Refined Sugar-Free Banana Bread Donuts

I made these donuts for Everly's 2nd birthday and they were a hit with everyone who had one! I wanted a sugar-free option for her, but also made it dairy-free so my sis-in-law could have it and my dad ended up snagging one and a few of the other little kids had them too. Everyone said they were great! I just adapted a recipe I found on Something Swanky. You can find the original recipe here. I found my donut tin at Target in the states, but I'm sure any home goods store should have one, or Walmart.

These are a denser donut that tastes like banana bread and are the perfect little treat! We still don't want to give Everly sugar, but I couldn't not give her some sort of dessert on her birthday. I had a donut wall at her party so I knew she would see it and want one. Making these donuts was a perfect option for her and she wasn't even sad about not getting the cake or the other donuts. I usually use honey or maple syrup as my sweetener of choice for her, but I opted for xylitol this time. It doesn't spike your insulin levels, and tastes a lot like sugar. The only negative I have read about it is that it can affect your digestion if you consume large amounts. The recipe only called for 3 tablespoons of sugar, so I knew it would be fine. They are also gluten-free, so they're the perfect donut to make when you need to cater to a lot of different food restrictions at a party. Check out the recipe below!

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Refined Sugar-Free Banana Bread Donuts

Makes: 6 donuts

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Donuts:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

• 3 tbsp xylitol (or any other sweetener)

• 1 egg

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 2 tbs coconut oil, melted

• 3/4 cups brown rice flour (you can also use oat flour, or any other gluten-free flour)

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp salt

Glaze:

• 3/4 cups cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• pinch of sea salt

Optional toppings: sprinkles, shredded coconut, nuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a donut tin with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together the bananas, xylitol, egg, vanilla and coconut oil until combined.

3. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold in until combined. Then pour the batter into a ziplock bag.

5. Snip the corner off of the ziplock bag and fill each donut mold about 3/4 of the way full.

6. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

7. While they are cooling you can make the chocolate glaze.

8. Add coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, cocoa powder and sea salt to a small pot over low heat. Remove from heat once melted and combined.

9. Dip the top of the donuts into the glaze and let sit until hardened. If you are using a topping, sprinkle on top while the glaze is still wet.

Best,

Stacey