Do you love nutmeg? Yes? Great! We can be friends! I knew that when Nutmeg was added to the MRT 170 panel for food sensitivity testing earlier this year that I had to share this recipe! Let’s give a warm welcome to NUTMEG!!
This homestyle baked doughnut leaves a lovely hint of nutmeg in the wake of its mellow sweetness.
One of our all-time favorite read-alouds is Farmer Boy. My Little Farmers are always a bit envious of Almanzo’s never-ending supply of homemade doughnuts that he stuffs into his pockets on his way out to do his chores. (Admittedly, I feel a Mrs. Wilder-like pride when they clamor for more of these treats!)
We have a local doughnut shop here in my little Tennessee town that makes some incredible doughnuts from scratch. (No offense you chain doughnut stores, but your cake doughnuts don’t hold a candle to those gems!)
I remember one year for my birthday (before LEAP came along and changed my life) I bought doughnuts for my family to share instead of a birthday cake. I miss those doughnuts, but I feel SO MUCH BETTER now that I don’t want to jeopardize the feeling by a hasty indulgence in food that I know causes me major regret (a.k.a. some serious and embarrassing symptoms) afterwards!
I actually made these this year for my LEAP birthday treat to celebrate 1 year of LEAP!!
These doughnuts aren’t deep fried and they aren’t a traditional cake doughnut, but they are a favorite made-from-scratch treat of mine these days. Sometimes we just need a little something special to remind us that we are normal. Sometimes a few extra minutes to whip up a treat is worth it!
My recipe is adapted from this recipe at King Arthur Flour to fit the LEAP diet.
LEAP Diet Variations:
I recently used coconut oil in place of the oil and butter, rice milk in place of milk and 1:1 ratio of kamut + oat flour and the doughnuts were still wonderful! Don’t hesitate to play around with different flours or oils to fit your LEAP diet needs!
Can’t have nutmeg or don’t enjoy the flavor? Why not try substituting cinnamon or cardamom? You might have to adjust the amount of spice to fit your needs. Or, you could add 1 tablespoon of lemon or orange zest in addition to the spices or in place of the spices if you would like a variation on the doughnut flavor.
I use freshly milled flour and this contributes significantly to the flavor and nutritional profile. I also tend to increase the spice level for my baked goods to make sure the flavors shine through the flavor profile of the whole grains. You might not need to use as much spice if you are not using freshly milled flour.
Additionally, if you can’t have vanilla I don’t think it would impact the flavor too much to omit that.
I have not tried any sweeteners besides the cane sugar but (non-GMO) beet sugar should be an easy granulated substitute. Date Sugar or maple sugar might also be an option. If you do try a different sweetener, please leave a comment below and let me know how they turn out!
Don’t miss our recommendations below for our all time favorite non-stick doughnut pan and microplane zester!
- Doughnut:
- 1/4 cup organic butter (or organic coconut oil), soft/room temperature
- 1/4 cup LEAP friendly neutral oil (such as avocado or sunflower oil)*
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/3 cup organic brown cane sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder (use homemade blend)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-2/3 cups freshly ground soft white wheat flour (or try other LEAP friendly whole grain flours) – 11-1/4 ounces by weight
- 1 cup LEAP friendly milk (such as organic cow’s milk, almond milk, cashew milk, or rice milk)
- Topping (optional)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1/16 teaspoon (just a “pinch”) ground nutmeg (or cinnamon)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and adjust oven to middle rack.
- Lightly grease a doughnut pan (or use a USA non-stick pan.)
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter/coconut oil and/or other LEAP friendly oil, and both types of sugars until smooth.
- Add the eggs, beating to combine.
- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.
- Alternately stir the flour and milk into the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
- Scoop half of the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups to about 1/4″ below the rim. (You will need to bake in two batches unless you have two pans).
- Bake in a 425°F oven for 10-12 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean; remove from the oven.
- Allow doughnuts to cool for 5 minutes in the pan.
- Optional: Lightly brush the top of each doughnut with melted butter or coconut oil then sprinkle with nutmeg sugar.
- Serve warm, or cool on a rack and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Alternately, cool and freeze for a treat later on.
Here’s to Wholesome (and homemade doughnuts!)
~Bethany
p.s. Did you know that nutmeg can actually be poisonous in large quantities? I first learned this as an undergraduate Nutrition and Dietetics student at Samford University… the first time that I realized that food can either be your best medicine or worst poison!
Our Favorite Things (Amazon Affiliate links):
USA Non-Stick Doughnut Pan — the only muffin pan I will ever buy because it NEVER sticks and you never have to grease it or use muffin cups
Microplane Zester for grating nutmeg – bring your love of nutmeg to a whole new level!
Our Family’s Favorite Read Aloud