Roses are red.
This much is true.
Donuts are delicious,
So I combined them for you!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Or should I say Happy “Galentine’s Day”…

For those of you unfamiliar with NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Galentine’s Day, made up by the show’s star Leslie Knope, is celebrated on February 13th and is a day dedicated to celebrating your girlfriends.

“Ladies celebrating ladies.”

Can we all agree this should be an actual holiday?

I for one am all about honoring the important women in my life.

So this blog post goes out to all my gal pals, Happy Galentine’s Day y’all!

Whether you are celebrating Galentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day (or both), there is no better way to celebrate than with some tasty treats! After all, who doesn’t love a holiday that revolves around sugar and sweets?

If you don’t know what to give, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

To say I like gift giving would be an understatement. I like like gift-giving. From the shopping, to the personalization, to the wrapping. I love every minute of it. Perhaps that’s why I get so excited about holidays. They allow me to indulge in my gift-giving obsession. If I could be a professional gift-giver I would in a heartbeat.

So if you ever need some gift-giving advice or someone to do it for you entirely I’m your girl (I’m only kind of joking).

One of my favorite things to give people are homemade goodies, actually I step it up a notch and give them their very own recipe. I love creating recipes specifically tailored for people in my life. This is one such recipe.

I developed this donut recipe for my best friend, Zara.

Zara is truly my soul sister. Although we appear to be complete opposites (she has gorgeous olive skin, dark features, and stands a solid foot shorter than me), we are astonishingly alike. We have the same taste in fashion, movies, and of course food.

A couple years ago Zara introduced me to rosewater, which quickly became a staple in my home. Not only does it makes the most delicious summer drink, it is fabulous in baking! So when I went to develop a recipe for Zara I knew I needed to incorporate this Middle Eastern favorite.

Plus it allowed me to incorporate her favorite color, pink. Zara loves pink. I kid you not, her room in high school was the pinkest pink I have ever seen. Zara is arabic for Princess so I guess her affinity for the color is only fitting.

What I came up with were the most delicious vanilla bean donuts with rose water frosting and coconut flakes.

These donuts are baked not fried, and super easy to make! The specks of vanilla bean make them look just as beautiful as they taste!

The key to making baked donuts is not to over mix the batter. This will lead to chewy, tough donuts. Remember: light mixing leads to light donuts!

These babies are cloaked in a shiny, pink layer of rose water frosting, fit for a Princess! Sweet, creamy, and finger-licking good.

The slight crunch of the coconut flakes is truly the perfect final touch.

After I perfected the recipe, I had Zara over for some baking and girl time! We spent the afternoon in the kitchen laughing and having a ball. We finished the day off with a mini photoshoot and indulged in some yummy donuts.

It was the sweetest day with the sweetest girl.

These donuts are perfect for gifting or saving all for yourself. They would also be an excellent addition to your V-Day party.

Whether you make these donuts for Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day,

Treat yo’ self.

Baked Vanilla Bean Rose Donuts

Fluffy, baked vanilla bean donuts dunked in delicate rose water frosting and topped with crunchy coconut flakes.

*Yields Makes approximately a dozen donuts

2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons oil
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a non-stick donut pan.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Melt butter in a small bowl. Stir in vanilla until uniform in color. Then stir in oil.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat sugar, buttermilk, sour cream and eggs until smooth. Add in butter mixture and continue mixing until fully combined.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The batter should be very thick.

6. Use a piping bag to fill donut cavities 2/3 of the way full.

7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove donuts from pan immediately. Let cool completely before frosting.

Rosewater Frosting

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon rosewater
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, cold
1-3 drops pink food coloring
Coconut flakes for topping

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon attachment, whisk butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and corn syrup until smooth.

2. Add rosewater and milk until reaches desired consistency.