Glazes are usually pretty easy to whip up...but I assure you that nothing could be easier than this one! I kept it very simple by using a different type of baking chocolate that I picked up recently at Sprouts. Guittard chocolate has been around for years (about 145 years to be exact)...but my regular grocery stores don't carry Guittard baking chocolate, only their chocolate chips. Sprouts had several different varieties of Guittard baking bars to choose from. I picked up their 70% bittersweet bars (they come with three 2-ounce bars to a box). I'm so happy I gave these a try because when they are melted, they have a much thicker and richer consistency than melting other types of dark chocolate bars I've used before, which tend to get a bit thin when melted.
I simply broke up 2-ounce bar into a small glass custard cup and heated it in the microwave for a minute or two (you can also melt it on the stove top instead if preferred), and then spooned and drizzled the thick melted chocolate over top of my cooled donuts. I sprinkled some of the donuts with chopped pecans after glazing. The combination of the pure dark chocolate on top of the moist spiced pumpkin donuts was amazing! It was even better than I could have imagined. I may never make another traditional glaze again...certainly not another traditional chocolate glaze! Even though dark chocolate does add a tiny bit of sugar (depending on what type you use and how much)...you could also melt sugar free chocolate (like Lily's chocolate that's sweetened with stevia) if you wanted, or simply use a higher percentage cacao chocolate (like 85-90%) for very low sugar. I am not going to lie...I had 2 donuts as my lunch today! LOL Yup...they are THAT good!
This recipe makes about one dozen donuts. To experiment a bit, I made 6 donuts and 6 muffin tops to test how they worked that way, too. My donuts took 17 minutes to bake and the muffin tops took 15 minutes to bake. If chocolate isn't your thing, you could easily whip up a delicious little sweetened cream cheese frosting (beat softened cream cheese with sweetener, to taste, along with a few splashes of heavy cream and a touch of cinnamon). That would be delicious on these, too. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. I will definitely be making these again...and soon (maybe tomorrow)...LOL. I snapped a few photos for you to see below as well as the recipe as promised. Enjoy!
Chocolate Glazed Spiced Pumpkin Donuts
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup ground chia seeds
3/4 cup confectioners style Swerve (or other powdered sweetener of choice)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or melted butter)
1 teaspoon pure maple flavor, optional
1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia (or to taste), optional
2 to 3 ounces dark chocolate bar (preferably 70% to 90% cacao)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray or grease a 6-cavity donut mold pan with either coconut or olive oil spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, ground chia, powdered sweetener, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, coconut oil and maple extract. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and combine until a thick batter is formed. If a little additional sweetness is desired, add stevia, to taste.
Spoon batter into prepared donut pan and fill almost to the top. Use fingertips lightly moistened with water to smooth and even out batter. Bake for approximately 16 to 18 minutes or until done. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip onto wire rack and allow to cool completely.
To glaze donuts, break chocolate into chunks and place in a small microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave on high for 20-30 second intervals, stirring after each until melted, about 1 to 2 minutes; stir until smooth (or melt chocolate on stove top in a double boiler). Drizzle or spoon melted chocolate over donuts and let set (allow chocolate to cool slightly to thicken up a bit to keep from running off when spooned or drizzled). If desired, sprinkle glazed donuts with chopped nuts before chocolate sets completely. Makes approximately 10 to 12 donuts.
25 comments:
Hi GGC,
Well, what can I say? These are awesome! Your genius never fails to amaze! What a way to celebrate autumn. I love pushing the season and these pumpkin donuts are perfect ... and this recipe has suddenly risen to the tippy-top of my queue! :-)
I have everything I need to make this right now except for the pumpkin. I CANNOT WAIT!
Jeri from WDM
Hi CyberSis,
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them. I just ate the last one and hope to make another batch this weekend! I even ordered another donut pan today (I only have one) so I can bake a full batch of 12 at the same time instead of shifts. Hope you enjoy these! :-)
Hi Jeri,
I hope you enjoy these and are able to find the pumpkin to make them. My stores have lots of pumpkin recently in anticipation of all the fall baking I'm sure! :-)
Hi GGC,
Made these tonight and not only are they wonderful, they also passed the Hubby Test! I turned some of the batter into donuts and some into mini-muffins. The mini's took a few minutes longer to bake than the donuts did, which was somewhat surprising to me. Tomorrow they will be the perfect "finale" to a nice cabbage soup supper! Just oozes Autumn, doesn't it? :-)
Hi CyberSis,
You certainly are on an "Autumn roll" aren't you! So glad you liked them...and hubby too! I thought the batter would make great mini muffins (I made muffin tops with the rest of my donut batter). Isn't it funny that the mini muffins took a bit longer...sometimes you never can tell. Glad you both enjoyed them...and yes, bring on Autumn! :-)
Hi GGC,
We've really been enjoying these! It occurred to me that this recipe could probably be tweaked just a little to make another fall favorite ... Gingerbread!
Have you seen fresh cranberries where you live? My freezer supply ran out quite a while ago. When I went to buy some yesterday they were nowhere to be found. Seems like it should be about time for them to start showing up.
Hi CyberSis,
So glad you are enjoying them. I'm sure you are right about being easy to morph into Gingerbread. I will have to give that a try soon.
Haven't seen any fresh cranberries yet, but you are right...I'm expecting them any day now. Maybe Costco will have them this weekend! I definitely made my share if cranberry muffins last year! LOL I'm sure this year won't be any different. Our cooler weather is just beginning -- 79 was our high today and we are supposed to begin dipping into the 50s at night this week...I can't wait. :-)
I made a batch today but used a 4 oz scoop and baked for 30 min. The recipe made 10 this way. Oh, I also used EVOO....if the Greeks can do it, so can I.
Heaven!
Hi Judith,
So glad you liked them! I have used extra light olive oil for baking sweets before but never EVOO -- you are right though -- if Greeks can do it so can we! ;-)
These are so yummy! I have a daughter who has been very skeptical of this new way of eating and these passed her test!
My question is this, I just made these again and the first time I used powdered sugar because I don't have powdered sweetener. This time I didn't have anything so I just ground up xylitol. Is that just as good as swerve? Also, do I substitute it 1:1 ratio?
Now another question. I am trying to switch out my pantry to better products, it is sure costly! Can I ask you what a reasonable "grocery budget" might be? I find recipes that have so many different things in them, I get over whelmed when I go to the store and try to buy them. I want to be able to make sure my family is fed and not always hungry, that has been challenging. Any advice? Thanks in advance!!
Hi Stacy,
Glad the donuts helped your daughter see that you can still enjoy eating some favorites...even without the added grains and sugar!
Yes, the xylitol is perfectly fine. About xylitol, yes it is 1:1 the same as sugar...BUT, for some people, it can cause some tummy troubles. A lot of that depends on how much is consumed. The only other caution about xylitol is if you have pets...it is DEADLY for dogs. I really don't know why, but make sure the kids never share any treats made with xylitol with pets.
I will say that yes, starting out it is more expensive as you stock your new grain free pantry. But, as you collect the necessary items, and don't have to buy them again every week, you will find that it almost evens out. We don't eat out anywhere near as much. If you keep your eye out for sales on meats, produce, etc., it isn't really too bad. Now, that also depends on the size of your family, too. I belong to Costco and Sam's Club both and depending on the size of your family (and having one near you, of course), you can save by purchasing larger quantities.
My regular grocery shopping includes meats and poultry, fresh and frozen veggies, berries in season, yogurt, cheeses, cream, butter, eggs, etc. You can change it up with spices. Some of the costlier items on this plan are the flours, particularly almond flour. But, once you purchase a bag, it does last a while. My baking staples include blanched almond flour, coconut flour, ground golden flax, chia seeds (ground for baking) and occasionally peanut flour and cashew flour.
My suggestion to you is to try and keep it simple initially so you don't become overwhelmed. While there are lots of great recipes...try and keep it simple for you in the beginning. If you are going to do any baking, don't try to do so much in the beginning. Make a treat or two when you have time (particularly with kids) and just get used to and focus on eliminating wheat, grains and sugars. Don't burn yourself out because it takes a while to get used to it...but believe it or not, it does get so much easier as you go along. Depending on your kids ages, maybe get them involved in choosing meals and helping you out in the kitchen. Your food budget will be the highest in the very beginning but it really does taper off and become more "normal". If you tell me what the most difficult items that your family will have a hard time eliminating or doing without..I might be able to give you some suggestions, alternatives or suitable substitutes. Once your body stops the carb cravings...it is SO much easier; I promise! Let me know...I am always willing and available to help out.:-)
Hi ggc
Okay some of the things my family misses the most are bread, rolls, bread! You get the idea. I have tried some biscuits but the texture with the flax is unpleasant to me. I did find a recipe for bread using psyllium powder, nasty and spongy! I would love to be able to have quick sandwich for lunch when we are busy working outside on the farm. We would make or buy pizza once a week usually. I am not totally sold on the crusts I have made so far but I am not done trying. We do like having more meat on the table though. I do LOVE to bake so I am always looking for something that I have ingredients for while trying to cut out sugar. With the holidays coming I have got to figure out things to take to gatherings for us to eat and not feel left out. Anyway, not to keep rambling but I will figure this out. Both my husband and I and our 2 girls have seen weight loss and are excited about that so we will persevere. Love your blog, it is the first one I go to! One more question, I find so many recipes that are more "gluten free" using starchy flours, how do I sub that out for something else? Thanks again!!
Hi Stacy,
I've never seen flax added to a biscuit before. I have a couple of delicious biscuit recipes; one a Southern Style Buttermilk Biscuit and another Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuit. Not sure if you've seen the recipe for them yet or not.
When you say you don't care for flax, are you referring to all flax or regular "brown flax"? I don't care for brown flax at all...but I like golden flax which is much milder. I have several different pizza crusts (some with flax and some without).
I have a few grain free bread recipes that are loaf style and for sandwiches, etc., my favorite are my Sesame Seed Sandwich Rolls - they are the closest in taste and texture to regular bread that I've had in 2-1/2 years. But, if you definitely don't want flax...I also have a no-flax sandwich bun.
As far as psyllium powder goes, I tried a couple of recipes from others using it and also found it unpleasant. What I have found is that the best bread is typically a blend of almond flour, coconut flour and ground golden flax or ground chia. I don't care for baked goods that rely solely on coconut flour...but used in combination with other flours it improves texture without imparting a weird coconut flavor on everything. Here is a blog post I did recently where I linked some of my more popular bread recipes. If you click on the different colored links in it, it takes you to that recipe. Here you go: http://www.gourmetgirlcooks.com/2014/11/easy-garlic-rolls-other-low-carb-breads.html
Let me know if you need me to point you to any of the pizza crust recipes too. So happy you are enjoying my blog. Let me know if I can help. :-)
Who says you can't hang on to fall, even when it's past Christmas? With temps in the 30s in Minnesota, it even seems like fall. I mashed and froze some pumpkin a couple of months ago and took a container out. Used powdered buttermilk (Saco) and added 2 TB of water at the end. As the sole consumer, I mixed a bit of cream cheese frosting for some donuts, but I'm melting chocolate chips for others. Yummy! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Hi Denise,
What a great idea! I need to make some of those again soon, too. I still have a couple cans of pumpkin in the pantry. So happy you are enjoying them. Keep warm! :-)
I really want to make these! The problem is I don't want to use a pan with non-stick coating due to all the chemicals that are in them, then it leaches into the food. So far I haven't been able to find a pan that doesn't have a non-stick coating.
Has anyone heard of one?
Hi Julie,
Have you looked into the USA Pans? While they are nonstick, they aren't the typical kind of nonstick pans (teflon, etc.). Here is what I copied from their website:
"Our bakeware has been designed with many of the same standard features of industrial baking pans. Each pan is constructed of aluminized steel, the material of choice for commercial bakeries. Metal thicknesses have been selected that allow even heat distribution and maximum service life. Our pans also use steel wires in the rim construction of most pans to provide additional strength and resist warping.
Each pan is coated with AMERICOAT© Plus, a proprietary silicone coating that nearly all North American bakers prefer over dark non-stick coatings. AMERICOAT© Plus is a clear non-stick, environmentally friendly coating that is specifically formulated for superior baking and does not contain any PTFE’s or PFOA’s.
Another unique feature of USA Pan bakeware is the corrugated, or fluted, design. The corrugation maximizes pan strength and prevents warping, denting and other effects of everyday use. Corrugation also minimizes surface contact with baked goods which translates into an evenly baked product that is easily released."
If you still don't want to use something like the USA Pan, I found a cast iron small cake donut size pan online (not sure how it works) like this one:http://www.webstaurantstore.com/lodge-l7b3-pre-seasoned-cast-iron-mini-cake-pan-with-7-cups/530L7B3.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CL309YHH-scCFdgQgQod0jwJmg (it's a Webstaurant store) . You could make the small round cakes and then use a small biscuit/cookie cutter (like this one) to cut out holes after baking like this one at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Odv0Hj
Hope that helps! Maybe someone else might chime in as well. :-)
Thank you so much for the information! I do remember now reading about the coating on the USA Pans. It does sound better than the others, but I now remember why I didn't want to use them - they are made from Aluminum. I threw out all of my aluminum pans because aluminum leaches into our food from cooking, as does using tin foil, drinking from aluminium cans and it is even in our deodorant. There has been a strong correlation found between Alzheimer's and aluminum, so I got rid of it all....pots, pans, deodorant, foil and cans. For some reason aluminum like to store itself in our brain and stay there. They did autopsies on people that died from Alzheimer's and 80% of them had a lot of aluminum in their brain. I don't mean to bum anyone out but after taking a holistic nutrition degree program, that was in one of my classes.
Now the cast iron mini cake pan sounds great! Thanks so much for finding it for me!
Hi Julie,
Yes, I have read about aluminum and its correlation to Alzheimer's as well. I tend to use mostly parchment paper and not much aluminum (even by aluminum free baking powder) but hoped that the silicone coating in these pans might reduce that exposure.
If you decide to give the cast iron mini cake pans a try, let me know what you think about them. I am curious! :-)
Julie....
P.S. -- I found a Lodge Cast Iron Biscuit Pan that you could probably use for the same thing (donuts) without holes or make your own holes in them. Here's the link...it's at Bed Bath & Beyond. :-) http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/300571-lodge-pre-seasoned-cast-iron-drop-biscuit-pan.html
Not being a fan of spice and chocolate, I topped mine with some xylitol, cinnamon and walnuts all ground into a streusel thing. I also put the batter in a quart freezer bag to pipe them into my pans. They are in the oven and looking good so far. I had great faith in the recipe when I saw the vinegar and soda! Didn't have buttermilk, so subbed some whole milk yogurt.
If I baked this in a loaf pan, it would be easier for me, would this dough amount be enough to fill a regular loaf pan ? How much longer would I bake it ?
Sorry to be such a nuisance . My joints now rule my world . lol.
Hi Barbara,
I don’t think it’s enough to fill a regular loaf pan; maybe a smaller loaf pan or possibly an 8-inch round or square pan instead? You are never a nuisance! 😀
Hello, I am just starting a Low Carb diet and was wondering if you have any idea of nutrient value for this recipe? ie how many carbs?
thanks
Lori
Post a Comment