In the past, I never really understood why anyone would bake fruit into a donut. I mean, the point of a donut is to be zero parts healthy and all parts delicious, correct? I thought that fruit belonged in muffins, with the exception of fruit flavored, pudding-filled donuts.

My point is this: I was an idiot. Do you know how good fresh fruit is in donuts? So good!

I love these Baked Blueberry Donuts because the glaze topping can be adjusted to fit the size of your sweet tooth. A drop or two is perfect for some, a heavier drizzle pleases others, and then there are those of you who, like me, want to fully submerge the donut into the glaze to cover it completely.

Baked Blueberry Donuts

Makes 12-18 donuts, depending on pan size

Donut recipe adapted from Eat Good 4 Life

Glaze recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

 Donut Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegan refined sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup vanilla almond milk plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Blueberry Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, thawed but not drained
• 1 1/2 cup vegan confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla almond milk

Preparation:

1. To make the donuts, start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and coating your donut pan with oil or cooking spray (I used grape seed oil).
2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, applesauce, almond milk, grape seed oil and vanilla.
3. Gradually add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir until fully combined.
4. Gently fold in the blueberries.
5. Spoon the batter into a donut pan, filling each hole about 3/4 of the way.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops of the donuts begin to brown.
7. Remove the donuts from the oven and allow them to cool before removing them from the pan.
8. Once the donuts are cool, it’s time to make the glaze. Place the thawed blueberries in a large bowl and crush them with a spoon.
9. Remove and discard the skins but keep the juice.
10. Add in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and almond milk and stir until the ingredients combine to form a pretty purplish glaze.
11. Drizzle, pour or brush the glaze over the donuts and devour.