These baked chewy donuts are delicious and a healthier alternative to deep fried donuts! The texture is unique and is sure to be a hit among friends and family. 

A while back I posted a recipe for baked mochi donuts, and received great feedback. I even got to see people’s recreations when they tagged me in their posts! I wanted to make donuts that were fry-less with an Asian twist, and ended up with beautiful and chewy donuts that are certainly different from conventional donuts. Because the donuts are made with sweet rice flour instead of all-purpose flour, the donuts are gluten-free, making it suitable for anyone who has a gluten intolerance. The donuts are also dairy-free as they are made with coconut milk. Today’s recipe is for the same mochi donuts, but with a different glaze: marbled butterly pea.

What is butterfly pea powder?

Butterfly pea powder is made from the blue, butterfly pea flower that is grown in Southeast Asia. It has an earthy taste like matcha green tea powder. It is one of my favorite natural food dyes because not only does it yield a beautiful sky blue color, it also turns purple when an acid is added and back to blue when a base is added. Because of the color-changing properties, it is commonly used to make color-changing drinks. I first found out about this ingredient when I was scanning through the tea section at Whole Foods. The blue powder instantly caught my eye and I knew I had to buy it. Prices vary for the powder and good-quality options include Suncore Foods and Ancient Choice butterfly pea powders. The average price is $5/oz; a bit expensive, but a little goes a long way and I’ve been using my pack for a long time.

What is sweet rice flour?

Sweet rice flour is high in starch and made from short-grain glutinous rice. It is commonly used in East and Southeast Asian cuisines to make desserts and entrees. Sweet rice flour should not be confused with other flours such as glutinous rice flour or tapioca starch. The most common sweet rice flour is Koda Farms, which can commonly be found in the International aisle and Asian grocery stores. Bob’s Red Mill also sells sweet rice flour.

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Baked Mochi Donuts (GF)

yield: 9 medium, 6 large donuts

total cook time: 45 min.

Ingredients:

• 175 g. or 1.15 c. sweet rice flour (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill or Koda Farms)
• 90 g. or 2/3 c. unpacked brown sugar
• 4 g. or 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 g. or ~ 1/4 tsp. salt
• 28 g. or 2 tbsp. melted coconut oil, room temperature
• 56 g. or 1 large egg, room temperature
• 192 g. or 6.5 oz. full-fat coconut milk, room temperature
• 2 g. or 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For glaze:

• 120 g. or 1 c. powdered sugar
• 15 g. or 1 tbsp. water
• 5 g. or 1 tsp. butterfly pea flower tea

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the sweet rice flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the coconut oil, egg, coconut milk, and vanilla extract together.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until batter is smooth.
5. Grease a donut pan and pour the batter in about 3/4 full.
6. Bake the donuts at 350 F for 30-35 min.
7. Remove from the oven and remove donuts from the pan to cool on a cooling rack.
8. To make each glaze, whisk together powder sugar and water. Use a toothpick to drop specks of butterfly pea tea into the glaze and create a swirly marble pattern with the toothpick. Dip the donut in the glaze and turn the donut 45 degrees. Remove the donut from the glaze and place on a baking rack. Repeat for the remaining donuts.

*Nutrition facts are estimates.

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