Baking makes me as happy as cooking does. Especially when I am doing it for other people. And it has become a bit of a habit for me to spend my Friday nights in my little closet of a kitchen, baking up something for all the runners who come out and do their long distance run on Saturday morning. I am a part of this group. And, I think we all need something to run for, when it comes down to it. Why not a little treat…a reward for pushing through all those miles and ending up back at the coffee house where those who didn’t go as far, or perhaps ran a little faster, congregate and catch-up for a bit.
There is one member of this group of amazing people who has been having so many issues with the foods she eats. She is currently trying the Paleo diet, but working in some of those “forbidden” foods…because she is an athlete and she needs certain things to power her through. It’s just been a matter of seeing how her body reacts to certain things. Have I ever been there, done that. While most of my goodies are gluten-free (the Paleo diet is gluten-free), they haven’t always had items that she could eat. I was determined to change that this week.
As I have donut pans that are always begging for use…I went out, purchased a small bag of coconut flour (for an ungodly amount of money) and spent the later hours of the evening making donuts for my group the following morning, using a recipe from FastPaleo. Paleo donuts. Donuts she could, in fact, eat. Who would have thought? And I made them with two of my favorite things…pumpkin and cinnamon. Yummy!
Recipe: Paleo Cinnamon Glazed Pumpkin Donuts
Servings: 10
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Bake 25 minutes
Ingredients for Donuts:
- 1 cup pumpkin
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Ingredients for Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons coconut crystals
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Directions:
The Donuts:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease doughnut pan with coconut oil.
Combine all ingredients in a mixer, food processor or blender (anything works) except for the glaze.
*Note that coconut oil and maple syrup is needed for the doughnut and the glaze. Optional ingredient if it appears too dry: 1 cup room temperature applesauce (the kind with cinnamon would rock).
Evenly distribute onto the baking pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Cool on a cooling rack.
When cool, flip over to allow them to fall off pan.
The Glaze:
Combine the coconut oil and maple syrup in a dish.
Combine the coconut crystals and the cinnamon in a bowl.
Use a pastry brush to brush the top (or all sides) of the donut and then dip it onto the dry mix.
~*~*~
It’s really that easy. I didn’t need to add applesauce to my mixture of ingredients. And these donuts were soft, moist, and really, really packed with flavor. I was beyond impressed. So was my group, apparently. Because I ended up baking 20 of these and only 3 of them were left on Saturday morning after we all finished our runs. And the leftover three were devoured by my roommate and I this morning for breakfast. Even gave them a little warm-up in the microwave, as if they were fresh out of the oven. Honestly…SUPER delicious.
One of the group was raving to me afterwards about the donuts. It makes me happy to share something I love to make with those I enjoy being around. And with those I know appreciate the time and effort I put into these.
My Paleo runner was not there this past week…but after this three week hiatus where I am out of town…I’ll resume my baking trend and see what I can create that will be safe for her as well.
Until then…I intend to make many many more of these donuts. And at 104 calories and 6 grams of fat per donut…it’s a treat that is definitely worth indulging in. Epic yum! Try them. You don’t have to be gluten-free or Paleo to enjoy them. Obviously. My running buddies proved that. High marks and high praise all around.
The Celiathlete 
These look very tasty!
They were one of my favorite treats I have baked up so far.
I gotta try these!
Let me know what you think!!
Omg, that looks amazing! I have a question about the coconut oil and coconut flour though. I’ve never tried cooking with them since I’m not fond of the smell of coconuts. Does the smell/taste of coconuts come through in these donuts? Would you have any recommendations for substitutions otherwise? Maybe olive oil and rice flour to substitute?
You do not taste or smell coconut with either the coconut flour or coconut oil. I am the same as you when it comes to that. The star of these donuts is the pumpkin and cinnamon. I promise!
No way! That makes me SO happy to hear! I tried some coconut cream/milk a couple months ago and almost gagged. Couldn’t finish the meal! What brand of oil and flour do you use though? Could I substitute with rice flour? For some reason, it’s almost impossible to find coconut flour here in the stores.
Oh…yes…the coconut milk doesn’t work for me. I use almond milk always. Though I did just pick up cashew milk to give that a try. As for the brand, I used Bob’s Red Mill. You could probably substitute rice flour if you weren’t able to find it. But I find that I can find Bob’s Red Mill flour anywhere for the most part. If you try to make them, let me know how it works for you!!
Sure thing! Thanks for the tips 🙂
These look delish! Thanks for sharing! Yummy!