the donut recipe you didn't see coming

As connoisseurs of all things chocolate, we’re always on the hunt for fresh, original recipes that inspire us to take our passion for healthy baking to the next level. We know it’s no small task to beat a warm, home-baked chocolate chip cookie, fresh from the oven. But here at ESC, we crave for more than just the tried and true classics. We like to mix things up, make things better, maybe even try a recipe that’s totally outside our comfort zone. The way we see it, your kitchen is a canvas for creativity. It’s the perfect place for taking risks. Not only is it healthy and rewarding to explore beyond your repertoire. It’s also a proven path to becoming a better baker. Believe us. After years of crafting a wide variety of milk chocolate and dark chocolate treats, we thought we had reached the pinnacle of pure, cocoa-forward greatness. Then we discovered oat milk: a dairy alternative that was just starting to pop up in vegan cookbooks and health-minded food markets. We spotted it on the fringes and decided to give it a go. Using real oats, authentic cacao, and zero artificial sweeteners, we got busy crafting our first batch of oat milk chocolate—and it absolutely blew our minds. It delivered the smooth, sweet, creamy taste we all crave from milk chocolate, with no added lactose or sweeteners. This delicious discovery opened up a whole new world of possibilities for healthier baking, inspiring us to reinvent the crave-worthy classics everybody loves, while putting even more chocolate chip inspiration on our radar. One recipe worth bookmarking: Dana Garvey’s Vegan Chocolate Chip Donuts. This riff on a traditionally deep-fried treat is a shining example of recipe reinvention, healthy “hacks,” and amazing creativity in the kitchen. With our oat milk chocolate baking chips center stage, it’s a recipe too good to resist. Bake it to believe it. Vegan Chocolate Chip Doughnuts By Diane Garvey @TheBeetDrop *makes 6 baked doughnuts Ingredients

• 1 cup flour (I like to use white, unbleached)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup plant milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon apple sauce
• 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter (I have tested both Earth Balance & Country Crock Plant Butter and they both work well)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup Endangered Species Chocolate oat milk chocolate chips

Directions Preheat oven to 350° F. Oil your doughnut pan (be sure to get all sides) and set aside.

1. Mix together milk and apple cider vinegar in small bowl and set aside to thicken (this is homemade vegan buttermilk)
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside (I like to sift this mixture or use a which to make sure it is all very well combined)
3. Put melted butter in a medium size bowl. Add in vanilla, applesauce, and milk mixture. Whisk together well.
4. Mix wet ingredients into dry, gently folding batter until just combined. Don’t over mix! Overmixing can cause doughnuts to be tough or dense.
5. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
6. Fill doughnut pan with batter. I like using a small ice cream scoop for this, but you could also use pastry bag, or spoon. The pan should be filled up almost to the top. Once filled, wipe any extra batter off the center or edges of the doughnut mold.
7. Bake in a 350° F. oven on the middle rack for 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. The edges should be turning golden.
8. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Then gently run a toothpick around the edges of the pan to be sure the doughnuts are loose. Flip pan over onto rack to let doughnuts finish cooling.
9. Let cool completely before icing doughnuts

Icings Chocolate Icing

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 teaspoons milk

1. Sift powdered sugar and cocoa together in a bowl
2. Add vanilla and 2 teaspoons of milk. Whisk together well. Add more milk (a tiny splash at a time) if needed to achieve desired consistency.

Vanilla Icing

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-3 teaspoons milk

1. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl
2. Add vanilla and 1 teaspoon of milk. Whisk together well. Add more milk (a tiny splash at a time) if needed to achieve desired consistency.

Enjoy!