Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Doughnuts.

Oh yeah. Vegetables in doughnuts!

I’m coming at you with a little bonus post today to share one of my closest friends’ new book. Ashley is one of the first invisible internet friends I met in person way back in the day (like over 3 years ago!) and is one of my closest pals.

I even changed my coveted “donut” spelling for her real (and oh-so very correct one) in this post, which means you know I have major love for her.

So funny stuff.

Ashley happens to eat a gluten free, vegetarian… and well, close to vegan diet. I… do not. There is no secret there. BUT. The minute I tasted these gluten free peanut butter cup doughnuts a few years ago, I was hooked.

Do you have any idea how hooked I was?

Well. I never used to like doughnuts. Like EVER. They were completely unappealing to me. That’s the reason you always hear me mention my “recent doughnut obsession.” I didn’t loathe them, but they just weren’t my drug of choice. Pastries (I totally just typed pasties) aren’t generally my thing. Very weird and unexpected, I know.

Ashley brought those freaking peanut butter cup doughnuts to my house a few years ago and it was over. OVER OVER OVER. Ever since then, I want all of the doughnuts to ever exist in the universe.

I could seriously eat a doughnut every single day. They have become one of my go-to cravings, one of my favorite things.

AND! I’ve made the peanut butter cup doughnuts countless times for dessert and people lose their minds. They are so delicious that Ashley wrote an entire book on gluten-free baked doughnuts. They are THAT good!

I’m pretty sure you know my stance on doughnuts that are fried versus baked, but the truth is that I don’t discriminate. Like, at all. Baked doughnuts are easier for me to make at home. When I like to create a new doughnut for my own recipe arsenal and have lots of time for development, I’m going to fry it. When I want to make a quick dessert for a group (or, um, MYSELF) that I know can hold up for a few hours or even a day or so, I bake it.

Simple as that.

Now let me tell you about THESE ones. These…vegetable ones.

So I made these doughnuts over the weekend and again… my very non-gluten free, used-to-regular-old-fried-doughnuts family went NUTS. They are such a fabulous and seasonally appropriate treat. And you know me: texture! So much texture here. I die.

The other big thing happens to be my very strong feelings on nuts in baked goods. As in, when it comes to cookies and brownies, if you want nuts in yours, I’m not sure that I trust you. Sorta kinda maybe.

I was a little hesitant that I would fear the pecans here, but oh my gosh… I so didn’t. There aren’t actual nut chunks (…giggling like a six year old) in the doughnuts, just in the sugary, crunchy top. It’s some serious perfection.

FUN STUFF: I’m giving away a copy of Ashley’s book, Baked Doughnuts For Everyone,  so you can all partake in my doughnut obsession. If you’d like to win a copy, just leave a comment below. A comment about anything! (GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED.) Maybe a comment about vegetable doughnuts. They win today.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Doughnuts with Roasted Pecan Crunch

Yield: 10 to 12 doughnuts

Total Time: 1 hour hr

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/4 cup pecan meal, pecans finely ground
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/3 cup sweet potato puree
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• roasted pecan crunch topping

roasted pecan crunch topping

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup coarsely ground roasted pecans

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray your doughnut pan liberally with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, rice flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sweet potato, maple syrup, applesauce, oil and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing only until they are just combined. Do not overmix!
• Spoon the batter into the doughnut pan, filling just below the top of each mold. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the doughnuts are lightly golden brown around the edges. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the doughnuts and let cool completely before topping.

roasted pecan crunch topping

• Stir together the syrup and butter in a bowl. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon and pecans.
• Brush the syrup on the cooled doughnuts and sprinkle the pecan mixture over top. Drizzle the doughnuts with the remaining syrup over top to help the pecans stick. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?

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I appreciate you so much!

[this giveaway is sponsored by ashley’s publisher. winner will be chosen at random and notified on friday!]