Miniature Lemon Donuts

I’m on a miniature baked goods kick.

A few months ago, I was on a curry kick, and I daresay the lingering smell of muffins and donuts stuck in my clothes and clinging to my kitchen cabinets smells infinitely better.

Sugar and butter always trumps garam masala, coriander, and tumeric in my book. Unless I can find a way to get those spices in a cookie.

Don’t encourage me.

So, these mini-donuts – how cute are they? They’re all dolled up with the sprinkles and the sugar and the coconuts. And the jazz hands (those aren’t pictured).

Oh, and they’re lemon. Bright, citrusy, sweet, and miniature. With sprinkles and jazz hands. Does it get any better?

In fact, it does. This is a reasonably light recipe, so a few of these won’t massacre your diet. Slipping a few of these onto each finger and dancing around the house to the BeeGees as you nibble through each donut covered finger may put a wrench in things, but I think the physical activity wins you a few points.

Just make sure your curtains are drawn when you do it. Because, you know, the neighbors (ahem, and their company) may not have an appreciation for your new workout.

Miniature Lemon Donuts

1 1/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon half and half
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 drops yellow food coloring

Sprinkles, decorating sugar, coconut, etc for toppings

For the donuts: Preheat the oven to 425.

In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, sugar, and buttermilk until well blended. Whisk in the butter, lemon zest, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Fill the donut wells until 2/3 full and bake 6 minutes. Allow the donuts to cool completely before glazing.

For the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla and food coloring. Whisk in the half and half slowly, until the glaze is well blended.

To finish the donuts, arrange a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Dip the top of the donuts in the glaze and set the donuts, glazed side up, on the cooling rack, allowing the excess glaze to drip down. Once the glaze has had a few minutes to set, decorate with sprinkles, coconut, sugar, etc as desired. Allow the glaze to harden before eating.