Pomegranate Baked Doughnuts

The fruitful jewels of Fall!! I know Fall is here when I get a box of pomegranates in the mail from my California friends. Knowing how much I miss the bounty of California produce, they kindly share with me their fruitful labor. However, you can usually find fresh pomegranates in most grocery stores this time of year.

Pomegranate juice is a great natural way to color foods. In this recipe I used fresh pomegranate juice to add color and to sweeten these delicious baked doughnuts. Thanks to their anthocyanins, a phytochemical that gives them their intense color, my doughnuts came out with a fun bluish tint. The pink glaze also is from pomegranate juice.

An easy, mess free way to remove the seeds from a Pomegranate is to fill a large bowl full of water, slice the pomegranate in half or fourths and with your hands remove the seeds (aka arils) under the water. This will keep any popped seeds in the water instead of all over your shirt! Simply drain and rinse.

You can simply eat the seeds, juice them, toss them in a salad or make pomegranate baked doughnuts! Here I used the juice. If you do not have a juicer you can press the seeds through a fine mesh strainer. I used my tea strainer here and it worked perfectly. It kept the juice in the glass so it did not squirt all over. Just keep in mind that pomegranate juice stains.

Doughnut pans or molds are a fun kitchen tool to have. I found my on Amazon for around ten dollars. They come in regular round doughnut shapes to elaborate designs.

Pomegranates are packed with phytochemicals including: catechins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid. They are also a good source of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and fiber (if you eat the seeds). Try a pomegranate today and make these delicious and colorful pomegranate doughnuts!