First Share: Paleo Chocolate Donuts

I wanted this first share to be a special one. And this little snack is turning out to be a go-to recipe in that I always pull it out when special occasions (like a birthday or Father's Day) come around and now I am starting to turn to it for pot luck dinners as well.

When we began changing our eating habits, the first thing we thew off the menu was anything containing sugar. And we made this kitchen-centered decision just a week before Mother's Day and only 2 weeks before our anniversary. I'll admit to more than my fair share of bitterness over this call. Holidays and celebrations are normally full of visits from the Chocolate Fairy and I was missing her before we even said "adios."

So when Father's Day came around a month later and I was beginning to come to grips with holidays minus their sugar coating, I went looking for something to satisfy my sweet tooth. After a quick search, I found a couple of recipes for paleo chocolate donuts on the 'net. I didn't have everything on hand to follow just one recipe, so I took these two (this one and this one) and combined them into the following:


Momma G's Paleo Chocolate Donuts

Stuff You Need:

• donut pan
  
• ¾ cup almond flour
  
• ¼ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
  
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  
• pinch of salt
  
• 3 eggs (separated)
  
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  
• 3 tablespoons honey
  
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• ½ cup chopped strawberries
  

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Separate eggs and combine yolks with remaining wet ingredients.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined.
5. Beat egg whites with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy.
6. Fold egg whites into batter until just combined.
7. Add strawberries, stir gently.
8. Pour batter into pastry bag (or zip lock bag with the tip snipped off)and pipe into donut pan.
9. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
10. Remove from pan and transfer to cooling rack.

Note: if the strawberries are an issue (due to allergies or if you are just not a fan), feel free to leave them out. I think they help keep the donuts nice and moist, but they are not essential to delivering a satisfying treat. My Wonder Boy is not a fan, so I always make a couple just for him without the blessed berry and he loves them all the same. Other seasonal berries (like raspberries) also work really well, if you prefer.

Momma G's Easy Chocolate Glaze

• ½ cup dark chocolate chips, melted
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Mix together coconut oil and chocolate then use spoon or knife to scoop out some of the chocolate to glaze donuts. If you have a nice wide bowl, you can always invert donuts and dunk them as well.

I have trouble waiting for them to cool enough for that little trick, so I usually stick to the spoon.

Bacon Bonus!
For a really special treat, I turn to the "bacon bonus." If you decide to up the wow factor on your donuts, you just need to crisp up 1-2 strips of bacon before starting in on you donuts. Allow them to cool completely and crumble. Once your donuts are glazed, generously sprinkle bacon bits onto the top and allow it to set before serving.

I employed the "bacon bonus" when we pulled this recipe back out for Wonder Dad's birthday and it was a HUGE HIT with everyone in the family! Alternately, we have also sprinkled sliced almonds on top as well. And while that too was a crowd pleaser, it was nothing like the response we got with the bacon bits.