Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Waffle Weekend: Vanilla Bean Waffle Doughnuts



Every once and a while, we have an “aha!” moment.... Looking at things in a different context that we previously have.  Inventing a new purpose for something.... Imagination and resourcefulness are wonderful things!


Several months ago, while having friends over for dinner, our conversation turned to doughnuts and the never-ending he never-ending debate of what kind of doughnuts are better: cake doughnuts or yeast-raised doughnuts.  Personally, I tend to prefer the flavor  & texture of the yeast-raised doughnut, but when I’m the one making the doughnuts, cake doughnuts are much less time consuming.


Once I overcame my fear of deep frying several years ago, I truly do not mind frying things--I just really, really hate how the smell permeates entire spaces.  And when you live in a small apartment, it’s even worse.  I know that baked doughnuts are an option, but I don’t have a doughnut pan, nor am I really interested in investing in one for the few times I year I would use it....


In the days following our dinner party, the doughnut conversation stayed fresh in my I had one of those “aha!” moments--inspiration hit me! I didn’t feel like frying doughnuts. I do not have a doughnut pan. I also don’t have one of those mini doughnut-baking-devices either.  But I do have a waffle iron! Why not try "baking" doughnuts on a waffle iron instead? 


I found one of my favorite cake doughnut recipes & whipped up a small batch.  Once the dough was mixed, I scooped tablespoons of it onto the pre-heated waffle iron.  I not-so-patiently waited for the iron to beep the alarm that the cooking cycle was done.  Once the first testers were “baked,” I couldn’t wait to give them a try.  While the end product may not have looked like the traditional doughnut, but the flavor & texture was spectacular. And the work to get to the final doughnuts was really minimal (no frying oil or oven to pre-heat). We at them so quickly that I didn’t even get a photo!


Fast forward to this past weekend.  It was Saturday morning & I was trying to decide what to make us for breakfast.  I was looking through my Pinterest boards, trying to find inspiration.  I came across my pin for Melissa Coleman’s Baked Vanilla Bean Doughnut recipe, and I knew I had just had to try them on the waffle maker!


Oh my goodness, they were positively amazing! I, personally, loved the glazed version, but husband really enjoyed the ones dusted in confectioners sugar (he dipped some of them in homemade peach jam).  I can foresee many, many more batches of these “doughnuts” for our future weekend breakfasts.  


Vanilla Bean Waffle Doughnuts
adapted from The Faux Martha 
Yields approximately 24 mini "doughnuts" 

Doughnut Base
3 Tbl Butter, melted 
1 c Jeanne’s AP GF flour mix  (or substitute 1/2 c AP flour and 1/2 c Whole Wheat flour)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/8 tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated
2 Tbl (42 g) Honey
1 large Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
1/3 c Buttermilk  
  1. In a microwave safe container, microwave the butter until it is nearly melted.  Swirl the container until the residual heat melts all the butter & then set aside to cool slightly.  Preheat a Belgian waffle iron to the crispiest setting.  
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour & baking powder.  
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, sea salt & freshly grated nutmeg. Add the slightly cooled melted butter. Stir in the honey, egg & vanilla bean paste & mix until combined.  Whisk in the buttermilk. 
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients & whisk just until combined, but without lumps.  
  5. Use a small scoop or a tablespoon to portion the batter onto the hot waffle iron.  Cook according to the waffle maker’s instructions.  
  6. Allow the finished doughnuts to cool slightly on a rack before dipping in glaze (recipe follow) or dusting with confectioners’ sugar.  Doughnuts are best eaten the day they are made, but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container.   
Glaze
1/2 c Confectioners’ Sugar
1 Tbl milk or cream (or a mix of the two)
1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean paste 
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients. If it is too think, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.  If the mixture is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar.  
  2. Use immediately to drizzle or dunk the slightly cooled doughnuts.   
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52 comments:

  1. Those are some gorgeous mini waffle 'doughnuts'. Even though I have doughnut pans, I'd prefer these anytime!

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  2. So, is the butter a part of the wet ingredients? Or is it used to grease the waffle iron?

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    Replies
    1. read the directions

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    2. The original post was made 9 months before your comment. Scroll down, Laura said thanks for the correction. You're the one who should read better.

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    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. WOW!!!! These look amazing!!! You are a genius ~ I cannot WAIT to make them!!!!

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  4. This is GENIUS! I'm a little afraid of frying, but the smell and the wasted oil are also stopping me from proceeding. I also don't want to have a donut pan lying around, so this is incredible.

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  5. These looked amazing and of course I had to try them. One note in the recipe--In the beginning you say to melt butter, but then you don't list where you should add it in in the recipe steps. I realized half-way through baking them that I had totally forgotten about it! They are much better with the butter than without :)

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  6. Thanks Marissa & Kirsten for correcting my mistake. I completely forgot to tell you when to add the butter! I've fixed the recipe :) The butter is mixed with the sugar right before the egg/honey/etc.

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  7. you're a genius - can't wait to try this! But help my guesstimate - I don't have vanilla paste - I have vanilla beans, I have vanilla extract - I have no clue what is IN paste - just vanilla innards?

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  8. Cherie, I use Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste. It's like a gel-consistency vanilla extract with some vanilla bean in it. The paste is way, way more cost effective than using beans, but allows for a richer flavor than simply extract. It's one of my favorite, favorite kitchen ingredients... You can find the paste online (amazon.com etc.) or at kitchen stores like Williams-Sonoma. In this doughnut recipe, if you don't have the paste, you can definitely use actual vanilla bean (1/4 scraped bean in doughnut batter, 1/4 in the glaze)

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  9. Looks amazing! Can I ask what waffle iron you use? I am struggling to find a good one :(

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  10. Andrea, our waffle iron is from Kohls' Food Network line. We bought it with a wedding gift card last year & really love it!

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  11. I have made hash browns in my waffle iron http://www.slim-shoppin.com/waffle-iron-hash-browns/

    and now I can make donuts too!!! Love this recipe, going to make it right now!

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  12. I am definitely making these very soon! They look simply scrumptious.

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  13. This is such an excellent and creative idea! I would love to even make traditional waffles and put the glaze on them. Do you think a yeast doughnut would work as well?

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  14. Is there something you could use to replace the honey? My 5 year old cannot have honey (only regular old sugar cane syrup allowed for him). I am trying desperately to find him a GOOD donut recipe.

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  15. This has got to be one of the best ideas I've seen in a long while. I can't wait to give these a try.

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  16. Laura, I'm not sure about a yeast doughnut? It isn't something I've tried yet, but let me know if you try it and how it works :)

    Chris, I'd try another liquid sweetener, like real maple syrup or agave. Best of luck!

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  17. These sound great, but they're WAFFLES, not doughnuts. Just because you use doughnut batter doesn't make them doughnuts. They're waffles. Doughnuts are fried. The end.

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    Replies
    1. omg. really?

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    2. If you are going to be snippy then at least have the decency to use your name, Anonymous. Laura, don't hesitate to remove this cranky comment!

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  18. These look amazing and you've made me totally hungry. If only I had vanilla bean paste in the house.....I may have to go out and get some this morning. Thanks!
    David

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  19. I seen this recipe and made them. I used white flour...1 cup and I used regular vanilla liquid. I must say they are really good. They could be used as a non-crunchy waffle w/syrup over. Thank you for posting.

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  20. Thank you, these were a hit! We didn't have vanilla paste but substituted a high quality vanilla extract for the time being.

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  21. Do you think almond milk with lemon juice could work in place of the buttermilk? No dairy for me :-(

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    1. I'm not sure? It would be worth a try, though! Let me know how it goes :)

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  23. My toddler and I are currently burning the roof of our mouths with these as we cannot wait for them to cool. Sooo good! I substituted coconut oil for butter, used maple sugar and skipped the glaze. Delicious!

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    1. I bet they're fantastic with the coconut oil! Great idea.

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  24. Can't wait to try! I'm wondering if you used a regular waffle iron or if you used a Belgium waffle iron?
    And it looks like you didn't load in the batter, but just used spoonfuls... so you didn't have one giant waffle but 4 little ones? Am I correct?

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    1. I used a Belgian waffle iron & just put tablespoons of batter in each quadrant to mimic mini doughnuts. Hope that helps!

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  25. I just finished making these and they are heaven!

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  26. THANK you for going with GF flour--I can actually try these amazing donuts!

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    1. You're welcome! I really love Jeanne's GF AP flour mix because it can be substituted for AP flour in nearly any recipe :)

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  27. Do you by chance know if I can keep the batter in the fridge overnight with it still being ok the next day or two from now? Thank you! This recipe sounds sooo delicious and I can't wait to try it!

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    1. I haven't tried keeping the batter in the fridge before and I'm not sure that I would recommend it--I'm afraid that the buttermilk in the batter will activate the baking powder & if left too long, the baking powder would no longer cause the waffle doughnuts to puff when "baked" on the griddle…. But, if you do decide to try it out, let me know how it works? :)

      You could "bake" them early, freeze them (unglazed) and then glaze and recrisp them in the oven before serving?

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  28. Oh my gosh! This is brilliant. I don't have a deep fryer or a doughnut pan, but I do have a new waffle maker. I need to try this soon!

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  29. Thank you!! I used to have a babysitter that made amazing cookies on her waffle iron. Thus is way better. My tummy thanks you!

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  30. I made these and I was disappointed. They tasted like waffles; nothing special about them at all. Sorry đŸ˜•

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  31. Love these with the glaze. I made my own buttermilk by splashing a little bit of white vinegar in the milk and allowing it to thicken. I have a cheap waffle maker from The Warehouse (NZ) and they turned out fine.

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  32. I used this recipe its great. I have a fussy husband and he ate them in no time.

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  33. Great recipe! I love trying different things on my waffle iron

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  34. this is really good waffle, I love waffle.

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  35. This is a really awesome. I knew that how to cook with the waffle but this is so awesome, You have made such a nice recipe with the waffle maker. I am going to try this at home or I will tell my wife to cook the recipe the you have made it. I just loved the pics that you have shared above.
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