Need a little extra incentive to get out of bed now that the mornings are darker? Hearty, soft, and subtly sweet doughnut shaped muffins made with carrots, apples, raisins, pecans, oat bran and gluten free flour are topped with creamy whipped yogurt and cashew cream. If this doesn’t make you feel peppy (despite the time change) I don’t know what will.

Third time’s a charm. Or fourth, fifth, sixth… I lost count of how many batches of these muffin/doughnuts I made before I was happy with the results. It’s been about a year ago that I first tried this recipe in muffin form, after which I abandoned it until last month when I found my little piece of scratch paper with the recipe scribbled on it. My notes are always a mess… “omit” this, “add” that, ingredients crossed out, and others written sideways to squeeze it on the paper. My recipe “development” is a very unorganized process. When I decided to have at this recipe again, I reached for my doughnut pan. After all, muffins in the shape of donuts is a lot more fun. In fact, I was thisclose to naming them mo’funs (muffin+donut), but every once in a while I realize just how clever corny I really am, and I stop myself.

These muffin-doughnut hybrids make for the perfect breakfast on the go. They are brimming with fruits, veggies, nuts, and grains, and my yogurt-cashew whipped cream is just the icing on the cake. I kept these mo’funs as low in sugar as possible, while still being yummy and subtly sweet. They’re hearty and high in fiber, and will keep you full much longer than your typical sugar-laden doughnut, or muffin for that manner.

I used a couple of new ingredients to make these doughnuts as soft and light as possible; psyllium husk powder and potato starch. You can probably skip the psyllium husk if you can’t find it, but I’ve been playing with it lately in my gluten free baked goods, and even a very small amount seems to make a difference in the texture. I mixed up my own flour blend using potato starch to really lighten up the heavier oat bran and other grains, but you can use a store-bought gluten free flour mix instead. Adding a small amount of potato starch does wonders for making gluten free baked goods fluffier, and can balance out heavier flours like almond, buckwheat, and oat.

I hope you give these Carrot Raisin Apple Muffin-Doughnuts a try, and don’t forget to top generously with my vegan Yogurt-Cashew Whipped Cream.

Carrot Raisin Apple Muffin-Doughnuts

Dry

• 1/2 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour * (see notes for my blend)
• 1/2 cup Oat Bran
• 1 Tbsp golden ground flaxseed
• 1/2 tsp psyllium husk powder (ok to omit)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Wet

• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup shredded apple
• 4 medjool dates, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes then mashed very well with a fork (or you can use a heaping 1/4 cup of date paste)
• 2 Tbsp of almond milk
• 1 + 1/2 Tbsp of maple syrup (or coconut nectar, brown rice syrup, or sorghum syrup)
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
• 2 handfuls of raisins
• handful of chopped pecans or other nuts (can be omitted)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a doughnut pan (or muffin pan).
2. Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients, except the raisins and nuts. Scoop wet into dry and fold together, then fold in the raisins and pecans. The batter will be thick and not too wet, not as wet as muffin batter.
3. Spoon batter into oiled doughnut pan, making sure not to overfill. I had enough for 6 large doughnuts. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, checking after 12 minutes. A toothpick inserted will come out clean. Let rest in pan for five minutes before taking out and placing on a cooling rack, mine popped out of the pan easily. These taste best after cooling for about 15 – 20 minutes.
4. Top with whipped cream. Or jam, almond butter, coconut oil, applesauce, etc.

Notes:

*I’ve tried both a store-bought gluten free flour in this recipe, as well as my own custom blend, and while both work, I preferred my custom blend over the store bought mix. For the 1/2 cup of flour I combined: 1/4 cup buckwheat flour, 3 Tbsp Potato Starch, and 1 Tbsp almond meal.

The psyllium powder does boost the texture of the muffins/doughnuts. I found it in the bulk spice/herb section at my health food store, and got a little pouch for less than a dollar. I’ve also heard Trader Joe’s carries it, and some larger superstores. If you don’t have it, no worries, you could try adding an extra teaspoon of ground flax.