Time for Pure Play: Lavender, Lemon, and Purple Sweet Potato Donuts
When we talk about the “inner child,” it is often in the context of unresolved trauma that can impact you far later in your life. Some psychotherapists say that we hold a version of ourselves from every age we have been so far. That’s one way of looking at it. We certainly carry the pain and joy from various ages along with us, in our subconscious and in our bodies too. I have become more acquainted with my inner child in the last few years; in my therapy for PTSD, I am often asked to recall a trauma, to sit with and feel the emotions associated with it, and then to travel back in time mentally as my adult self to go protect the scared little girl who experienced that pain. It is empowering to be able to face my attacker bravely and strongly as an adult and say “you can’t treat her like that. She’s just a child. I won’t let you hurt her any more.” Therapy and healing are hard. They take work. But sometimes, it’s important to go within and just have a conversation with that inner child. Let your deep subconscious tell you about the magic in the world, about the joy of play and exploration, about the pleasure of just being a kid.
Just to be clear: I am absolutely in favor of exploring those deep wounds with a mental health professional or life coach… but, just for today, let’s indulge that inner child. Let’s play.
Do you remember what it felt like to be a child experiencing so many things for the first time? Do you remember the tea parties, the surprise adventures, the magical landscape you could conjure up with just your mind and a bit of belief? The way you could seamlessly melt into a captivating book full of magical characters and lands to envision? Children are incredibly powerful. When I think back to the sheer volume of imaginary worlds, characters, and adventures that my sister and I wove together into epic days of pure imagination, I feel humbled. With the added self-awareness and practicality that adulthood brings, it’s hard to imagine being able to be so uninhibited in imaginary adventures. But that same wildly imaginative child lives within all of us. Can you speak with yours?
Let’s take a moment to go within. Take a deep breath in through your nose for about five seconds. Hold it for three, then release through the mouth for four. Repeat several times until you are feeling relaxed. Now close your eyes and send an open invitation to your subconscious to talk to your inner child. Tell them you love them and you miss them and you are excited to hear what they have to say. Are they happy with where you are at today? Do they have something to tell you? Is your interaction cheerful and happy, or is there anger or resentment? Sit with your inner child for a few minutes, then invite them to an afternoon of play. What could be more enticing than to spend some joyful time with the cool older version of yourself? And what could be more delightful than making and eating bright purple donuts covered in sprinkles?
Sometimes, no matter your age, you just have to play. Let yourself explore a new ingredient in the kitchen with all of the curious joy of a child. Picture faerie gatherings or magical forest feasts. Release the shackles of expectation or responsibility and just make something because it is FUN.
That’s how these playful donuts came to be. If you couldn’t tell, I have a complete obsession with purple sweet potatoes. Ever since the local shop started carrying them, I have been exploring their possibilities in both sweet and savory dishes. I love the vibrant purple color - why *wouldn’t* you want that gracing your table? The anthocyanins of purple foods are good for you, too, but that’s just an extra bonus. Let’s be honest: the purpose of violet sweet potatoes in my kitchen is PURE FUN. (That said, you can substitute white or orange sweet potatoes for these recipes instead and still get a colorful and delicious treat!)
A smooth mash of sweet potatoes plus a little flour and baking soda can be fried into tender, delicious donuts. I topped mine with a purple icing flavored with lavender and dyed with ebony carrot powder, but you could use any other natural colored powder (like pink pitaya, purple yam, or butterfly pea) to make your own custom color. To finish off the whimsy, I gave each donut a sprinkle of natural sprinkles (with plant colorings) and some edible purple glitter. (If you go for that route, make sure you do some research as not all that glitters is edible!) The result is a plate of bright purple, colorful, sparkling donuts filling the air with the fragrance of lavender, lemons, and fried dough. They taste fresh and spring-like, the perfect balance of floral lavender and uplifting lemon. What faerie (or four-year-old, for that matter) would refuse such a whimsical and delightful presentation?
I like these donuts because they aren’t too sweet. The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes is all you need in the donuts themselves, so the glaze elevates them to the perfect level for total enjoyment. Be sure to eat them fresh, while the outsides are crisp and delightful. These are not meant to be saved, but to be eaten soon after making, in utter jubilation, with whatever friends, family, or faeries show up to the table. I bet your inner child is giving you a high-five right now.
This recipe makes about 8 donuts and is both vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients to prep:
3 small-medium purple yams (enough for 1 ½c. mashed)
1 tsp. Dried lavender
½ c. rice milk
Ingredients:
1 ½ c. mashed roasted purple sweet potatoes
2 tsp. lavender-infused milk (above)
Zest from 2 small lemons
1 Tbs. lemon juice
¾ c. flour (all-purpose or gluten-free)
¼ tsp. Salt
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
½ Tbs. sugar
Neutral oil to fry in, like vegetable oil
Icing:
1 c. powdered sugar
⅓ c. lavender milk
2 tsp. Ebony carrot powder
Pinch baking soda
To decorate:
Edible luster dust
Edible flowers - I used borage and lilac
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Stab the yams a few times with a fork, then wrap in aluminum foil. Place them in the hot oven and roast for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, add the lavender buds and rice milk to a small pan. Heat over med-low heat until just starting to bubble. Shut off the heat and allow it to infuse until the potatoes are roasted.
After the sweet potatoes are roasted, remove them from the oven and carefully open the aluminum foil to allow them to cool. Meanwhile, start heating at least 2” of oil up in a cast iron pot or skillet. Keep an eye on it while you finish forming your donuts - you want it to be between 365F - 375F.
When the roasted sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft flesh and put it in a bowl. Mash until smooth, then measure 1 ½ c. and put in a bigger bowl.
Strain the lavender milk. Add to the sweet potatoes and mash in. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and continue mashing until there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth.
Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon (or just use your hands) until the mixture is combined. If you’re using normal flour, be careful not to over-mix. You should have a cohesive but fairly soft dough.
Roll the dough out to ½” thick. Use a donut cutter or two round cutters to make donuts that are 3” across. (This recipe makes 8 donuts of that size.)
When the oil is hot, use a slotted spoon to gently add one of the donuts to the pan. Cook for 3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. The outsides should be nicely browned and just a little bit crispy. Remove with the slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack lined with paper towels. *note: the more oil you have, the more donuts you can cook at a time. With 2” of oil, it’s best to cook one at a time as they make the oil temperature drop significantly. Cooking more than one at a time would result in soggy oily donuts. If you use 3-4” of oil, you can cook 2 or 3 at a time!
While the donuts are cooling, make the glaze. Whisk the ebony carrot powder into the leftover lavender milk. Gradually start stirring the powdered sugar in a medium bowl as you add the purple milk. Once you have the consistency of runny icing, whisk well to remove any lumps. It’ll be pretty pink at this point; to get it to turn a bit more purple just add 1 small pinch of baking soda and stir really well. As it sits it’ll turn more purple. (And don’t worry, you can’t taste the baking soda in the icing at all.)
Dip the cooled donuts in the icing, then flip them over to drip on a cooling rack over a sheet tray. Sprinkle with natural sprinkles, edible luster powder, and edible flowers. Eat as soon as possible.
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Join me for a little winter night magic as we bake this cake full of rich seasonal flavors and black cocoa!