show, tell me and I’ll get around to it in oh, two years.

Plus, by then, the episodes have been stockpiled on Netflix and I can watch them back-to-back for hours on end, trying desperately to remember who A is.

If you’re unfamiliar with the series, it’s a bunch of tormented rich and pretty girls being bullied by a mysterious dead friend with a butt chin.

Anyway, it’s kind of unrealistic in that A) these teenagers often leave their phones behind or unattended (and we all know teens NEVER abandon their phones); B) my mom NEVAH leaves money in lasagna boxes, nor does she ever give me $100 to have lunch with a friend.

After seeing this, I promptly sat my parents down and grilled them about why I was never handed crisp Benjamins for a lunch out. They had no good answer, so I told them they were eating stale lasagna noodles for dinner since they don’t hide money in there, either.

Basically, the show is setting me up with some unrealistic expectations about life as a privileged teenager.

However, much to my happiness my dad has taken a liking to the show as well. He’ll sit in for a couple episodes and ask questions. He even scolded Spencer in a scene: “Oooooh, Spencer, you shouldn’t do that!”

He also informed my mom we were all watching “PLL” if she wanted to join us.

Nevermind the fact that when he broke his back several years ago, he had a pretty big obsession with Seventh Heaven when it was still on TV and had a weird love affair with the show and that charmingly disfunctional family. No shockers that he’s a PLL fan.

Anyway.

Donuts. Vanilla Spice Donuts. Donuts that are equal parts tasty, healthy and amazeballs.

I got this recipe from Sally at Sally’s Baking Addiction. I wanted a donut that tasted homemade but wasn’t dry and crumbly, as some baked donuts can be. And I wanted lots of sweet & spicy flavor, lent heavily by the copious amount of cinnamon sugar I used and the vanilla bean glaze that smothers the tops of these golden goodies.

Also, if you haven’t purchased a donut pan, seriously, this is your written invitation. I may not give you $100 for lunch, but I AM telling you RIGHTTHISSECOND to run out and buy an $8 donut pan. You will not regret it!

Vanilla Spice Donuts *inspired by Sally’s recipe; link above

6 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 egg
1/2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste (can substitute 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
About 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar
Vanilla Bean Glaze (recipe & ingredients follow)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a 6-cavity donut pan with cooking spray; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon sugar and salt.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, yogurt, egg and vanilla with a whisk to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients lightly; do not overmix.
3. Pour the batter into a large ziploc baggy and snip off the corner; pipe the batter into the cavities about 2/3 full. Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes; tops will spring back lightly when touched and the donut tops will be lightly golden. Mine took exactly 10 minutes. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before gently releasing them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Bean Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
Cinnamon sugar

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the above ingredients until thick and combined.
2. Dip the donut tops into the glaze and allow the excess to drip off. Sprinkle the tops liberally with cinnamon sugar. Allow the glaze to set for about 15 minutes before eating. Store leftover donuts in a paper bag for an additional day; otherwise, they’ll dry out quite a bit.

These donuts were sweet, spicy and SUPER moist. The vanilla plus the cinnamon sugar was an excellent choice–and who knew Greek yogurt could make such a killer baked donut?

Donuts that don’t cost you $100… score!

Have a wonderful day!!

xo, Hayley

Tagged: breakfast, cake donuts