Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Delicious War: Doughnuts

Who doesn't like, no, love the aroma of freshly made doughnuts? Early in the morning when you swing through the drive-thru on your way to work, or as a special treat for yourself and the kids on a Sunday afternoon, I don't think there is a more enticing smell for the sweet teeth in all of us. Even the people that work at doughnut shops (and believe me, I know a few, and I was even a Timmies bitch myself for a summer!) love the delicious disks of slightly sweetened cake or biscuit when they're fresh, covered in glaze, frosting, or simply rolled in sugar!

The inevitable problem with these delightful snacks is, well, the fact that they aren't exactly all that good for you. Granted, they were not intended as an everyday breakfast item when they were first created in Holland (even then, their name translated to oily cakes!), rather, they were a festival and holy day food! However, since they have seemed to become that type of commodity these days, I'm sure that many waistbands have been loosened as a result of this ever-craved food. I did a bit of number crunching with two popular brands (the Canadian coffee Mecca Tim Hortons and the US favourite Krispy Kreme) to show you exactly what I mean by the not-so-fine status of the (in this case plain with glaze) doughnut.

For one doughnut:

Tim Hortons:
Calories: 270
Fat: 17g
Sat. Fat: 8g
Cholesterol: 10g
Fibre: 1g

Krispy Kreme
Calories: 200
Fat: 12g
Sat. Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 5g
Fibre: 1g

I was actually quite surprised that the Krispy Kremes were lower in calories and fat than the Timmies ones, but really, 200 calories is still nothing to sniff at.

Enter: the oven. Yes, I know, doughnuts are supposed to be fried, but why do we have to stay in that rut all the time? With the help of a little friend I call Aunt Jemima, I made these tangy sour-cream doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar. And, come to think of it, they smell even better than the fried kind because the oven smell permeates the whole house and leaves you watching the oven intently for the few minutes they do take! If I had had more time (and more doughnut-eaters) on my hands, I would have made these baked doughnuts from Heidi, but they are on my list with their own variations, without fail!

Since these are relatively quick to whip together, they are not that big a deal to mix up as an afternoon snack or a late breakfast on the run. Just remember, though... they are still essentially pastries and they are covered in sugar, so don't make it a habit, OK? If you are looking for more of an indulgence than my (semi-virtuous) doughnuts are offering, head on over to either Tartlette or Peabody's sites for their Time to Make the Doughnuts event, and look after Feb. 15th for a delicious doughnut roundup!

Sour Cream Baked Doughnuts
Makes: 10 servings (1 doughnut each)
2 cups buttermilk pancake mix (not complete)
3 tbsp brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup low-fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten until light and frothy
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Mix pancake mix, brown sugar and nutmeg until well blended.
  3. Stir in sour cream, vanilla and egg.
  4. Place dough on lightly floured surface; knead 1 minute.
  5. Roll dough to ½ inch thickness. Cut with floured 2” doughnut cutter.
  6. Repeat rolling and cutting with dough scraps until all of the dough is used.
  7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, flipping once.
  8. Mix remaining sugar and the cinnamon in shallow dish; set aside.
  9. Spray both sides of hot doughnuts with cooking spray (or brush with melted butter).
  10. Press lightly into sugar mixture; turn to evenly coat both sides.
Amount Per Doughnut
Calories: 138.7
Total Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 26.0 mg
Sodium: 184.9 mg
Total Carbs: 28.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g

And everyone, don't forget that tomorrow is Wear Red Day for Heart Disease awareness! Their goal for now is a 25% reduction in women's heart disease and stroke risk by the year 2010. 32% of all male deaths in Canada in 2002 were due to heart-related diseases and with women, the toll was even higher: 34%. Whether you volunteer your time, sponsor a jump roper or shop from either store, you will be doing your part to help leave these statistics in the dust!

5 comments :

  1. wow nice post knew u throw a doughnut up there sooner or later. great post hope the doughnut fanatics love you recipe

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  2. Way to make a healthier doughnut.
    Thanks for participating.

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  3. Sarah, sour cream donuts sound fab - and who woulda thought you could make a donut with only 2g of fat! Bravo!!!

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  4. They aound wonderful and so moist! Thank you so much for participating!

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  5. Made these this morning. Didn't have buttermilk anything, so used Bisquick and regular milk. They are fantastic. And I feel like I can eat 2 or 3 since they are baked. You know. Healthy. :) Thanks for the recipe!

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Thanks for the feedback!