Gluten-free maple “bacon” doughnuts

My hubby? He loves doughnuts. I mentioned on Twitter a couple of weeks ago that he ate an entire test batch of these babies. It took me a few more trials to get them just right, but here I am now able to share them with you!

These little guys are a real treat: tender baked doughnuts topped with a layer of sweet maple glaze and sprinkled with homemade coconut bacon. A truly Canadian treat made gluten-free and vegan. They are an ode to my home country, and a tribute to the place that gave us hockey, peanut butter, Nanaimo bars, Trivial Pursuit and the Wonderbra, and the birthplace of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Ellen Page, Jim Carrey, and Ryan Gosling—oh, and me!

I should note that I tested several versions of these doughnuts and they have a much better texture with xantham gum, so be warned if you decide to skip it. You’ll also have lots of coconut bacon left over, so you can store it in a mason jar and sprinkle it on salads, sandwiches or eat on its own as a snack (they kind of remind me of Hostess Hickory Sticks, another Canadian favourite).

Enjoy!

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Gluten-free maple "bacon" doughnuts

Yield: 24 mini doughnuts

Ingredients:

For the doughnuts:

• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• Ener-G egg replacer for 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp maple extract

For the coconut bacon:

• 4 cups large flaked coconut
• 2 tbsp liquid smoke
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

For the maple glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp non-dairy milk
• 1/4 tsp maple extract

Directions:

1. To make the doughnuts, first preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk, coconut oil, apple sauce, egg replacer, and vanilla and maple extracts. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Divide the batter between 2 mini doughnut pans (for 24 doughnuts). I used a small spoon to scoop the batter into each tin and smooth out the top with a clean finger. Bake at 350F for 8 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a doughnut comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before carefully removing them from the pan.
5. To make the coconut bacon, first reduce oven heat to 325F and line a cookie pan with parchment paper.
6. Put the coconut flakes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the liquid smoke, maple syrup, tamari, water and smoked paprika. Pour into the bowl with the coconut flakes and stir until all the flakes are covered.
7. Spread the coconut flakes out onto the prepared cookie pan. Bake at 325F for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring with a spatula ever 5 minutes or so (this is important so it cooks evenly and doesn't burn). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
8. To make the maple glaze, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
9. To assemble, take a mini doughnut and dip the top into the glaze and allow excess to drip off. Lay the glazed doughnut on a cooling rack or plate. Top with coconut bacon just before serving.

• The doughnut recipe is a finicky one, so I don't suggest making substitutions. If you don't have maple extract though, you can leave it out.

Coconut bacon adapted from Amber's delicious recipe.