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At last I present to you the long-promised (and maybe or maybe not long-awaited) donut recipe. I made these chocolate donuts for two reasons: 1) to use up some chocolate ganache I was testing, and 2) to test my Babycakes mini donut maker that I found at a thrift store for $3. It works, and so do these.
Aren’t they just so cute? The ganache glaze just tops them off perfectly. They’re so fun to dip. And even funner to dip in milk and eat…
I definitely recommend eating these things cold. They need to be refrigerated to keep the glaze firm, and low-carb stuff usually tastes better refrigerated anyway, for some reason.
Now that I have a mini donut maker, I will definitely be coming up with new ways to use it. I’ve been writing down ideas already. Don’t have a donut maker? You still have options! 1) Buy one. Be like me and keep your eyes peeled at thrift stores *or* buy one new right here through my affiliate link and help fund my donut-making frenzy (note the sarcasm). 2) I tested this recipe in a mini muffin pan and it works just fine. Yes, I did this especially for those of you who do not have a donut maker, do not want to buy one, and do not want to experiment with baking times yourself. You know who you are. I may or may not continue doing this in the future because donut-shaped donuts are just so much more fun.
Are you following me on Pinterest? You can pin this recipe by clicking the “Pin It” option on any of the pictures in this post, or you can snag my official pin here.
So tell me in the comments below – what’s your favorite donut flavor?
You can find an updated version of this recipe in my cookbook, Necessary Food.
- 3 eggs
- 2 T refined coconut oil, soft/melted
- 2 T sour cream (I used full-fat)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 T coconut flour
- 1 T oat fiber
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 2 T Truvia (or 1 T THM Super Sweet Blend) - or more to taste
- ⅛ tsp. xanthan gum
- 1¼ oz. unsweetened baker's chocolate
- 1 T salted butter
- 1 T refined coconut oil
- 1/16 tsp. salt
- 1½ - 2 tsp. Truvia, powdered (or ¾ - 1 tsp. THM Super Sweet Blend, powdered) - or more to taste
- 3-4 T unsweetened almond milk, divided (or 3 T heavy cream for a richer, thicker ganache)
- To make the donuts, beat the wet ingredients with a hand mixer very well. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then mix into the wet ingredients until well-combined. Bake in a greased Babycakes mini donut maker (2 T of batter in each hole) for about 5 minutes or a little less. Alternately, you could bake them in greased mini muffin tins (2 T in each well) at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Cool the donuts/muffins on a wire rack, then chill in the refrigerator/freezer before icing with the ganache.
- Make the ganache glaze. Microwave the chocolate, butter, and coconut oil together in small intervals in the microwave on "defrost", stirring often so the chocolate doesn't burn. When everything is melted and smooth, whisk in the salt, ground sweetener, and 2 T of almond milk. Add an additional T of almond milk and whisk again until everything is smooth. Add an additional T of almond milk for a thinner glaze, if desired. Dip the tops of the chilled donuts in the ganache and return to the fridge/freezer to firm it up. Dip again and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Yields a baker's dozen of mini donuts/muffins.
Suggested products:
- Coconut flour
- Oat Fiber (you can buy a gluten-free version here)
- Hershey Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Truvia
- THM Super Sweet Blend can be purchased at the Trim Healthy Mama online store.
- Xanthan Gum
Is oat fiber something you can make with oats in a food processor? Want to make tonight, that’s the only ingredient missing.
No, I’m afraid you’re referring to oat FLOUR, which is different from oat fiber. Oat flour is a carb source, but oat fiber has no net carbs or fats and is a very fine, dry flour that soaks up a lot more liquid than oat flour does. Oat fiber is generally only found online, and you want a brand that is light in color and mild in flavor, like Life Source brand from Netrition (affiliate link): https://www.briana-thomas.com/recommends/oat-fiber-2/
Hello Briana. I am making these today and was wondering about the measurement for the sweetener. You have 1 tsp of Super Sweet powdered. Do I measure it after it has been ground into powder form or before? Thank you and thanks for all your great recipes.
Hi Michelle! Since it states it like that, you would measure before grinding it. If it would call for “1 tsp. powdered Sweet Blend,” you would measure it after grinding it. Does that make sense? 🙂 As always, feel free to add more sweetener to your own taste! A lot of people say I undersweeten things. (I disagree of course, haha…)
I really want to try this, but I can’t have oat fiber. Can I replace that with something else?
Hi Jess! if I were you, I’d just try adding an extra tablespoon of coconut flour in its place. 🙂 If the batter looks dry, add a little more liquid, but both coconut flour and oat fiber are dry flours so it should work fairly closely.
I’m getting off my rear right now to make these and I’m going to try peanut butter powder instead of cocoa! Eeee!!! Can’t wait!! I’ll post how they turned out!
Can’t wait to hear!
They’re delicious!! Next time I’ll try chocolate and peanut butter! ???
I’m so glad to hear that!
The texture and flavor were really good, but I would have liked them sweeter. I put in 2 T of gentle sweet (since it called for 1 T of super). The only issue I had was dealing with the frosting. I made it while the donuts were cooling in the fridge. The frosting looked perfect right when it was done, but by the time the donuts were cool enough, the frosting had become almost grainy and was very thick. I tried adding a little more almond milk but it didn’t work.
Always feel free to add more sweetener. 🙂 It’s a very subjective thing, and I’ve found that the THM Sweetener Conversion Chart doesn’t always match up with my own taste buds. And people say I tend to undersweeten things, so feel free to add more (I usually take sweetener out of other people’s recipes when I make them…lol). As for the frosting, did whisking it well not bring it back together? If not, I’m guessing your chocolate got too hot.
We are allergic to eggs. What would be a good sub. in this recipe?
I’m sorry, but I’m not very familiar with egg substitutions and the little work I have done with them have shown me that it’s often not a simple substitution. I think you would be better off finding a recipe that is egg free instead of trying to substitute into this recipe. This website would be a good place to look: http://www.anointedwithoilofjoy.com/ I think Tina has an egg free chocolate cake recipe that you could probably make into donuts, then top with my ganache. 🙂
Thank you soooo much for this recipe Briana! I don’t do well with gluccie or xantham gum. Can I just leave it out? If not, what can I use?
Thanks again!!
I don’t know of any other substitutions, so your best option would probably be just to try leaving it out. It’s meant to improve the texture. 🙂
Would I be able to use extra butter instead of the coconut oil? Thanks so much!
I haven’t tried that, but I’m guessing it would work. 🙂
These look amazing – I will try to make these with my daughter.
Question: How many can you have(EAT) for them to be considered 1 safe serving and not sounding greedy?? 🙂
Thanks,
Abby
Who am I? Your mother? 😛 Haha… There really is no hard and fast rule; serving size totally depends on what else you’re eating with them. Eat until satisfied but not stuffed. Personally, I’d stick with 2-3.
Hi! I just found a Babycakes mini donut maker at a sale at my church for $5.00!!!!!! I tried a different THM donut recipe that I didn’t care for very much…… I’ll be trying this one out and it will hopefully be good!
These look so good! Thanks for sharing all the wonderful recipes .
I used a mini cupcake baker (similar to the donut maker) and they turned out like donut holes! So yummy!
Thank you for making your recipes printable.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Wondering if I could sub gluccie powder for the anthem gum. Can’t wait to try these!!
I’m sure the glucomannan would be fine. 🙂
Do you know if the xanthum gum is necessary? Can you sub it with glucomannan?
Glucomannan should be fine. 🙂
Thank you!!! One more question, where can I find oat fiber and if I can’t can I just use extra coconut flour?
There should be a link for it under the recipe (I’ve only been able to find it online). You might be able to substitute extra coconut flour, but I’ve heard that a lot of people use protein powder as a substitute for oat fiber so I’d probably try that first. 🙂
You can find oat fiber on the Trim Healthy Mama Store website. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, I look forward to trying it.
Oh “Thank You” for this recipe!!! Every Friday my husband comes home from the farmer’s market with a apple fritter. If I even just try one bite, it gives me acid reflux.. Today I found a Babycakes Maker brand new at a online garage sale site in our area!! So this Friday, I’ll be having your doughnuts when he comes home and I won’t have to feel left out!! Thank you, again, for all that you do.. Keep up the good work as you are a true THM…
Yum! Do you think these would work in a regular size donut pan that goes in the oven? If so, do you have a recommendation for baking time?
Hi! I’m sure they would work, but I don’t know how many you would get and I’m afraid I can’t help with the baking time question as I’ve never used one of those pans. Just bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick comes out clean and they don’t feel soggy in the middle. 🙂
I made them in a regular size muffin pan and got 6 donut muffins. I baked at 350 for about 18 minutes and they came out great.
I did not make the ganache, so these were not sweet enough for my husband, but I love them. I sprinkled nuts on top too.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Briana!
Thanks so much for sharing all of your wonderful recipes! I have a question about this one. Is there a non dairy option I can use in place of the sour cream? I am allergic to dairy but would still love to have a tasty donut!
Jessica
Hi, Jessica! I’m not very familiar with allergies (I’ve only just started trying to figure out where my recipes fall regarding certain allergies), so I don’t know what a lot of your common substitutes are. Not having tried this, I would suggest maybe substituting some plain pumpkin puree. The amount should be small enough that you won’t be able to taste it, and it will help add moisture to the dough. If you try them, let me know what you used and how they turned out!
I just made this for a Mothers Day breakfast treat with my children. I used almond milk in place of the water and the sour cream and they turned out great (and dairy free, gluten free, nut free, low carb – amazing). I doubled the recipe and added 1extra tablespoon THM Sweet blend. My kids can be picky about healthy sweets but they loved these. Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks for telling me about your tweaks.
Maybe a silk yogurt in place of the sour cream
So. Could I replace the cocoa with protein powder for white donuts?
I don’t know…I don’t usually use protein powder in baking because I’m not fond of the taste. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out. 🙂 I don’t think it should be a big problem texture-wise, but I don’t know if the flavor would be good.
Thank you, Brianna! These look easy and delicious!! Can’t wait to try them 🙂
I’m soooo excited to try this!! I also recently bought a banycakes donit maker at a thrift store ( for only $2 instead of three :-p ) & have been eager to make some plan approved yumminess. But with a toddler & a newborn I haven’t felt like experimenting. But thanks to you my bloggy friend, I can have my donuts & eat’em too! 🙂