Cinnamon Sugar Baked Doughnuts

Who doesn't love doughnuts...but most of our waistlines don't love them as much as our tastebuds! These hit the spot to fulfill that tasty craving without breaking your calorie bank.

To make these more doughnut authentic, I went out a bought a Wilton mini-bundt pan at Walmart. It gave the doughnut the hole in the middle, and since we eat with our eyes first, I wanted it to look like I was eating a doughnut. However, if you don't have one, you could probably make these in a muffin pan (you'd really end up with more of a French Puff Muffin).

These baked cake doughnuts are rolled in a delicious cinnamon-sugar coating to echo the cinnamon and nutmeg that is in the batter. But you could really make a nice glaze to dip these in or roll them in powdered sugar. I am planning on modifying these to produce a pumpkin doughnut some time soon. This recipe will make 12 mini doughnuts (which I thought were a great size) or 6 regular sized doughnuts.

Pair this up with a cup of coffee and a piece of fruit, and you have a delicious breakfast that is a healthier indulgence.

Cinnamon Sugar Baked Doughnuts
From King Arthur Flour
Yield: 12 mini doughnuts for 3 POINTS+
or 6 regular doughnuts for 6 POINTS+


1 cup (4 ounces) Round Table Unbleached Pastry Flour or 7/8 cup (4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons dried buttermilk powder (or use 2 tablespoons buttermilk or yogurt in place of the 2 tablespoons water)
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl, set aside.

In separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil, and water/buttermilk/yogurt until foamy.

Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.

Spray a mini bundt pan or doughnut pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fill each section half full with batter.

Bake mini doughnuts for about 7 minutes or regular sized doughnuts for 10-12 minutes. (Be careful to not over bake, because these are low fat, they can dry out easily). When done they will spring back when touched and be browned on top, or a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove doughnuts from pan and roll in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Enjoy!!

Chili...the best I've ever made

Chili is one of my all time favorite fall and winter meals. It makes a warm and comforting supper and rolls over nicely to make delicious and filling lunches for days to come. I've never actually followed a recipe for chili and so it always turned out differently. Some batches were good and others were not. What I wanted was one recipe that I could use to consistently make good chili. I was sick of winging it and have my craving for warm comfort unsatisfied because my pot of chili turned out to be a flop. So, I did my research. I wanted a hearty and meaty chili that wasn't overly spicy and wasn't too watery.

I found my inspiration over at Brown Eyed Baker. One of her chili recipes fit the bill perfectly and I made one small modification to better suit our tastes. This is a great recipe. It is thick and hearty and has amazing flavor. You can adjust the spices to suit your own tastes. Serve this up with some shredded cheddar cheese on top and a slice of cornbread and you are in business. As the weather continues to cool down and the snow begins to fly, I know this recipe will be gracing our table frequently.

Chili
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Yields: 11 cups
1 cup = 6 POINTS+

2 lbs. lean ground beef (93/7)
1 - 29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 15 oz. can Bush's Chili Beans with Sauce (I used mild)
2 - 15 oz. cans Pinto beans, undrained
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 bay leaves
2 c. water

In a large pot, brown beef and break into crumbles over medium heat. Drain off fat.

To beef, add all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over low to medium low heat.

Simmer partially covered for 2-3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.

I should make a note that I'll be making some healthy changes to my food blog. Don't get me wrong, I'll still post yummy cakes and cookies...but all my recipes from here on out will include Weight Watchers POINTS values and serving size. I'll also start making updates to previous posts to include the Weight Watchers POINTS values. We still live Simply Delicious Lives without added calories and fat. I've been doing Weight Watchers the Simply Delicious Living way for about 7 weeks now without feeling deprived at all and I'm 13 pounds lighter already!