Yield: about 1 Dozen
Doughnuts:
Cooking oil spray
4 cups flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
4 eggs
1½ cups coffee creamer
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Royal Icing:
3 egg whites
1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
You will also need:
Doughnut pan
2–4 colors of food coloring
Prepare the doughnuts: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a doughnut pan with cooking oil and set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and margarine. Add the eggs, coffee creamer, vanilla sugar, and cinnamon, and beat until smooth. (This can be done by hand, but it’s easier with a mixer.)
Pour batter into the pan, filling each cavity ¾ of the way.
Bake 8 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool and remove from the pan.
Prepare the royal icing: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel until ready to use.
TO CREATE THE TIE-DYE EFFECT:
Fill a shallow bowl with white royal icing.
Place three drops of each color of food coloring that you’re using. (I’ve tried this with 2, 3, and 4 different colors, and I prefer the way it looks with 2 colors.)
Use a toothpick or knife to slightly swirl the food coloring into the icing.
Working with one doughnut at a time, dip into the icing, twisting slightly as you lift it back up. Set aside to dry.
TIP: To fill the doughnut pan without making a mess, transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into the pan.