Another day, another food holiday…out of all of the ridiculous food “holidays” out there, I’d have to say National Donut Day is probably the most legit. Why? Because: A.) Donuts are the BEST
B.) You have an excuse to eat one of the best foods ever created
C.) Lots of your favorite donuts places are giving out free donuts!

Oh, and my instagram feed has been blowing up over it all week. Nobody got this excited for National Burger Day, just sayin’. For my first official celebration of Donut Day, I chose to bake some at home. A donut pan was a wedding gift I gave to myself, since part of me was a little too embarrassed to register for it. I now realize how crazy I was being – everyone needs a donut pan! They are inexpensive, and if there is going to be a guilt-free way to eat donuts, it’s when you bake them. Plus, this recipe is a cinch to make.

For my next baked donut extravaganza, we will need to talk about the correct spelling…is it donut or doughnut? Doh!

Recipe
Churro Rum Baked Donuts
Makes about 18 donuts
By Baked Northwest

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cups milk (I used nonfat, but whole or any other milk would work)
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp dark Rum (such as Meyers)
• Baking spray

For the topping:

• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp dark rum (optional)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a donut pan well. If you have more than 1 donut pan, use them both! I had to do 3 batches in the oven because I only have 1 donut pan.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In another smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and rum. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until combined.

Spoon the batter into the baking pan, filling each one about three-quarters full. Careful here, if they are too full you will not have a hole in your donuts when they come out of the oven! Bake for 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

While donuts are baking, make the topping: Melt 8 tablespoons of butter in a small saute pan with the rum. Let the butter melt completely and get a little bit bubbly before turning off the heat. Stir well to make sure the rum is incorporated. Combine the cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl or a plate (whatever will be easy to dip your donuts into).

Remove donuts from oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes. You may want to use 2 wooden skewers to loosen the donuts around the edges, mine didn’t fall out of the pan, they had to be finessed a bit before removing. Remove donuts onto a wire rack with some wax paper or a baking sheet under it, to catch little bits of cinnamon sugar after we dip them!

Dip each donut into the butter, then into the cinnamon sugar mixture, I just dipped the tops, but you can certainly do both sides if you are feeling wild.