Wellness Wednesday: Donuts. Yes, You Read That Right.

February 8, 2017

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Wellness Wednesday: Donuts. Yes, You Read That Right.

Donuts were a tradition every Sunday growing up…. that big pink box, filled with a dozen morsels of yumminess. My favorites? Maple bars, sugar donuts, and chocolate sprinkles. I still can’t drive past a donut shop and not think about Sunday mornings with my family….

So, for this Valentine’s Day I decided to try my hand at a nutritious donut. Yeah, I know, sounds like an oxymoron, right? Healthy… donut….. not buying it? I promise you, it’s possible. These donuts are gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free… but not taste free (trust me on that one….).

I used simple swaps to make this a more nutritious option. Instead of butter I used an avocado (incredibly rich and creamy….), instead of regular flour I substituted almond flour, and I replaced regular old cane sugar with coconut palm sugar (a much lower glycemic index).

Make these morsels for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day… or just make them for whenever the heck you feel like it. Some initial reactions from my taste testers included:

“Oh my gosh. What the heck is this??” immediately followed by “We’re going to have to make these to have on hand daily.” ~ sister

Reaching and shoving mass quantities into the mouth ~ Harper

Need I say more??
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Strawberry Walnut Donuts:

1 cup walnuts (which will become 1/2 cup walnut powder)
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup mashed avocado
1 cup coconut palm sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vital proteins collagen peptides (optional)

Frosting Ingredients:

1/2 cup cacao powder
1 mashed avocado
2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp Almond Milk
3 tbsp coconut palm sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° (I also used the convection setting). Spray a donut pan with non-stick spray (I used this one).
2. In the bowl of a food processor add the walnuts and 1/4 cup of the almond flour and pulse until finely ground into a powder. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the remaining flour, cinnamon, baking powder, collagen peptides, and salt to the walnut mixture. Stir to combine.
4. Add the avocado and sugar to the food processor and pulse until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, vanilla, and process until combined.
5. Then, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients (which should still be in the food processor) and pulse until combined. While the machine is running, pour in the almond milk (I used a funnel) and continue to process until the batter comes together.
6. Use a spoon to fill the donut pan. I recommend filling them almost to the top (I did it only halfway with the first batch and they were the skinniest donuts I’d ever seen….#NotRecommended). Bake for about 20-25 minutes (they will begin to separate from the pan and firm up when they are almost done). Once removed, I immediately turned over the donut tray and patted them out onto a cooling rack (be sure the pan is greased enough or they will stick #TrustMe #FirstBatchFail).
7. While they are cooling, make the chocolate frosting. To do this, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and puree. It should be a creamy texture. Also, be sure all the avocado is mashed as well.
8. Frost the donuts and top with chopped strawberries.
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{Post Details || Sweatshirt Tee | Harper’s Tee | Harper’s Pants}