Continuing my adventures in donut making, I’ve decided to go back to berry and do something a little different than I did last time. The last strawberry donuts I made were a simple buttermilk donut with a strawberry icing. Today, I put the fruit directly in the batter.
Sadly, just a few short weeks after it began, strawberry season is pretty much over. In fact, we had to go on quite an adventure just to find the strawberries we got for these treats! Sure, I could have just picked some up from the grocery store, but we all know those are never as tasty as farm-fresh berries.
This donut recipe is great because it can work for pretty much any fruit you want to add. I call it a berry donut because I did two different kinds of berries — strawberries and blueberries — but honestly, it would work just fine for any berry you like. You could probably even use some peaches, apples, cherries, or whatever you like, though the colors might not be as vibrant.
I know a lot of people see donuts like this and thing “wow, there has to be food coloring in those, there’s no way they can look that colorful with just fruit.” I didn’t use food coloring at all! The strawberry donuts are a wonderful pink that is, if anything, a little darker in person than it is in the pictures. The blueberries are a great coloring agent all on their own. Something more potent red, like raspberries, would make an even redder donut.
Plus, you can mix them and make swirl donuts. Check this out!
To make swirl donuts, I layered thin layers of each batter one on top of the next, for about four or five layers, then used a toothpick to swirl it around before baking. It turned out pretty neat, if I do say so myself.
And, of course, I glazed them. This time, it’s just a simple glaze using powdered sugar, milk, and a tiny pinch of salt. You can also add a tiny bit of vanilla extract to it, if you want it to have more flavor. I’m just using it for a bit of sweetness, though.
One thing to note: the glaze will kind of soak into the donuts if it sits on them too long. You can coat it multiple times to try to avoid this, or just wait until a bit before you want to eat them to give it a fresh coat of glaze. Your choice!
The best part? These are super easy to make. Here’s how!
Very Berry Donuts
Equipment
- Food Processor Or immersion blender
- Mixing Bowl
- Donut Pans
- Piping Bag
- Rubber Spatula
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 1 Cup Flour
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- ⅓ Cup Milk
- 1 Egg
- 2 Tbsp Butter Melted
- ½ Cup Berry Puree Any berry works
- 1 Tbsp Orange Juice
For the Glaze
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 5-6 Tbsp Milk
- ¼ Tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your donut pans with oil or butter.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add your milk, butter, and egg.
- Mix well to create a batter.
- Using a food processor or immersion blender, puree your berries.
- Add the berries to the batter and stir to combine.
- Transfer your batter to a piping bag, then pipe into the donut pan, filling each donut about half way full.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes.
- Let cool in the pan for about 3 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- Make the glaze by mixing the milk, powdered sugar, and salt, adjusting for consistency.
- Dip the donuts one at a time, then return to the cooling rack to allow excess to drip away. Enjoy!
The end of may and the world is its own oven. War in the east rises tensions; but the flavor of these donuts quells the soul. As you bite into the soft Verry Berry, the worries of the world melts away. The flavor is mellow that allows the taster to savor ever aspect while balancing the treat with a hot beverage.