chocolate doughnuts with strawberry glaze

Valentine's Day is just 3 days away and I'm proud to say I've already attended a pre-Vday party and will be hosting one with my fellow roommates this Saturday (a girls-only Galentine's day to be exact). I made these chocolate doughnuts with strawberry glaze this past weekend for the pre-Vday party and they certainly lived up to expectations. There was even a bit of a squabble over the last remaining one. The doughnut recipe is from Baked Doughnuts For Everyone, a gluten-free book with a number of vegan recipes as well (this one happens to be one of them). They're super chocolatey and the combination with the strawberry glaze is too perfect. I was amazed how pink the glaze became considering there's no food colouring, just fresh strawberries and jam. Topped with pretty little sprinkles, they're the perfect Valentines treat for the gluten-free or vegan sweetheart in your life (but let's be honest, anyone would enjoy these).



Chocolate Doughnuts with Strawberry Glaze
Makes 6-8

For the doughnuts (recipe from Baked Doughnuts for Everyone)
1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour*
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup pure cane sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp almond meal**
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp ground flax meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce***
3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

* You can blend oats in a food processor or blender to make oat flour, I do!
** The same can be said for almond meal. Throw some almond into a food processor. Be sure to not over do it or it will start to clump.
*** Instead of buying a whole jar of applesauce (unless you're an applesauce junkie, which I certainly am not), I buy the little snack size ones and open one up for a recipe.

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease the doughnut pan with oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Without stirring again, spoon the mixture into each mold, leaving 1/8 - 1/4" from the top. Smooth out the tops. If your doughnut pan has only 6 molds and you have leftover batter, wait to do a second batch but remember to fill the remaining moles with 1/2" water.
6. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
7. Let cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before inserting onto cooling rack. Let cool completely on rack.

For the glaze (recipe adapted from here)
4 fresh strawberries
1 tbsp strawberry jam
2 - 2 1/2 cups icing sugar (depending on how thick you like it)
Sprinkles

1. In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries with the jam.
2. Transfer puree to a mixing bowl and beat in icing sugar. Start with 2 cups and add in more as needed.
3. Dunk each doughnut into the glaze and let set for 5 minutes. Dunk them a second time (and then a third if you like super glaze-y doughnuts!).
4. Add sprinkles!