unsalted butter, melted – Page 3

Caramel Apple Blossoms

Posted on October 3, 2022February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Whether you call them apple blossoms, apple dumplings, apple roses or mini apple pies, these are cute, delicious little apple pastries. I made them because I was craving apple pie, but I didn’t have enough apples to bake one. I didn’t invent them, and I don’t know who did, but I’ve had frozen ones and I’ve seen them on restaurant menus. I thought it would be fun to make them, and it was! I could’ve just put some pie dough in muffin cups and made quick little pies, but flower shaped things automatically get extra points for cuteness. And if you know me, you know I love my cute bakes!

Caramel Apple Blossoms

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 12 blossoms

Ingredients

Topping

3 tablespoons (38g) packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons (15g) quick oats not instant oats
1 tablespoon (21g) all purpose flour
1 dash fine sea salt
1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Blossoms

2 cups (198g) peeled, cored diced apples 1/4-inch pieces
½ teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons all purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 crust unbaked pie dough , purchased or homemade
egg wash 1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of water
¼ cup (82g) caramel sauce, purchased or homemade

Instructions

In a medium-size bowl, mix together all of the topping ingredients. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with lemon juice. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, flour, cinnamon and salt to the apples. Stir until well combined.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out twelve 5-inch blossom shapes*, re-rolling the dough scraps as needed.** Lightly mark a 2-inch circle in the center of each blossom. Make cuts between the petals to separate them, just up to the edge of the center circle. Top each blossom with about 2 generous tablespoons of apples.
Brush the dough petals with egg wash. Form blossoms by lifting and overlapping each petal 1/2-inch in a spiral pattern similar to a rose. Tuck the last petal under. Press the petals together to seal so the filling won't leak.
Top each blossom with a spoonful of topping. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Don't skip this step. This will help the blossoms keep their shape.
Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Brush the blossom dough all over with egg wash. Wipe any drips off of the parchment paper. Bake until the crust is golden brown and filling is starting to bubble, about 23-28 minutes. Transfer the blossoms to a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes before serving warm or serve at room temperature. Drizzle the blossoms with caramel sauce.

Notes

*I used a 5-inch blossom cutter. To find a blossom cutter, click here.

**If you need to re-roll your pie dough scraps, press the scraps together, cover and let rest in the refrigerator for several minutes to help avoid shrinkage.

Keyword pastry

Maple Brown Sugar Madeleines

Posted on September 25, 2022February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

I had tea with with a well mannered hedgehog once on a crisp fall day. He brought me a tiny bouquet of flowers, which I placed in a small jam jar filled with water. He said the delightful maple scent of these Madeleines reminded him of his time in the woods, as a young hoglet. When he had his fill of the delicate little cakes, I wrapped some in a tea towel for his journey home.

As cooler weather approaches, I’m always looking for a little something to enjoy with a warm drink and a good book. Although traditional Madeleines typically remind me of spring, these Maple Brown Sugar Madeleines have a cozy fall feeling. They go well with coffee, tea or hot cocoa. If you want to make them for a friend, make the batter and keep it in the refrigerator. Bake the Madeleines right before your friend arrives.

I used a spherical Madeleine pan to make these maple scented little cakes. The Madeleines made in this pan are a little thicker and fluffier than those made in a traditional oval pan. To find the Madeleine pan I used, click here. You can certainly use a traditional pan if you prefer. Keep in mind that the baking time will be shorter and you will end up with about twice as many.

Maple Brown Sugar Madeleines

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 12

Ingredients

Maple Brown Sugar Madeleines

1 cup (4 oz or 113g) cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 large eggs
½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) packed brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons pure maple extract or natural maple flavoring
½ cup (4 oz or 113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Maple Icing

1 cup (4 1/4 oz or 120g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
¼ teaspoon pure maple extract or natural maple flavoring
1-2 tablespoons whole milk
1 pinch fine sea salt
¼ cup (1 oz or 28g) finely chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts

Instructions

Maple Brown Sugar Madeleines

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar and maple extract, on medium-high speed with an electric mixer, until the batter is voluminous, light in color and holds its shape when you lift the beater, about 8-10 minutes.
Combine the melted butter and maple syrup.
Gently fold the the flour mixture into the egg mixture in three additions, alternating with the melted butter. Fold just until combined, being careful not to deflate the batter. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure that all of the flour is combined.
Cover and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease a spherical Madeleine pan* with nonstick spray or melted butter. Dust the pan with a light coating of flour. Tap out the excess flour.
Fill the wells of the Madeleine pan with batter 3/4 full, about 2 tablespoons each, using a scoop**or a spoon. (If you're using a traditional oval Madeleine pan, fill 3/4 full, about a generous tablespoon of batter in each.)
Bake until golden brown around the edges and puffed in the center, about 10-12 minutes. (Baking time for oval Madeleine pan will be about 7-8 minutes.) Do not over bake.
Cool in the pan for one minute then turn Madeleines out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Maple Icing

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, maple extract and one tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk as needed until your desired consistency is reached, Stir in a pinch of salt to taste.
Brush icing onto the Madeleines with a pastry brush. Apply nuts to the edges of Madeleines. Serve immediately. Madeleines are best served the day they're baked.

Notes

*To find the Madeleine pan I used, click here.

**To find the scoop I used, click here.

Keyword madeleines, maple

Lemon Blueberry Cloud Cookies

Posted on June 15, 2022February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Once, some time ago, I made some soft, melt-in-your mouth cookies and posted them on the internet. A viewer got triggered and insisted that cookies must be crunchy. I have to disagree! Cookies can be crunchy, crisp, soft, chewy, sandy or anything your heart desires. These soft, pillowy cookies are light and airy like little clouds. They could almost be called little cakes. The texture is similar to whoopee pies, but not as sticky. They’re delightfully delicious and have been well-loved by my family for two generations. They’re perfect for a spring teatime treat or alongside a glass of lemonade at a picnic.

Lemon Blueberry Cloud Cookies

Soft, pillowy cookies made with ricotta cheese and fresh blueberries, topped with a tangy lemon icing

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

2 cups (255g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (240g) ricotta cheese, room temperature
Zest of 1 large lemon
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (142g) blueberries plus extra for the tops

Icing

1 ½ cups (181g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
1 dash fine sea salt
2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) lemon juice

Instructions

Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth Add the ricotta cheese, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. On low speed, gradually mix in the flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in the blueberries.
Place rounded tablespoon-size portions of dough about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Top the cookies with additional blueberries. (If your cookie dough is sticky and hard to work with, refrigerate it just until it's easier to work with, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.)
Bake until the bottom edges of the cookies are lightly browned, about 11-13 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Top the cooled cookies with icing. Best eaten the day they're made.

Icing

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, salt and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of lemon juice until well combined. Add additional lemon juice as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth.

Keyword cookies, lemon blueberry

Blueberry Donut Holes with Homemade Blueberry Sugar

Posted on May 15, 2022February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

If you landed here from one of my social media accounts, welcome! I’m really glad you’re here. I love to create fun, pretty and sweet treats like these delicious blueberry donut holes! The thing that really makes these special is the homemade blueberry sugar, which adds a burst of blueberry flavor. Freeze dried blueberries are combined with sugar to create a beautiful, flavorful sugar that you can use for many other things. It can also be used in tea, lattes, lemonade, cocktails or sprinkled on cookies or scones. Keep in mind that freeze dried blueberries are not the same as dried blueberries. Dried blueberries still contain some moisture, so they won’t work for this purpose.

The donut hole batter comes together quickly and easily. The most challenging part for me is frying them. I found that using a thermometer and testing one donut hole first, helps you determine the perfect oil temperature. Using a small portion scoop helps you get uniform donut holes. Make sure the outside of the scoop is clean between each donut to help them keep the round shape and avoid pointy tails.

Blueberry Donut Holes with Homemade Blueberry Sugar

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Servings 24 donut holes

Ingredients

Blueberry Sugar

¾ cup (3/4 oz or 21g)) freeze-dried blueberries*
½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar

Blueberry Donut Holes

2 cups (9 oz or 255g) all purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons (1 oz or 28g)) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (4 oz or 118ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups chopped fresh blueberries
oil for frying
½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) blueberry sugar

Instructions

Blueberry Sugar

Process freeze dried blueberries and sugar in a food processor or a clean spice grinder until finely ground. Be careful not to over process or you may end up with powdered sugar.

Blueberry Donut Holes

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, melted butter, milk and vanilla extract until well combined.
Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Do not over mix. A few lumps are okay.
Fold in chopped blueberries.
In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 340ºF.
Drop tablespoon size portions of batter into hot oil. I used a #60 portion scoop.** Don't overcrowd the pan.
Cook donut holes until golden brown on all sides, about 2-4 minutes, flipping halfway through. If donut holes cook too quickly on the outside, turn heat down.
Briefly drain donut holes on paper towels, then toss warm donut holes in blueberry sugar. Serve immediately.

Notes

Success tips: Use a small ice cream scoop sprayed with nonstick spray to drop donut holes into oil. Make sure the outside of scoop is clean between each donut hole to keep the round shape and avoid tails on your donut holes.

*To find freeze dried blueberries, click here.

**To find the portion scoop I used, click here.

Lemon Buttermilk Cakelets

Posted on March 11, 2022February 15, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Sending sunshine your way with these cute, delicious bite-size mini cakes. Lemon Buttermilk Cakelets are tender and moist with a burst of fresh lemon flavor. They’re easy to make and they bake up quickly. They make an adorable addition to a spring teatime, baby shower or summer picnic.

Lemon Buttermilk Cakelets

by Mari Vasseur

Soft, tender mini lemon cakes with lemon icing

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 24 cakelets

Ingredients

Lemon Simple Syrup

Juice of 1 medium lemon
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon lemon zest

Cakelets

1 ¼ cups (142g) cake flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
½ cup (115ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon zest
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup (118ml) buttermilk

Icing

1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
3-4 tablespoons (45-60ml) fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Lemon Simple Syrup

Measure the juice of 1 lemon. Add enough water to equal 1/4 cup (89ml). In a small saucepan, simmer the lemon juice and water mixture with the sugar and lemon zest, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool, then strain out the lemon zest.

Cakelets

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 24-serving mini muffin pan* or use liners.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well blended.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest and extracts together until smooth and well blended. Mix in the flour mixture in 2 additions alternating with half of the buttermilk after each addition. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full. (I used a portion scoop). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 8-10 minutes. Be careful not to over bake to avoid drying out the cakes. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and transfer them to a cooling rack. (Repeat with any remaining batter.)

Icing

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add additional lemon juice as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Spoon the icing over the cooled cakes.

Notes

*To find the mini muffin pan I used, click here.

Keyword cake, cupcakes, lemon

by

Blueberry Skillet Cornbread

Posted on March 7, 2022February 16, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

This is a sweet, fluffy blueberry cornbread that my family loves. It’s heavenly served with honey and butter. I love baking it in a cast iron skillet because of the delicious crust that forms from the steady high heat conducted with cast iron. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use an 8-inch round cake pan instead. To find the 8-inch cast iron skillet I used, click here.

The texture of this cornbread is more like a quick bread than a cake and my family has always called it cornbread. When I posted this recipe previously, I called it a skillet cornmeal cake because I was trying to shy away from the cornbread police who inevitably show up when I post sweet cornbread recipes. These enforcers of non existent cornbread laws no longer intimidate me because I’ve done my cornbread research. There are different regions who make cornbread in many different ways. Various groups of people in the United States argue over whether or not cornbread should contain sugar. Historically, some people had to add sugar to cornbread because of the lower quality cornmeal they had access to. But the first cornbread was made long before that in ancient Mexico. People then and now use the ingredients available to them to create food that tastes good to them. So by any name, it’s all good.

Blueberry Skillet Cornbread

by Mari Vasseur

Sweet cornbread with blueberries baked in a cast iron skillet.

Print Recipe

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups (about 177-198g) blueberries, divided
1 ¼ cups (159g) all purpose flour, sifted, plus one teaspoon for the blueberries
⅔ cup (132g) sugar
¼ cup (35g) cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup (170g) sour cream
¼ cup (1 7/8 oz or 55ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease an 8-inch cast iron skillet.*
Set aside 1/4 cup of blueberries. In a small bowl, toss the remaining 1 cup of blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt until well blended.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil and melted butter until creamy and well combined. Add the egg mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined. A few small lumps are okay. Gently mix one cup of blueberries into the batter.
Transfer the batter to prepared skillet. Top with the reserved 1/4 cup of blueberries.
Bake until top looks golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Notes

*To find the skillet I used, click here.

If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can use and 8-inch round cake pan.

Keyword blueberry, cornbread

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

Posted on January 28, 2022February 16, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Does anyone else remember those old peanut butter cup commercials where two people on the street would collide and a chocolate bar would miraculously end up inside of a jar of peanut butter? Then the person carrying the open jar of peanut butter would say, “Hey you got chocolate in my peanut butter!” and they would suddenly discover it’s a delicious combination. The real question is, why was anyone walking around outside with an open jar of peanut butter? I miss those silly commercials.

If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, you’ll absolutely love these tarts. The creamy peanut butter filling and the silky chocolate ganache topping are perfect together. The chocolate cookie crust adds a nice crunch. I used heart shaped tart pans to make the tarts a little more special for Valentine’s Day. To find the tart pans I used, click here. You can also use round tart pans if you prefer.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

Mari Vasseur

Personal peanut butter tarts with chocolate cookie crusts and chocolate ganache topping

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 4 tarts

Ingredients

Crust

14 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed including filling
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

½ cup (128g) creamy peanut butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream, room temperature
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Pinch fine sea salt

Topping

3 ounces (85g) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (88ml) heavy cream
Chopped peanuts optional
Mini peanut butter cups optional

Instructions

Crust

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. (180ºC). Place four 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms* on a baking sheet.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the crushed sandwich cookies with the melted butter until well combined. Press the crumb mixture into the tart pans.
Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.

Filling

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the peanut butter and softened butter until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients and beat until smooth and well blended.
Fill the cooled tart shells with the filling. Refrigerate the tarts until set, at least 2 hours.

Topping

Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-low heat just until bubbles form around the edges. Do not boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let sit two minutes then stir until smooth.
Spoon over the peanut butter filling. Add toppings if desired. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Carefully remove tarts from pans.

Notes

To find the tart pans I used, click here.

Keyword chocolate peanut butter, tarts

Maple Pecan Brownies

Posted on November 19, 2021February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Pecan pie was my mom’s favorite, but she didn’t bake pies, so I always used to bake her one for Thanksgiving. One year, I made a chocolate version. It was delicious, but let’s just say it wasn’t user friendly. It was gooey and hard to serve. Over the years, it eventually morphed into these Maple Pecan Brownies. The brownie version is still delicious, rich and gooey with toasty pecans, but much more user friendly.

Enjoying Maple Pecan Brownies with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee is a must. Thinking of it brings back memories. I can practically smell my dad brewing the coffee to go with these brownies.

Maple Pecan Brownies

Rich, gooey brownies topped with pecan pie filling

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 16 brownies

Ingredients

Brownies

¾ cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
¾ cup (5 1/4 ounces) brown sugar
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (2 1/4 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted preferably Dutch process cocoa
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups (5 5/8 ounces) flour

Pecan Topping

¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (3 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon maple extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups (7 ounces) pecan halves or pieces

Instructions

Brownies

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, overlapping the sides an inch or two. Spray parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined.
Mix in eggs and vanilla, one at a time, until well combined.
Mix in cocoa powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.
Stir in flour just until combined.
Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake just until top is set, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare pecan topping.
When brownie top is set, remove from oven. Gently pour pecan topping around the outer perimeter of brownies, to avoid making brownies sink in the middle. Evenly distribute the pecan topping over the top gently with a spoon.
Return the brownies to the oven and continue baking until the topping is set, about 20-25 minutes. Brownies will stop jiggling and topping will look deep golden brown. Toothpick inserted inside will have a few moist crumbs on it. (If your topping starts to brown too much on the edges before the inside is done, apply aluminum foil around the edges as you would with a pie.)
Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting, about 2- 2 1/2 hours.
Cut into squares, wiping knife between cuts.

Pecan Topping

In a medium bowl, stir together maple syrup, butter, brown sugar, egg, maple extract and salt until well combined.
Stir in pecans until well coated with maple syrup mixture.
Set aside until brownies are partially baked.

Keyword brownies, chocolate, maple pecan

Fairy Puffs

Posted on July 1, 2021February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

My dad used to take me on walks in the woods to look for fairy rings when I was a child. I wanted to see a real fairy so badly! I read a book about fairies, hoping to learn more about them. Fairies love little cakes, milk, honey and butter so I’m sure these Fairy Puffs would be fairy approved.

My Fairy Puffs recipe is loosely based on an old favorite mini muffin recipe. I tweaked it quite a bit, including the addition of pink dragonfruit powder. Dragonfruit has a subtle flavor, so the bright fuchsia powder is mostly for color. But oh what a beautiful color it is! You can find dragonfruit powder in healthy food stores or online. To find the dragonfruit powder, also known as pink pitaya powder, I used, click here.

Decorating these little cuties was so entertaining! After sampling multiple variations of sparkling sugar and cinnamon sugar, I decided that dipping the bottoms of the muffins in butter and cinnamon sugar, then dipping the tops in butter and sparkling sugar gave them the perfect balance of sugar and spice. I had purchased some edible flowers a couple of days prior, and they added a pretty, magical touch. The flowers I used are called bachelor’s buttons and I got them at a local gourmet flower seller.

sugared mini muffins with edible flowers

Fairy Puffs

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Servings 24 mini muffins

Ingredients

Fairy Puffs

1 ⅓ cups (6 oz or 99g) all purpose flour, sifted
3 tablespoons dragonfruit powder *See note below
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Scant ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup (2 5/8 oz or 75g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ cup (4 oz or 118ml) whole milk

Topping

½ cup (4 oz or 113g) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (3 1/2 oz or 100g) sparkling sugar crystals **I used combinations of white, pink, purple & blue
edible flowers (optional)

Instructions

Fairy Puffs

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 24 serving mini muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, dragonfruit powder, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add egg and beat until smooth.
Add flour mixture and milk alternately in two additions and mix just until combined.
Transfer batter to prepared muffin pan, filling muffin cups about 3/4 full.
Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean, about 12-14 minutes. (Be careful not to over bake. Check a few minutes early. Small muffins can dry out easily.)
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove puffs from pan and transfer to cooling rack. (Loosen puffs with a small offset spatula or butter knife if necessary.)

Topping

Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
Place colored sparkling sugar crystals in another shallow bowl.
Dip the bottoms of each puff in melted butter, then into cinnamon sugar mixture.
Dip the tops of each puff in melted butter, then into sparkling sugar.
Decorate with edible flowers if desired.

Notes

*To purchase dragonfruit powder, click here.

**To purchase pink sparkling sugar crystals, click here.

Keyword cake, muffins

Lemon Buttermilk Donuts with Honey Cream Cheese Icing

Posted on May 1, 2017February 18, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

I was seriously happy when I started seeing donuts appearing at weddings, bridal showers and occasions other than work meetings. I’ve always felt those sweet, fluffy rings of dough had a higher calling. They had such potential! And honestly who doesn’t love donuts? They’re delicious, but they can also be beautiful. These Lemon Buttermilk Donuts could certainly win a beauty contest. They would make a gorgeous edition to any breakfast, brunch or dessert table. The fresh lemon zest and the earthy flavor of honey will bring springtime right into your kitchen.

If you’re on the lookout for a Mother’s Day recipe, any mom will love these pretty, fragrant treats. This is a very easy recipe and the donuts bake up quickly, so you’ll have time to fix mom a cup of her favorite tea. If you don’t have a donut pan, and you’ve been reluctant to buy one, I can honestly say I love mine. It was very affordable and I’m pleased with the performance and ease of clean up with the pan I purchased. To find the donut pan click here.

In keeping with the springtime feel, I decorated my donuts with pesticide-free edible flowers. I used pansies, but if you’re unable to find them, you can substitute pesticide-free rose petals. I found these edible pansies at my local food market in the produce department, near the fresh herbs. You can also find edible flowers at farmers’ markets and online. For a list of edible flowers, click here. Note: The above pictured orange ranunculus flowers on the table are not edible.

Lemon Buttermilk Donuts with Honey Cream Cheese Icing

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 7

Total Time 27

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Servings 6

Ingredients

Lemon Buttermilk Donuts

1 cup (113g) cake flour, sifted
½ cup (100g) fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup (78ml) buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
Zest of 1 medium lemon

Honey Cream Cheese Icing

¼ cup (85g) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch fine sea salt
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons milk

Finishing Touches

Pesticide-free edible flowers
Sugar pearls*
Nonpareils**

Instructions

Lemon Buttermilk Donuts

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Spray the wells of a donut pan*** with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well blended.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and lemon zest together until creamy and well combined. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag or plastic zip bag. Snip off the tip of the bag and pipe batter into the prepared donut pan, filling the wells 2/3 full.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into donuts comes out clean, about 7-8 minutes. Let cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then remove the donuts to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Prepare Honey Cream Cheese Icing while the donuts are cooling. Dip the tops of the donuts into the icing and decorate as desired. Serve immediately.

Honey Cream Cheese Icing

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth and well blended. Do not over beat. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Mix until combined.
On low speed, gradually add powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the honey and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Beat on low speed until smooth.

Notes

*To find sugar pearls, click here. **To find nonpareils, click here. ***To find the donut pan, click here.