Every year, one of the best days ever comes around: National Doughnut Day. Every June 3rd, it’s our duty to celebrate the delicious treat that always seems to put a smile on people’s faces. Jennifer, from our Kitchen Council, is helping us celebrate with these tasty Baked Cherry Doughnuts with a Cherry Glaze. Our dark-sweet cherries are available through July, so buy them when you can and make these delicious doughnuts!

Featuring Stemilt Summer Cherries

If you’re one of those people who brings doughnuts to your workplace in the morning, to one of your friends throwing an early-morning garage sale, or to surprise someone on their birthday, you’re an absolute saint. I’m not sure what it is about a colorful box of assorted doughnuts that just seems to make everything better. I guarantee this cherry doughnut recipe will bring a smile for two reasons: 1. Summer time cherries are the main ingredient. 2. You’ll have people by a string with the mention of the words “cherry glazed doughnuts!” Not only is this dessert meant for sharing, it also is so much fun to make at home. As a kid, I remember making little tiny doughnuts in my Easy Bake Ultimate Oven and I felt I had all the baking power in the world. I have to say, these Cherry Doughnuts are much better than the ones I made back then and most importantly, are much bigger! Summer time is the best time to make this treat because you can’t experience its true deliciousness without fresh Stemilt dark sweet cherries. Try incorporating different varieties each time with these donuts for slightly sweeter and tangier flavors of Kyle’s Pick®, and A Half Mile Closer to the Moon® cherries. The cherry season of 2022 will bring the 10-year anniversary of Moon cherries and this cherry doughnut recipe is the best way to celebrate the variety!

 Healthier Alternative to Traditional Doughnuts

Baked doughnuts are a healthier option to the fried, yeasted varieties sold in doughnut shops (which is what makes them SO good,) but baked doughnuts are so much easier to prepare at home. When Stemilt cherries are in season, they are the perfect addition to so many desserts. These Baked Cherry Doughnuts are a simple, beautiful treat that can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes. The cherries add texture, tartness and color, and the glaze is rich and decadent without being overly rich. I feel for those who are gluten intolerant and can’t enjoy the originality of a classic old fashioned glazed doughnut, but you can substitute the whole wheat flour in this recipe for white or brown rice flour or potato flour. This recipe requires a nonstick 6-cavity doughnut pan, and it yields 6 doughnuts, but the recipe can easily be doubled for a dozen doughnuts. Cherry brandy is used in the glaze, but if you prefer to omit the alcohol, you can opt to double the amount of fresh cherry juice used to 4 tablespoons total, which will require 1 cup of cherries. The brandy adds a tremendous amount of depth and flavor, though, so I highly recommend it!