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robin's egg blue vanilla baked donuts cropped
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Robin’s Egg Vanilla Baked Donuts

Easy Vanilla Baked Donuts are transformed into a vision of spring with robin's egg glaze and speckles. A breakfast treat or great for Easter or Mother's Day brunch too!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Cooling and Glazing time 25 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes
Servings 12 donuts
Calories 278kcal
Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

For the Donuts

  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • cup vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar sifted if any lumps
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • Food coloring see notes

Instructions

Donuts

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two (6 cavity) non-stick donut pans with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder.
  • In separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, butter, egg, and vanilla extract.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined; do not overmix.
  • Divide the batter between the donut pans– filling each cavity halfway full. TIP: using a piping bag makes this quick and easy.
  • Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Remove the donuts from the oven and allow them to sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Glaze

  • In a medium size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk. The mixture should be thick, but able to coat the top of the donuts.
    If it is too thick, add another tablespoon of milk. If it is too thin, add ¼ cup of powdered sugar.
  • Add the food blue coloring (see notes) and mix to combine.
  • Dip the top of the donuts in the glaze, allow any excess to drip back into the bowl.
    Place them back on the wire rack to set. Allow the donuts to set for 10 minutes before adding the speckles.
  • To make the speckles, combine 1 tablespoon of water with 4 drops of black food coloring. Mix to combine.
  • Dip a clean pastry brush in the black mixture and flick it using the fore finger on the opposite hand to ruffle the bristles at the donuts to create speckles. NOTE: cover any exposed surfaces as this process is messy and the dye can discolor counter tops and clothing.
  • Allow the donuts to sit for another 10 minutes before serving.
  • Enjoy immediately or store in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator or room temperature for up to three days.

Notes

Food coloring
We used Americolor gel color Robin's Egg #187. Other options pastel blue or teal blue gel coloring from Wilton. Or mixing a few drops of blue with a drop of green food coloring (preferably pastel blue and pastel green if possible). 
Pro Tips
Use a disposable piping bag to add the batter to the donut pan. You can also cut a corner off of a gallon zipper top plastic bag and squeeze the batter through the end of the bag.
Practice speckles. Before trying speckling on the donuts, practice on a paper towel to get the hang of it. It helps to decide how far from the donut surface for the desired effect.
How to Store
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 3 days. Best eaten just after making them.

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 133IU | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg