Baked buttermilk donuts with lemon glaze

Do you spell sugary, round breakfast treats as "donuts" or "doughnuts"? I could go either way, but I prefer donuts. I grew up in the Mid-Atlantic area, and Dunkin Donuts franchises were everywhere. I guess I got used to seeing this spelling so that is what I'm going with.

I had seen donut recipes popping up everywhere in my Google Reader. Many of the blogs that I followed featured beautiful photographs of this light and airy breakfast treat. I debated heavily whether or not to buy a donut pan and decided against it... until recently. One evening, I was strolling Home Goods to look for some mirrors and wall decorations for the new house. I was pushing our dear Addison in the shopping cart when I noticed her grabbing something. She had grabbed the donut pan (that's my girl!!). Of course I had to have it. And it was only $8.

For the rest of the night, Addison kept saying that she wanted donuts. "Addie want the donut! Addie want the donut!" I was able to wrestle the donut pan away and distract her while I thought about what recipe to try first. I eventually ended up on Prevention RD and knew that this baked buttermilk donut would be a great first recipe to make. We rarely eat donuts in our house (except for the one or two a year that we get at the local farmer's market on Saturday mornings), so I wanted my first foray into donut making to be a bit healthier. Nicole at Prevention RD is a registered dietician, so I knew that her recipe would be healthier than most.

These were phenomenal! I had a bite a few minutes after decorating them, and I liked the tang from the buttermilk and lemon glaze. The texture was very cake-like, and I felt good that the donuts weren't fried. Now that I have a donut pan, I think I'll be making various donut flavors in the near future! (P.S. Addison loved the donuts.)

Ingredients

• nonstick cooking spray
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously spray the donut pan with the nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, honey, oil and vanilla together. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Spoon or pipe the batter into the donut pan until it is about half full. Bake for 7-8 minutes and let the donuts cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Dip one side of the doughnuts into the glaze and enjoy.

These are best served hot but will keep in an airtight container for a few days - if they're not eaten up already!

Yield: About 18 donuts

Source: Prevention RD; who adapted it from The Imitation Chef and originally found on Health.com