Matcha Doughnuts with Almond Glaze

I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Even thought I eat pretty darn healthy most of the time, I definitely have a weak spot for baked goods. While I generally try to keep even my sweet indulgences in the reasonable category, every now and then I just want a doughnut! The thing about conventional doughnuts is that they’re about as bad as it gets.  You’ve got sugary fried dough all covered in sugary glaze, and if it’s a really good doughnut, it’s stuffed with more sugary stuff and topped with chocolate.

Fortunately, I’m pretty good about fooling myself when it comes to these things. What’s that mean? I’m a sucker for anything that looks like a legitimate doughnut. No need for frying and stuffing and layers upon layers of glaze. Cake doughnuts that are baked in the oven are good enough for me, as long as they resemble doughnuts. That’s why doughnut pans are awesome. When you make a batch of baked doughnuts you’re basically making tube-shaped muffins, but they make me happy.

These baked matcha doughnuts are an indulgence, but they’re considerably lighter than doughnuts you might pick up at a bakery. So they satisfy my sweet tooth, but I feel a lot better after polishing one off!

Since spring is right around the bend, I flavored this particular batch of baked doughnuts with what I consider to be springy flavors: green tea with an almond glaze. The matcha green tea has a mild earthy taste, and if you enjoy drinking green tea, you’ll probably enjoy eating it as well. It also gives these doughnuts a pretty bright green hue, so they look springy too. Matcha powder comes in different grades—be sure to use ceremonial grade for the brightest color and cleanest flavor.

Matcha Doughnuts with Almond Glaze

These baked doughnuts get a burst of color from matcha green tea, and are topped with a sweet almond glaze and a sprinkling of crunchy almonds.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 22 minutes
• Yield: 6

Ingredients

For the matcha doughnuts:

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or another granulated sugar)
• 1 tablespoon ceremonial grade matcha powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unflavored soy or almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (liquid state)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the almond glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon unflavored soy or almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For topping:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 6 cavity doughnut pan.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, matcha, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk, coconut oil, and vanilla. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until fully mixed and a thick batter forms.
3. Pipe or spoon the batter into the doughnut cavities. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
5. While the doughnuts cool, stir the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl, adding a bit more milk if the mixture needs thinning, or a bit more powdered sugar if it needs thickening.
6. When the doughnuts are cool, remove them from the pan and dip the top of each one into the glaze, then sprinkle with almonds. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest until the glaze sets.
7. Serve.