Recipe Goldmine!

I don't know why I never thought of this before tonight.  A big thank you to my Mama, for coming up with this!  My parents have these huge over-stuffed orange files that they have filled with recipes since basically the dawn of time (or at least before I was born - same thing!).  Somehow in my obsession of reading food magazines, cookbooks, and food blogs, I never thought to pore through these files.  Great idea, Mom!  I only looked through the cookie file, and that alone took a while: these things are packed!  Some of the recipes are old and falling apart, some are cut out of newspapers or off the backs of boxes, and (here's the best part) some of them are written in my dad's handwriting :)  I got really excited seeing his crazy chicken scratch.  I am definitely going to try to make lots of his old favorites.

While Mark grilled us up some filet mignon (am I lucky or what?) I came across an old recipe photocopied out of some nameless book.  It was for baked banana doughnuts.  Mom said that Dad made them when we was dieting (endlessly!) and thought maybe they were Weight Watchers.  I know that Mark loves anything banana, and I loved knowing that Daddy made these, so I knew I had to make them. 

It was quite the interesting recipe; it was made in a food processor, not a mixer!  And considering our processor was a  wedding gift for my parents, I think we can all agree I was really going back in time tonight.  However, surprisingly enough, it still worked just fine.  Being Weight Watchers, these didn't have anything bad in them; there was a tablespoon of oil, no butter, and only a cup of brown sugar!  There is only one gram of fat in each, and 105 calories.  I will say that they don't look exactly like traditional "doughnuts" (namely because you drop tablespoons of the batter onto the sheet, and then use a knife to shape them into rounds and push a hole in the middle!) but they are pretty damn good for being good for you!  In fact, Rachael even ate two after claiming to be too full to try anything in the first place!

So, thank you Dad for being a great cook, and Mom for reminding me about the recipe goldmine in the kitchen!  And now: the recipe for baked banana doughnuts!  Sorry I can't properly cite the book (the teacher in me feels so wrong), but it's just a photocopied page in a file :)

Recipe:
Baked Banana Doughnuts

Makes 22 doughnuts

2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I googled this: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, FYI)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional; I left this out)

1)  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2) In food processor, combine bananas, egg whites, oil, and brown sugar; process until smooth.  Add all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice; pulse until well-blended.  Let stand 5 minutes.
3)Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet.  Using thin rubber spatula or butter knife, round out doughnut hole in the center of dough (if dough sticks to knife or spatula, spray with cooking spray).  Using spatula, smooth outside edges of dough into round doughnut shape.  Repeat until all dough is used.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar and walnuts.  Bake 6 to 10 minutes, or until tops are golden.  Serve warm.

Doughnuts that aren't bad for you? It's a miracle!