Time to make the (healthier, egg free) donuts!

You know those cute little powdered donuts that come in a bag in the grocery store? Kids love those things. Have you read the nutritional label?! Scary. Very scary. Donuts are a popular treat at school now b/c they are prepackaged and can easily be served at school (a lot of schools do not allow home baked goods anymore). Well, not only are they a nutritional disaster, they contain eggs...so my son has never had a commercially prepared donut! (yep, no Krispy Kremes or Dunkin' Donuts either. Ever.)

However, I could never deprive my kids of donuts! They are fun to eat, they have a fun shape, they come in all kinds of yummy flavors...so, I make homemade donuts. They are baked, with much more wholesome ingredients, AND they are allergy friendly.  Boo-yah!  (Oh yeah, and most importantly....they're easy!)

You wouldn't feel deprived eating these would you?

(Ok, I won't lie...they are not as good as a chocolate cake donut from DD. Or the blueberry cake donut, which is my all time fave, but pleezzee, if I ate those things, I would need bigger doorways to fit through. And cholesterol medication.)

They made this little guy happy :)

and my girls help make them!

So, the recipe already....

Almost Healthy Chocolate Doughnuts 

slightly adapted from 52 Kitchen Adventures (my changes are in italics)

Makes 12-15 small doughnuts

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour  (slightly rounded cup)
• 2 tablespoons Hershey's Dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar or Stevia for baking 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1/4 cup skim milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg or egg replacer (I used Ener-G)
• Optional: glaze, powdered sugar or your favorite frosting, sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a mini donut pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda. Whisk in sugar, nutmeg and salt. Add in the coconut oil and use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients until it becomes coarse crumbs.

In a separate bowl, mix together buttermilk, yogurt, vanilla and egg/egg replacer. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix).  Fill prepared pan 1/2-3/4 full (my batter was pretty thick).

Bake until donuts spring back when touched (between 6-10 minutes, depending on the size of your doughnut pan). Let cool before frosting.

**If you do not have a cute little donut pan, just make these as mini muffins.**

Chocolate Glaze - 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 t. dark cocoa (or more, to taste) and milk. Mix powdered sugar and cocoa together, then add milk by the teaspoons until you get desired consistency.

I have several recipes coming up using Coconut Oil (and a giveaway!). I had to see what all the hype was about! However, you can use butter, olive oil, canola oil or applesauce in its place if you do not have any. 

I'm linking up this recipe with The Dedicated House, Everything Under the Moon, Homemaker on a Dime, A Southern Fairytale, Delightfully Dowling, Making the World Cuter, Mandy's Recipe Box, It's a Blog Party, All the Small Stuff, 33 Shades of Green, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, From Mess Hall to Bistro , Lady Behind the Curtain, Ginger Snap Crafts