New Year raw doughnuts with colourful coconut butter glazes

Here is a way to see in the New Year with a little festivity: raw doughnuts made from a cashew and flax seed dough dried in the dehydrator, then dressed in colourful coconut butter glazes and a handful of cheerful toppings. Irish moss, that red seaweed soaked then blended, plays the binder here: it is what gives the dough its hold and its softness without ever going near an oven. The move that changes everything is wetting the ice cream scoop between each portion, otherwise the dough clings to it and the doughnuts lose their round shape. A full night of drying at 45 °C is enough to firm them up so they can be handled and glazed without losing their shape. The glaze is made in one go, from softened coconut butter, then divided into small bowls flavoured differently - raw cacao, freeze-dried strawberries, acai, fresh blueberries, dried apricots. Rich and satisfying, they hold their own against any baked version, provided you keep them cool once glazed.

Ingredients

Doughnuts

• 2 cups cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
• 1/2 cup Irish moss, rinsed very thoroughly and soaked for 10 minutes or more in hot water
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 2 tablespoons maca powder, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sprouted pecan butter, or another nut butter
• 2 tablespoons ground almonds
• 3/4 cup ground flax seeds

Glaze

• Coconut butter, softened in hot water, as the base
• Raw agave syrup or another sweetener, to taste
• Flavourings of your choice: raw cacao powder, freeze-dried strawberries, acai powder, fresh blueberries, dried apricots

Toppings

• Shredded coconut, cacao nibs, dried apricots, freeze-dried strawberries, freeze-dried cherries

Preparation

1. In a high-speed blender, blend the cashews, Irish moss, water, honey, maca, salt and nut butter until completely smooth, then pour into a mixing bowl.
2. Stir in the ground almonds and ground flax seeds until the mixture is even.
3. Scoop the dough with a wet ice cream scoop onto a dehydrator tray lined with a non-stick sheet, re-wetting the scoop between each portion.
4. Flatten each mound with damp fingertips, then press a hole through the centre with a wet piping tip or an apple corer; the dough from the holes reshapes into extra doughnuts.
5. Dehydrate at 45 °C overnight, then peel away the non-stick sheet and continue drying until the doughnuts are firm enough to handle and glaze.
6. Soften the coconut butter in hot water, divide it among small bowls and flavour each one differently, adding agave to taste.
7. Dip or spread the glaze over each doughnut, add your chosen toppings, and keep refrigerated once glazed.

Tip

Rinse the Irish moss for longer than you think necessary: that rinsing is what removes the marine taste and any remaining grit, and a poorly rinsed seaweed shows up immediately in a dessert. If the dough stays too soft to shape, add a tablespoon of ground flax seeds and let it rest for ten minutes before starting again.

FAQ: your questions about raw Irish moss doughnuts