It's been a week, y'all. I'm not even going to lie. The world has really thrown me for a loop. Good ways. Bad ways. Neither which ways. ... And, what gets you better on your feet than some good ole Irish cream? Hair of the dog anyone? St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, so you know I'm all about that famous Irish liqueur to 'celebrate' with.

I based these Skinny Irish Cream Donuts off an older recipe for Skinny Vanilla Bean Donuts; with a few minor adjustments. The recipe still holds true for a soft, vanilla, cake donut that's just got enough of that Irish cream flavor to trickle the taste buds in just the right way. And as anyone that knows me can tell you... I'm all about donuts. So, don't take it lightly when there's one here for you! That means it's passed all of my donut tests through and through.

I kept these naughty little Leprechaun's more wholesome by using a whole wheat white flour, substituting some of the sugar out for natural sweetener, and light butter with a touch of greek yogurt. Other than that, it's business as usual. Yum! Fluffy baked donut goodness.

This was really the perfect mid-week pick-me-up that I needed; getting me ready for St. Patrick's Day and spring break alike. Being that I'm part Irish (as if you couldn't tell by the clear skin, blue eyes, and red-head father) you know that these are the real deal. The only thing that would make these more Irish would be to throw some Guinness on the batter somewhere.

Hm... maybe next year.

This is my sort of comfort food. Donuts! Anyone that knows me knows that in this family... we get donuts once a week. Without guilt, regret, or remorse. We're all allotted a cheat day, right?

Sometimes though, I like to put my own spin on it and that's when I come up with wonderfully wrong and oh-so right tasty treats such as these donuts right here. Don't worry, I've made them with the guilt removed so you can feel free to enjoy them as you'd like!

Skinny Irish Cream Donuts
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 Donut • Calories: 177.9 • Fat: 3.3 g • Saturated Fat: 0.3 • Carb: 29 g • Fiber: 2.1 g • Protein: 4.8 g • Sugar: 15.2 g • Sodium: 122.7 mg

Ingredients:

Donuts:
1 C. Whole Wheat White Flour
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Natural Sweetener
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 Large Egg
1/4 C. Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp. Irish Cream Liqueur
1 1/2 Tbsp. Light Butter, Softened
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Bean Glaze:
1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
1 Tbsp. Irish Cream Liqueur
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and lightly spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the 1 C. Whole Wheat White Flour, 2 Tbsp. Sugar, 2 Tbsp. Natural Sweetener, 1 Tsp. Baking Powder and 1/4 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon into a large bowl until well blended. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 Large Egg, 1/4 C. Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt, 2 Tbsp. Irish Cream Liqueur, 1 1/2 Tbsp. Light Butter, and 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract until smooth and creamy.

Add the wet ingredients in with the dry and combine just until everything is fully incorporated.

YES. The batter is rather thick, feel free to add a touch if milk to thin it out slightly if you need to.

Spoon or pipe the dough into the prepared donut pan, dividing evenly among the sections.

I put my dough into a gallon ziplock, sealed it, cut the end off and used that to pipe into my pan.

Place the pan into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the donuts are cooked through.

The donuts will not turn golden brown, but should 'spring back' to the touch when done.

Set the donuts aside on a wire rack to continue to cool.

In the mean time, whisk the 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar, 1 Tbsp. Irish Cream Liqueur and 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract for the glaze together in a small bowl and set aside.

If it needs to be thinned further, add fat free milk 1/2 Tbsp. at a time to reach the desired consistency.

Dip the donuts face-down into the glaze and set on a wire rack until set. Maybe 5 minutes or so.