Dirty Chai Donuts

Let's start with a little background information first, before we get to the recipe...

I think I landed here in a similar way to many stories. These days, many stories begin like this:

It was the year 2020, and COVD-19 shut down the entire planet!...

So, similarly, I begin my story in the same year. In January, the year was off to a good start. My friends threw a roaring '20s New Years Party. We got to dress up in our 1920's finest. I traveled overseas to my cousin's wedding. For my birthday, I got to see Moulin Rouge! on Broadway. My second Bdway show ever. And all the while, I had been working in the most fabulous restaurant in all of Manhattan.

I have a deep love and passion for photography. It is undeniable. Even more undeniable? My food obsession. Gratefully, I have truly satisfied my food obsession over the years, working in the restaurant industry. I pride myself in being a part of such an important and worldwide essential industry. Some may have some things to say about people with restaurant jobs-I've heard it all- but I am so happy to be a part of it. Plus, I have learned a thing or two about food. ;) And not just food. Ingredients, quality, flavor, cuisine, people skills, kitchen skills, knife skills, and so much about wine.

March 15, 2020. I will never forget the call from my boss telling me that work was cancelled. When it first began, we projected two weeks. So our restaurant closed for two weeks. Two weeks x 30 is how many weeks it's been.

Left and right, I watched some of my most favorite places to dine shut their doors for good. The restaurant industry is one that got hit the hardest. And I lost my job for the unforseeable future.

At first, it was scary. Of course, it was scary for a while. Living in NYC meant something else for a good period of time during the pandemic. We were in the eye of the storm, and the entire city became a complete stand still.

One day, after getting somewhat used to the daily routine of anxiety and uncertainty, I began...

I started small. Baking simple comfort foods to make my partner and I feel somewhat ok. From there, we both let cooking take us into another world. A world where we now had a unspecific amount of time before us to cook whatever we want. We made it a project and a challenge, and a time to educate ourselves. Our YouTube is almost half stocked with cooking videos, and many of the recipes we have now mastered, are a household staple.

I've always been more of a baker than a cook. I remember when I was very young, staying up late baking pies for Thanksgiving and the holidays. During the pandemic, I brought my baking back to life. It has felt so good. The best part of baking is the result... When it turns out just the way you want it. I mostly reserved my baking for special occasions. When would I have the time to do it other than then in BC (Before Covid) times?

My sister has been chronically ill for almost her entire adult life. She cannot eat many foods. Her challenge is finding a variety of foods that only contain the ingredients she is able to eat. The challenge she faces that makes me feel the most pain for her, is that she is food obsessed too! She loves everything about food and flavor as deeply (if not more in some ways), as I do. But she can't eat most of it! She can only look at delicious foods with a "Sighhh" It kills me. I can only imagine how she must be feeling.

The silver lining of the pandemic for me is that it got me to look closer, to listen. It gave me time to do so. It gave me time to listen to my sister's needs closely. I learned so many things about her illness, and what she struggles with everyday. I figured out what she can and can't eat, and why.

I also got time to listen to myself. What do I want? What fulfills me? What brings me joy? And what do I want to spend my days doing?

So here's where it all comes together...

I want to create all the foods my sister has been missing, into something she can eat. This means something like a donut, or a cupcake without dairy, eggs, gluten, almonds, refined sugar...I know I'm missing something... Vegan recipes minus sugar, are the golden ticket. I know so many others out there suffer from a multitude of health issues that prevents them from eating ingredients that appear in EVERYTHING these days. Or, in most things, at least.

These Dirty Chai Vegan, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Donuts are the answer to that coffee & donut run. Inspired by my favorite coffee drink, a Dirty Chai is warm spiced chai tea with espresso. The flavors of coffee and spices such as, cardamom, star anise, clove, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and turmeric blend together seamlessly. Your espresso gets that warm, spicy, creamy makeover it never asked for, but it ends up a complete win! The perfect milk to make your Dirty Chai latte is coconut milk. It is the perfect compliment to the chai flavors. As you can tell, I am a huge Dirty Chai fan.

I am also a die hard donut fan. Ask my sis. She will tell you how crazy I am for a donut. So, let's try blending my love for Donuts, Dirty Chai's, and my darling sister. Voila! I give you The Vegan, GF Dirty Chai Donut with Coconut Milk Icing!

The donuts are baked to perfection and then dipped in a coconut icing made from coconut powerdered sugar, coconut milk and vanilla. I garnish them with a little sprinkle of chai spices, coconut sugar, and ground espresso beans for and little tiny espresso punch here and there. And there you have it: Loves in my life, in a Donut.

Enjoy!

Vegan Dirty Chai Donuts with Coconut Milk Icing

Donuts:

1 3/4 cups Gluten-Free Flour (I use Bob Mills GF Baking Blend)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 ground star anise

1 cup dairy free butter, softened

1/2 cup brewed espresso

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coconut Milk Icing:

1 cup unrefined powdered sugar

1/4 cup full fat coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sprinkles:

7 espresso beans

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 6 donut Donut Pan with oil and set aside. (I use coconut) Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a medium bowl, set aside.

2. Cream the butter in mixer or by hand in large bowl until fluffy, add sugar and mix on high speed until super fluffy. If you are beating by hand, whisk vigorously until fluffy. Add applesauce in gradually, dividing amount in half, mixing in completely before adding the second half. Then add vanilla, mix until fully incorporated.

3. Add dry ingredients a little at a time untill fully incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl in between.

4. Add the espresso, a little at a time. Mix in fully until adding the next bit. Make sure espresso is thoroughly mixed in. Give the batter a few extra stirs to make sure it is mixed well.

5. Fill a pastry cone with the batter. This is the least messy, easiest way to get an even dose of dough into your donut pan. If you don't have one, try a ziplock bag with the tip cut off! Fill your greased donut pan evenly with batter 3/4 of the way full.

6. Bake your donuts at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Donuts should be golden brown. It should pass the toothpick test. Cool donuts for about 5-10 min until they can be removed safely from the pan. Be careful and diligent with your donuts so they don't break, but they should come out very easily.

7. Make the Coconut Milk Icing after your donuts have been baking for about 5-10 min. In a large bowl, add the coconut milk. Whip until smooth, and slowly start adding the powdered sugar until fully incorporated and whipped smooth. Add in vanilla and mix well. In a small bowl, mix the spices and sugar for the sprinkles. Use a mortar and pestal to grind espresso beans into very small, coarse pieces. (Nothing too big, or you might give your tooth a problem!) If you dont have a mortar and pestal, put espresso beans in between a cutting board and a napkin and crush with the wide blade of a knife. Mix ground espresso beans and spices together.

8. Once the donuts have completely cooled, dip the donut's top into the Coconut Milk Icing. Twist the donut gently back and forth as you lift it out for nice smooth finish.

9. Lightly sprinkle sugar, espresso, spice mix onto one side of the donut, or however you like. Just do-nut (;)) over do it!