donut|Sparkles and Sprinkles

Gluten-free banana munchkins – Perfect for Mardi Gras!

by sparkle | Jan 22, 2024 | Snack and Dessert Recipes

Looking for a donut that is a little healthier than the store bought version, but still a delicious treat? Try our fun banana cinnamon munchkins! They are gluten-free and refined-sugar-free.

Several years ago, one of our daughters asked, “Do you think we could make gluten-free donuts?” Mama, of course, asked the question of how we could make them somewhat healthy, and we came up with this recipe together. Our children love them, and we hope your family will too!

The munchkins are pictured here with Mardi Gras decorations because they can make great “Beignets de Carnaval,” but they can make a yummy treat at any time of the year.

The main ingredients are bananas and light buckwheat flour. To read more about how we came to love light buckwheat flour – a gluten-free flour with a light color and mild flavor – click here. These munchkins are fried in oil, but if you prefer a baked donut, check out our paleo donut recipe.

Let’s make munchkins!

Gather your kitchen supplies:

Mixing bowl
Potato masher (or fork)
Mixing spoon
1 Tbsp
1 tsp.
1/2 tsp.
1 cup
1/4 cup
sauce pan
cookie scooper
slotted spoon
plate
paper towels

Gather your ingredients:

For the batter:

2 ripe bananas
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup light buckwheat flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

For frying:

vegetable oil – enough to fill 2″ deep in pan

For dusting:

2 packets Sweet Leaf stevia powder
2 tsp. cinnamon

Measure, mix, cook, enjoy!

Step 1

Peel 2 ripe bananas and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2

Mash the banana well, using a potato masher or a fork.

Step 3

Measure 1 Tbsp vegetable oil.

Step 4

Add the 1 Tbsp vegetable oil to the mashed bananas.

Step 5

Measure 1 cup light buckwheat flour.

Step 6

Add light buckwheat flour to the bowl.

Step 7

Measure 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Step 8

Add cinnamon to the bowl.

Step 9

Measure 1/2 tsp. baking soda.

Step 10

Add baking soda to the bowl.

Step 11

Mix all ingredients well, adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to get a thick, but moist, batter consistency.

Step 12

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. (Use enough oil for about 1.5 to 2 inches of oil in the bottom of the pan.)

Step 13

To test if the oil is the right temperature, place a wooden spoon handle into the oil. If bubbles form around the wood, the oil is hot enough.

Step 14

Using a cookie scooper, drop a number of munchkins into the oil. Be careful to be gentle so that the oil does not splash. Do not overcrowd the pan.

Step 15

Tip: Use a metal spoon to gently loosen the munchkins from the bottom of the pan, if necessary. The munchkins need to float in the oil.

Step 16

Let the munchkins cook in the oil until they are golden brown. (This only takes a few minutes.)

Step 17

Use a slotted metal spoon to remove the munchkins from the oil one by one.

Step 18

Place the munchkins on a paper towel covered plate to let them cool (the paper towel absorbs excess oil).

Step 19

Tip: You may want to cut into a munchkin to see if it is cooked thoroughly in the middle. (Cook a little longer if necessary.) Repeat steps 14 to 18 until all munchkins are cooked. Let them cool while making the cinnamon “sugar” coating.

Step 20

Make the cinnamon “sugar” mixture by mixing together ground cinnamon and stevia powder. (About 2 packets stevia powder and 2 tsp. cinnamon should be enough, but make more if you prefer.)

Step 21

Roll the munchkins, one by one, in the cinnamon “sugar” coating. (Note: the cinnamon “sugar” coating is optional. If you prefer a munchkin that is less messy, skip the coating.)

Let the party begin!

Looking for masks and bead for Mardi Gras? We had so much fun decorting these masks last year, and thought these beads were great too. Enjoy!

We’re so glad you stopped by sparklesandsprinkles.blog today!

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Have a beautiful day! Bonne journée!

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Paleo Donuts {baked, gluten-free}

by sparkle | Sep 1, 2023 | Breakfast Recipes, Snack and Dessert Recipes

On a recent trip to Nashville, we had the opportunity to go to Five Daughters Bakery. What a treat! They have delicious paleo donuts that we all sat down to enjoy one sunny afternoon… and perhaps the best part is that everyone was happy afterward (rather than the cranky behavior effect of regular donuts). We love the sweet theme of love and family at Five Daughters Bakery, so we had to snap a picture of the donut box…

Nashville is way too far away for us to be able to get these delicious donuts again any time soon (though a 10 hour drive might almost be worth it!), so upon arriving home, we experimented with recreating these delicious donuts. Our daughters (who are quite the food critics) actually said they think our homemade donuts are even better… Mama thinks the Five Daughters Bakery donuts are the winner, but then again, for a mama, it’s quite a treat to be able to find a healthy gluten-free snack for everyone without having to make it.

In this post, we share with you our recipes for chocolate chip donuts with chocolate ganache, and fresh raspberry donuts with creamy frosting.

* Plus – scroll down for a fall favorite we just added – apple cinnamon donuts *

The donuts can be made strictly paleo, using coconut oil, or the version our children like best, with butter.

Ingredients for 12 donuts (for complete instructions, please scroll down):

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 Tablespoons tapioca flour

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup melted butter (or melted coconut oil)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup milk of choice

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or fresh raspberries

Frosting/topping of choice

If you are looking for a donut pan, we recommend this one from Nordic Ware:

Let’s make donuts!

Step 1: Measure dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 Tablespoons tapioca flour

Step 2: Stir dry ingredients together well.

Step 3: Measure liquid ingredients into a separate large mixing bowl.

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup melted butter (or melted coconut oil)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup milk of choice

Step 4: Whisk liquid ingredients together well.

Step 5: Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together well.

Step 6: Add mini chocolate chips or fresh raspberries.

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup washed fresh raspberries

Step 7: Grease donut pan and generously pipe in donut batter.

Cut about a 1 inch opening at the tip of the piping bag prior to filling the bag with batter.

This recipe makes 12 donuts.

Need a donut pan? We love this one from Nordic Ware.

Step 8: Bake in 350 degree oven for 13-15 minutes.

We have found 13 minutes is enough. Try not to overbake.

Step 9: Let cool slightly in pan, then transfer to cooling rack.

Step 10: Top with chocolate ganache or raspberry cream

Once donuts are completely cooled, top them with chocolate ganache or raspberry cream. This is optional, the donuts are great even without topping. (See instructions below.)

Chocolate Ganache

For the chocolate ganache in the photo, we made a super simple microwave version using just dark chocolate, butter and stevia. Simply place a dark chocolate bar in a microwave safe bowl. Melt chocolate in microwave (about 1 minute and 30 seconds). Add a few Tablespoons butter (or coconut oil), and stir with warm chocolate until well combined. Stir in sweetener to taste. Dip the top of donut into the ganache, then lift up the donut and place on a plate. Beautiful and so fun!

Raspberry Cream frosting

For the raspberry cream frosting in the photos, we used coconut cream. Refrigerate a can of coconut cream over night (make sure it is cream, not milk). Pour off the liquid and discard it. Place the cream (should be solid) in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip until fluffy. Add sweetener to taste (such as stevia or honey). Add a small amount of fresh raspberries. Whip again until well incorporated. Use a piping bag to frost the donuts. You could also use whipped cream instead of coconut cream, or use our low sugar butter cream cheese frosting.

Try a fall favorite – Apple Cinnamon Donuts!

Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/3 cup applesauce to the plain donut batter. Once donuts are baked and cooled, dip the tops in a mixture of ground cinnamon and stevia powder. This makes a yummy apple donut, like you might find at an apple orchard or fall festival, but our version is gluten-free.

ENJOY!

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Note: Sparkles and Sprinkles is not affiliated with Five Daughters Bakery. Our four daughters are big fans of Five Daughters Bakery, though, so we tried to create some similar donuts at home.