I’m officially a fan of these silly food holidays. I’m also a huge fan of fresh peaches. And as we all know already, I’m a huge fan of baked goods. So, in honor of National Donut Day, I’m combining all of those things together to bring y’all Baked Peach Donuts.
Confession: I’m not the biggest fan of fried yeast donuts. They’re often quite heavy and verge more on dessert than a sweet breakfast treat. But every now and then, I get a craving and I have to get a big yeast donut. In those cases, I go for iced with sprinkles, because I’m 10 years old at heart. Though I won’t lie, I’d like to try making some fried yeast donuts at home, just so I can say I’ve done it. Otherwise, baked cake donuts are more my style.
Baked donuts are great because they’re not as oily or fatty, but still just as delicious. They’re more like cake than donuts, anyway. Special donut baking pans aren’t hard to find, but if you can’t get your hands on one, it’s easy to hack a regular muffin tin to make donuts. There’s a great tutorial (and recipe) on Bigger Bolder Baking on Youtube.
This time of year, my kitchen is teeming with all the fresh produce from the farmer’s market. I can never get enough fresh peaches. Fortunately, being close to peach country means we get some of the best ones up here. Last week, the Peach Truck made a stop in Chattanooga and visited the Sunday farmer’s market. I made sure I didn’t leave the market without a bag of peaches—or their new peach cookbook! But even if the Peach Truck isn’t there, there are plenty of fresh peaches for the taking.
I found this donut recipe from Better Homes & Gardens in my research,and used it as my inspiration and model for this baked peach donuts experiment. I of course adjusted a few things, knowing how juicy peaches are, and hoping to make them a bit healthier. Substituting applesauce and Greek yogurt for eggs and oil makes them a bit healthier and really moist. And don’t worry, you don’t really taste the applesauce!
With peaches in season now (or getting close to it), I’ll be making plenty more peach recipes as the summer goes on. Last year I made a delicious peach pound cake that will definitely be made again soon. And I’ve already made (and drank) a pitcher of peach iced tea. Pound cake is just my favorite thing. What other peach recipes would y’all like to see on the blog this summer?
And now, without any further ado… here is my recipe for Baked Peach Donuts!
This recipe makes 12-16 donuts. They’re best served warm, but you can store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week after.
Baked Peach Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (I did half AP, half whole wheat)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter, grated
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 2 whole peaches, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp almond extract
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a donut pan with non-stick spray.
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Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and grated butter in a medium bowl. Mix lightly until combined.
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Add applesauce, yogurt, milk, and almond extract to another bowl and mix well. Add peaches, and then combine with the dry ingredients. Mix until combined, but don't overmix!
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Carefully spoon the batter (it'll be quite thick) into the donut pan. Smooth out the tops with the back of the spoon.
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Bake for 17-20 minutes (depending on your oven), or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when you touch them. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
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Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Best if served warm!
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