It’s pretty hard to improve upon the perfection that is a glazed doughnut. But add maple coconut bacon bits to the mix, and you’ve officially got our attention.
This recipe takes coconut flakes and tosses them with paprika, soy sauce and maple syrup, then bakes them into crispy bacon-like bits. Sprinkle the whole thing on rich, chocolate glazed, oven-baked doughnuts for a pastry that’s piping hot and the perfect mixture of salty and sweet.
Oh, and they’re also vegan–so you can eat double the doughnuts with none of the guilt.
Makes about 10 mini doughnuts
INGREDIENTS
Coconut Bacon
- 1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1/2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
Doughnuts
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup almond milk
Chocolate Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon almond milk (+ more if needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Topping
- A pinch or two of smoked sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Make the coconut bacon:
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the liquid smoke, tamari, maple syrup, water, paprika, and ground black pepper in a medium bowl. Add the coconut flakes and toss to coat. Transfer the coconut to the baking sheet and spread it out in an even layer.
- Bake the coconut for about 10 minutes, until it’s browned and crisp, stirring after 5 minutes. Coconut bacon goes from done to burnt really quickly, so you’ll want to keep a close eye on it after the 5 minute mark to make sure it doesn’t burn. Remove from oven and set aside.
Make the doughnuts:
- Increase the oven temperature to 350ºF. Lightly coat two 6-count mini-doughnut tins with coconut oil or an oil mister. (If you only have one tin, you can make the doughnuts in batches.)
- Whisk together the flaxseed and warm water in a small mixing bowl; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
- Once the flaxseed mixture has achieved a gel-like consistency, stir in the sugar, vanilla extract, coconut oil, and almond milk. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
- Spoon the batter into the doughnut tin or transfer it to a zip-top bag and pipe it in. You’ll want it to fill each doughnut cup 3/4 of the way up.
- Bake the doughnuts for 8-10 minutes, or until they’ve puffed up and spring back when gently poked. Let the doughnuts cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finishing cooling.
Make the glaze:
- Once the doughnuts have cooled to room temperature, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. You’ll want to make sure any lumps are broken up. Stir in 1 tablespoon of almond milk and the vanilla extract. Keep stirring until the sugar is fully incorporated. If the glaze is too thick, add additional almond milk 1 teaspoon at a time — you want the glaze to be on the thick side, though, so I’ve found 1 additional teaspoon is usually perfect.
Top the doughnuts:
- Use your hands to break up and crumble the coconut bacon and transfer it to a small plate. Place a baking sheet or paper towels under the cooling rack to catch any drips.
- Dip the tops of each doughnut in the glaze, then gently press the glazed doughnuts into the crumbled coconut bacon. Put the doughnuts back onto the cooling rack for the glaze to set — if there are some spots on the doughnuts that are bare, sprinkle a little additional bacon on those spots. If you’re using smoked salt, sprinkle a small amount onto the doughnuts while the glaze is still wet. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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