I went a little overboard with the grapefruits last week. Shocker. I never go overboard with fruit.

(Why do I always feel compelled to point out my shortcomings?)

The grapefruit were so bittersweet and juicy, it really wasn’t a shame to have them fragrant on my counter. Hiding the smell of dog pee.

(Won’t you come over? The milk is safe to drink)

But I wanted to do something exciting with those lovely globes, other than greedily slurp them over the sink and later leave sticky fingerprints all over the kitchen. I also wanted to make a springy dessert. In case you forgot or didn’t get the memo about April arriving.

Lastly, my donut pan – the one with all the miles on it – it was all sad-face and pouting in the utensils drawer. I really wasn’t in the mood for a childish tantrum, so I was all, “FINE, I’ll make donuts for lunch.”

(Lunch? Really?)

Since I’ve been on a winning run of tweakdom with my Babycakes cookbooks, I thought I’d try to keep up the streak. Seriously, every single recipe from those cookbooks in which I don’t follow the directions – turns out great. When I follow the ingredients list, I’m better off saving a few precious hours of mixing, pouring, swearing and cleaning and just putting those ingredients straight into the trash.

(That’s me complaining, again. I think I’m genetically pre-disposed to such things.)

I knew by the look and smell of things that these donuts would be pretty decent but when I tasted one of these completed, all iced and sprinkled, my tastebuds said, “Slippity slap on the woogety woo!”

(Whatever that means.)

Let me just tell you, the tastebuds were happy, and so was I. Fresh off the conveyer belt of my kitchen, these donuts have both a delicate crumb and flavor, with an essence of citrus and ginger that’s just all around pleasant. You keep taking bite after bite, trying to decide what you like most about the donut.

The one bummer about these donuts is that they’re definitely best the day they’re made. The next day? The flavor is still there and just as pleasant, but the texture and weight of these donuts will resemble a horseshoe.

So, the day you make them – keep taking bites until you’ve made all gone. It won’t be that difficult.

Gingered Grapefruit Donuts
(Adapted from Babycakes Covers the Classics)

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup arrowroot
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon xanthan
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup agave syrup
6 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspooons grapefruit zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

Grapefruit Glaze:
1/4 teaspoon grapefruit zest
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1 – 2 tablespoon almond milk
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Various sprinkles for decorating

Preheat the oven to 325. Spray the wells of a donut pan with nonstick spray or brush with additional coconut oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, sorgum, potato starch, arrowroot, salt, baking soda, xanthan gum, baking powder.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut oil, agave, applesauce, vanilla, grapefruit zest and ginger.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Fill the wells of the prepared donut pan 2/3 full and bake for approximately 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan completely before gently removing them.

For the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, grapefruit zest, grated ginger. Stir in the grapfruit juice. Slowly stir in the almond milk, a little bit at a time, until your desired glaze consistency is achieved.

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. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Allow the glaze to harden before eating.

Have I ever mentioned to you that my body hates me?

No, really. It does. More accurately, my guts hate me.

Kinda the wrong way around, no?

You see, every once in awhile, my body just throws its hands up (likely, in exasperation) and says “Eff this! We are not playing like that anymore!” A whole host of foods normally in my diet just. Won’t. Agree. With me.

Farewell gluten, we’re over you.

Adios, dairy. You’re so last year

Chicken? Turkey? Hated it.

Sugar? Well, it’s always been rocky with you.

This whatever-you-want-to-call-it will last a few weeks and then poof. Gone. Buh bye. Bring back the pizza, with some froyo on top.

Whatever. I’m done trying to figure it out (actually, I can’t remember where I put my food journal), so I just go with it. It’s a good excuse to try out new vegan recipes and eat lots of raw kale salad. Which, incidentally, I just tried the other day and UM HELLO, that shiz is good.

Since Biscoff and cookie butter obsession has been making its way around the internet, I thought I’d try my hand at making a gluten free and vegan version. I even made my own gluten free and vegan Speculoos cookies to go into that gluten free and vegan cookie butter. Because I think I have too much time on my hands and I have something to prove to the dogs.

Huh?

Anyway, this is a cookie butter that’s kinder and gentler to your body and the earth. Thus, you’ll feel 12 times more virtuous eating this version. Which means that you can totally eat half the jar (like I did).

Just try to keep it out of your hair (like I didn’t).

Otherwise your dogs will be getting REALLY friendly with you.

(That’s right – like mine did.)

Gluten-Free and Vegan Cookie Butter

For the Speculoos:
(adapted from a recipe by Matzo and Rice)
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick Earth Balance
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar, firmly packed

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a medium bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until it holds together.

Transfer the cookie dough to a large sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper and form into a log. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake off the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the the cookie dough log from the refridgerator and slice into 1/2 inch rounds. Place the rounds onto a cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely before making the cookie butter.

For the Cookie Butter:

1 recipe of Gluten Free and Vegan Speculoos cookies (which yields approximately 3 1/2 cups of crushed cookies)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons cashew butter

Pulse the cookies in a food processor into fine crumbs. Add the coconut oil, brown sugar, and cashew butter and process for approximately 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until the mixture is fluffy and creamy. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.