This weekend I threw myself a little LADIES ONLY birthday-brunch with a handful of my closest girlfriends and it was an absolute blast. It was so nice being able to spend a few hours with these ladies, eating delicious food, laughing and sharing so many wonderful stories with one another. The dads were on kid duty for the first hour and half, so we took full advantage!!

The brunch was more of a potluck, as everyone brought over their favorite dish to share. With that, I knew I needed to get creative with what I was planning on bringing to the table! I knew I wanted it to be a brunch themed party since brunch food is my absolute fave of all time! I also knew that my famous Gluten Free Banana Blender Pancakes were going to make an appearance, but I still wanted to make something fun to go along with them, so Hello Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts! This was my first time making them, and boy oh boy did they turn out AMAZING!

These donuts are adult and kid friendly and you would never know that they are Gluten Free, Dairy Free! Now that is a total score in my book! The real test for me is if if the little ones like them…and I am happy to report that they were all going crazy over them.

Now to make these donuts even more fun than they already are, you can get really creative with the toppings and decorations. With Halloween just days away, throw some orange sprinkles on them and they will be perfect for the occasion! I chose to use both sprinkles and chopped almonds because I couldn’t make up my mind. Either way you go, you really can not go wrong with whichever toppings you choose. They options are endless, which really adds to the excitement, especially if you get the little ones involved.

Oh and have I mentioned how extremely simple these are to make? I always choose to use REAL and SIMPLE ingredients when it comes to baking. I don’t like recipes that are too complicated because quite frankly, who has the time for all of that?? And I also don’t find it necessary for them to have unrefined sugar, white flour or tons of butter. There are always healthier alternatives to use, that do not compromise the flavor or the texture!

Some of the healthier ingredients that were used in this recipe are the following:

• Almond Flour instead of white or wheat flour and the texture was not compromised one bit. They are still soft and maintain your typical cake-like-donut consistency.
• Maple syrup was the sweeteners used. This natural sweetener is a staple in my house and is one of my favorites to use in place of unrefined sugar. You could also sub it for raw honey if you’d prefer, as well!
• Unflavored Coconut oil was used in place of vegetable oil. It is one of my favorite oils to used in baking, but you could also sub this for avocado oil or grass-fed butter if desired.
• Coconut milk is one of my favorite dairy-free alternative milks to use. It also contains healthy fats and has a yummy flavor that I really enjoy.

I really hope you get the chance to make these super fun and super tasty Donuts! They will be a hit, I can assure you. Be sure to comment below or tag me at #healthymommamanda.

Recipe is adapted by https://www.frompastatopaleo.com

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Donuts:

• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
• 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips ( I used dark chocolate)
• 1/2 full-fat canned coconut milk
• 1/4 c unflavored melted coconut oil, can sub melted grass-fed butter
• 2 pasture- raised eggs
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:

• 1 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or grass-fed butter
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 donut trays with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients.
3. Melt chocolate chips and coconut milk over a double broiler or melt in microwave for 30 sec increments, stirring after each time.
4. Once chocolate has melted completely, stir in the oil. vanilla, eggs and maple syrup.
5. Add the wet mixture to your dry mixture until well combined.
6. Spoon your batter into your donut pan or you can use a piping bag if you prefer.
7. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.
8. While donuts are cooling, make the chocolate glaze by melting your unsweetened chocolate, oil and maple syrup in a small saucepan on low heat. Stir frequently and remove from heat once melted, to thicken.
9. Once donuts have cooled, dip them into the glaze and apply toppings of choice. ( I used both chopped almonds and sprinkles)