I have a problem. Maybe an addiction. Definitely a distraction. Right now, I can think of a dozen things I’d rather be doing right now. And they are all doughnuts. I love doughnuts. When I am around them, I have to channel all my self-control, because I just want to eat them all (well, maybe not the ones with coconut on top, but all the rest). More than any other sweet, they are my weakness.

But I do worry about the frying. I am a big fan of fried foods, but they’re not generally touted for the healthiness. That is why I was so excited to see this, The Easy Baked Donut Cookbook. Even right there in the title, two of my favorite words: easy and donut. How could I resist?

The recipes in The Easy Baked Donut Cookbook look simple enough for even beginning bakers and absolutely delicious. And while you don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to get started, you do need to invest in some doughnut pans, in order to get the right look for your baked goods. Not all the recipes require the special pans, but many do. But once you have your doughnut pans (or mini-doughnut, or doughnut holes, or all of them), then you can bake to your heart’s content.

Author Sara Mellas starts with simple cake doughnuts that only need sugar on top, such as Old-Fashioned Cake Donuts, Chocolate Cake Donuts, Apple Cider Donuts, Banana Bread Donuts, or Snickerdoodle Donuts. There are even gluten-free and vegan options in this chapter. Then she ups the stakes a little to move on to glazed donuts. This chapter includes recipes such as Lemon Poppyseed Donuts, Red Velvet Cake Donuts, Irish Coffee Donuts, and Classic Raised Donuts. But still there is more.

The next chapter moves us into the Iced and Frosted categories, so there are Cookies and Cream Donuts, Peanut Butter Cup Donuts, German Chocolate Cake Donuts, Carrot Cake Donuts, and S’Mores Donuts. But that’s enough, because then we move on to those delectable filled donuts, like a Sugared Jelly Donut, Boston Cream Donuts, Apple Pie Donuts, and Cannoli Donuts.

And just in case you’re tired of traditional donuts (as if!), the final chapter offers even imaginative options like Birthday Cake Donut Holes, Easy Apple “Fritters,” Quick and Easy Beignets, and Donut Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard Sauce. Clearly this is a chef after my donut-shaped heart.

I loved the idea of baked donuts as a morning treat (okay, all-day treat), and these recipes make my mouth water. I can’t wait to get some of those doughnut pans and start baking!

A copy of The Easy Baked Donut Cookbook was provided by Rockridge Press through the Callisto Media Publisher’s Club, with many thanks.