I absolutely love these Toasted Coconut Doughnuts. To quote a friend "they make my mouth sing." And when my husband tasted them he immediately said that I needed to make some more. They're moist and tender the way a cake doughnut should be and the coconut flavor explodes in your mouth. These doughnuts are a great and easy treat to make for breakfast or a quick treat for friends and family.
Fried doughnuts are my first love, but baked doughnuts are a great alternative. The batter is made within minutes, and it only takes 10-12 minutes to bake a pan of doughnuts. Plus it's easy to experiment with different flavors. Did someone mention blueberry doughnuts?
How to Make Toasted Coconut Doughnuts from Scratch
The first baked doughnuts I made were Strawberry Lemon Doughnuts. They turned out to be one of the most popular posts on the site. Now that spring is here the next flavor that came to mind was coconut. I think I associate coconut with spring because my mom taught me how to make a coconut bunny cake for Easter. Plus her birthday is in April and coconut is her favorite flavor and every year I make her a coconut cake for her birthday.
Making baked doughnuts is easy. The ingredient list is short - 7 ingredients:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Coconut Oil
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Coconut Milk or Whole Milk
- Egg
If you don't have coconut oil then use vegetable oil or 4 tablespoons of melted butter. The toppings can be as simple or fanciful as you want. The dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, and salt are combined into one bowl. In another bowl combine the egg, sugar, coconut milk and melted coconut oil. Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved. I add the sugar to the wet ingredients to help dissolve the sugar.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine with a spatula just until there are no more white bits of flour. Don't overmix the batter or the doughnuts will be rubbery and tough. The batter will be lumpy, which is fine.
Place the batter in an 18-inch pastry bag, cut off the tip of the pastry bag and fill the wells of the doughnut pans. Bake the doughnuts for 10-12 minutes until the doughnut springs back with lightly pressed. The top of the doughnuts will be a light golden color. Remove the doughnuts from the oven and immediately invert them onto a cooling rack. Allow the doughnuts to cool before adding the glaze.
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How to Toast Sweetened Coconut
Shredded sweetened coconut is better than unsweetened coconut because it is moist, so even after toasting it, it won't be too dry. Toasting sweetened coconut is easy to do, but don't walk away as it can easily go from a golden brown to a burnt look and taste. Spread the shredded coconut into a single level on a sheet pan. After the first 5 minutes, remove the coconut from the oven and stir it, then toast it for another 2-3 minutes. The coconut in this recipe was toasted at 400°F. If toasting at 350°F toast for 10-12 minutes, stirring after the first 5 minutes.
How to Make the Pineapple Coconut Glaze
For this glaze, I reduced 1/2 cup of pineapple juice to 2 tablespoons and added that and 1 tablespoon of coconut milk to powdered sugar. Add more coconut milk if you want a thinner glaze.
To glaze the doughnuts, place the glaze in a narrow and deep container, but still wide enough to fit the doughnut. Hold the doughnut and dip it into the glaze until the glaze comes halfway up the side of the doughnut. Place the doughnut on a rack or parchment paper. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
How to Keep Baked Doughnuts Fresh
The baked doughnuts will keep for 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container or in the refrigerator for 1 week in a container. Allow the doughnuts to come to room temperature before dipping into the glaze.
Make these doughnuts. They're amazing, taste great and simple to make. Please leave a comment on the blog if you make them and if you post a picture on Instagram, tag me @bakesbybrownsugar.
Recommended Equipment: Wilton Non-Stick 6 Cavity Donut Pan
Toasted Coconut Doughnuts
Ingredients
Coconut Doughnuts
- 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup (63 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 (50 grams) large egg room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) coconut oil, melted
Pineapple Coconut Glaze
- 1 cup (115 grams) powdered sugar sifted to remove lumps
- 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice reduced to 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon coconut milk
Toasted Coconut Topping
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the sweetened coconut on a 1/4 sheet pan and toast until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
For the Pineapple Juice
- Place the pineapple juice in small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and reduce the juice to 2 tablespoons. Allow to cool and reserve for the doughnut glaze.
For the Coconut Doughnuts
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Melt the coconut oil and set aside
- Place the sugar, milk and the egg and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the melted coconut oil (which should be cooled but still liquid) to the liquid ingredients in a steady stream and whisk constantly while adding it.
- Add the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold the ingredients until no bits of flour remain. The batter will be a little lumpy, but that is okay.
- Spoon the batter into an 18-inch pastry bag. Twist the top to close it and cut an 1/2-inch opening in the other end. Pipe the batter into the 6 doughnut wells of the doughnut pan.
- Bake the doughnuts for 10-12 minutes. Rotating the pan halfway through the baking. The doughnuts are done when the you press them with your finger, and they spring back. Turn the doughnuts out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- If doubling the recipe repeat the baking steps with the remaining batter, allowing the pan to cool completely and spraying with nonstick spray in between batches.
- While the doughnuts are cooling combine the powdered sugar, pineapple juice and coconut milk and stir together until no powdered sugar lumps remain.
- Dip the doughnuts into the glaze and swirl to coat the tops and halfway down the sides. Place on a rack or parchment paper. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
sallybr says
They look amazing.... I am trying to figure out what to bake for the homeless meal on Friday, and these are a very nice possibility - I made baked donuts last week, but these are so different.... I bet they would not mind a "theme-repeat"
Cheryl Norris says
Hey Sally
Thank you for the compliment. And thank you for baking for those in need, that is a generous gift of your time and talent. As for donuts 2 weeks in a row, I don't think you can have too many donuts.
Marilyn powell says
I made the donuts the same day I got the recipe! Wow!, they were so easy, didnโt take long to make and to bake, especially good! I will be making them often! Super!,
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Marilyn
Thank you for leaving a comment. I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe. I wanted to present a recipe that was tasty and easy, so I'm happy to hear that this recipe worked so well for you.
Jill Phillips says
I have made this several times for my family and it is a big hit every time!!! It is super easy to make!!! Brilliant!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Jill
Thank you so much for visiting the blog and making these doughnuts. I'm so glad to read that you and your family enjoy them so much.๐