How to Bake with Out Oil Using a Mini Donut Maker Machine

My daughter snapped up six Bella mini donut machines at a Black Friday sale last week thinking they would make awesome gifts for some of her friends. These colorful do-it-yourself donut machines are cute, easy to use, and seemed like a fun sort of novelty kitchen appliance to bring out at parties. She even bought one for me, and the two of us spent the better part of the weekend experimenting with donut recipes.

While there's no arguing that a mini donut maker is easy to use and in theory, "healthier" than deep fat frying donuts the old fashioned way, these donuts aren't at all a low calorie alternative if you use the recipes included in the manual. The basic recipe calls for four tablespoons of oil to be added to the batter which makes these home baked goodies both higher in calories and higher in fat than your favorite variety of Hostess Donettes.

If your family is calorie conscious like our family, there is an oil free alternative to making tasty mini donuts at home using a mini donut machine. It starts by using a low fat cooking spray to coat the plates instead of slathering it with oil. Another way to lower the fat content is by substituting recipes for ones that contain little or no oil. Oil free recipes for cakes and muffins work well in a mini donut machine, producing delicious cake like donuts without the fat.

If you can't find a recipe that will work, the 1928 edition of "Anyone can Bake," published by the Royal Baking Powder Company of New Year has a great old fashioned donut recipe your family will enjoy. This recipe makes 6 batches of cake-like mini donuts:

2 eggs
7/8 cup of milk (more or less)
3 cups of flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl, set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until light. Stir in milk.
3. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, stir until blended into a soft dough.
4. Spoon by level tablespoon full into individual molds, following the instructions for your mini donut maker.