Chocolate Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze (Vegan/GF)

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Let’s be honest here. I’m not one of those health food advocates that will ever say I prefer the taste of a green smoothie over, let’s say, pizza. Nor will you ever hear me mention that I like the flavor of cashew cheese over aged smoked gouda. No. If I pretended as though that were true, I’d be lying. What I will say is that I CHOOSE green drinks over pizza and cashew cheese over camembert because I know what the difference my choices will make in my health and wellness. I know too much. I understand the biology of food and our bodies. I understand the impact of how our culinary choices can change our mental, physical and emotional well-being. I’ve lived it first hand. I’ve studied it. I’ve BECOME it.

That said, not all is lost! I’ve spent the last year of my life working on not only nutritious plant-based vegan, gluten-free and whole foods recipes, but I’ve spent numerous hours in the kitchen developing recipes that satisfy what I consider to be “good food.” I make what I like to eat. I make the things that I considered comfort foods as a child. When it comes to desserts and baked goods, there has not been one minute on this wellness journey of mine where I thought to myself, “damn I wish I had a Crispy Cream donut or a TCBY parfait” (remember those?!?!?! I do!).

I’ve posted a number of treats, desserts, candy recipes, cakes and the like on this blog. There is also plenty of deliciousness that happens in my kitchen that I don’t post (either because what I make generally tastes better than it looks- or it was so good, it got eaten up before I could take pictures- and what's a recipe post without a photo??)

Luckily, for this recipe below, I had enough time to photograph and enjoy. These gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar free chocolate doughnuts with chocolate glaze are one of those things: a treat that satisfies any deep-rooted need for good old comfort foods- the type your Nana would sneak to you on a Sunday morning reminding you that it was “your little secret” and then you would savor, bite by bite, in all its decadence and guilty pleasure. These doughnuts, however, have nothing to be guilty about. You’re welcome. 

The recipe I used was pretty much the same recipe as the chocolate (BEET) cupcakes I posted about last November (recipe here: Triple Chocolate Beet Cupcakes) but I changed it up a bit and baked them in donut molds.

I changed it up a bit and then found this ridiculous recipe for the chocolate glaze.

Chocolate (Beet) Baked Doughnuts (makes 12)

 

Doughnut Ingredients:

  • 1 cup beet puree (instructions below)
  • ¾ cups gluten-free flour (I make my own but pre-packaged works. Message me for ingredients)
  • ¼ cup oat flour
  • ½ cup almond meal (I dry out the almond pulp from making almond milk and then grind to make almond meal. But it can be store bought as well. Or you can just blend almonds until they become powder-like…not too long that they become almond butter though!)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup raw cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 2 flax eggs (for 1 flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flax seeds and 2/5 tbsp water)
  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • Pinch Himalayan salt

 

Doughnut Directions:

  • For the beets: to make the beet puree, drizzle the washed beets with olive oil, wrap in tinfoil, place in the oven at about 400 F or 200 C for an hour. Once they are done, slip the skins off and place in a blender (if they are too dry, add a bit of water or almond milk until the consistency is of classic puree)
  • Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 180 C
  • Measure out the almond milk and add the vinegar. Stir and let curdle
  • Prepare the two flax eggs (mixing the flax with the water) and let sit for 5 minutes
  • Add the baking soda to the almond milk and vinegar mixture and stir (theoretically, it should fizz when you add the baking soda…but a few times mine didn’t and the recipe turned out just fine)
  • Add the coconut sugar, maple syrup and almond milk mixture to the flax egg and beat to combine
  • Add the beet puree, coconut oil, and salt. Mix.
  • Add the cocoa powder, almond meal, out flour and gluten-free flour blend. Beat to combine.
  • Divide the batter evenly between doughnut molds and even out the top with your fingers.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed up and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (the timing depends on the size of the individual doughnuts)
  • Pop out of the doughnut mold tin and let cool completely

 

Chocolate Glaze Ingredients:

  • ½ cup plus 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
  • 3 tbsp raw cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp tapioca starch
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tbsp cashew butter
  • seeds from 1 vanilla pod
  • pinch Himalayan salt

 

Chocolate Glaze Instructions:

  • Add the sugar, cocoa powder, tapioca starch and salt to a large bowl and mix.
  • Combine the almond milk, cashew butter and vanilla in a small bowl and beat until fully mixed
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat (I used my KitchenAid mixer but a hand mixer would work as well. Beat on low at first and increase speed for a couple of minutes.)

*I found and used the original recipe for this Vegan Chocolate Ganache Glaze on one of my favorite Vegan recipe blogs: The Vegan 8. The original recipe can be found here: Vegan 8 Chocolate Ganache/Glaze

The only difference is, I sub out the almond butter for cashew butter but they are both amazing!

 

Assembly:

Glaze the doughnuts and decorate with whatever your heart desires at the time (or whatever you can find lying around the kitchen!)  I used raw cocoa nibs for some, bee pollen for others and goji berries.

Store in an airtight container. ENJOY.

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