Feed Your Body Friday: Healthy Breakfast Donuts

Donuts? For breakfast?

Nope, we’re not kidding.

Imagine starting the day with these little delights! Yes… as unusual as it may seem, today we are officially giving you the go-ahead to eat donuts for breakfast! These healthy little breakfast donuts are ultimately as nutritious as they are tasty! They will be impossible to resist, ensuring you’ll never skip breakfast again!

These donuts are packed with antioxidants, omega-3 essential fatty acids, protein, and dietary fiber. Unlike many of the plump, fried, sugary donuts you buy at the store, Starbucks, or that trendy cafe down the street, these breakfast donuts are dense and satiating. They contain 2 times fewer calories and carbs than commercial donuts. Thanks to the hemp seeds, they even provide a very satisfying “crunch” in your mouth.

As these donuts are baked, they have much less fat than if they were deep-fried. Plus, there’s no added sugar and only 3 tablespoons of butter in all of the donuts!

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Cool Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 12 mini donuts or 6 regular donuts

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup hemp seeds
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. melted butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 3 tbsp. chopped pistachio

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Grease a donut mould.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, hemp seeds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Gently add the butter, the maple syrup, milk, vanilla, and mix well. The preparation may not be completely homogeneous, - this is normal.
5. Pour the mixture into the donut pan and bake for 25 minutes. Test the donuts by inserting a toothpick into the dough (about mid-way through) to see if it comes out clean. If not, put them back in the oven for a few more minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting: in a small microwaveable bowl or a bain-marie, pour in the chocolate and milk and melt the chocolate.
7. Take the donuts out of the oven; let them cool on a rack. Once cooled (but ideally still slightly warm), dip the top of the donuts in the melted chocolate (if the chocolate spreads poorly, warm it for a few seconds; if it is too thick, add a little more milk).
8. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts (optional) and place in the refrigerator so that the frosting hardens.
9. Enjoy!

Quick Tip:

If your donuts don’t rise, check to make sure your baking powder is still good! It can be kept about 1 year in the pantry, but loses its effectiveness over time.

To find out if your baking powder is still effective, pour a small amount of the baking powder into a glass of water. If bubbles form on the surface like foam, it is still good. If not, it’s time to get new baking powder.

If you’re wondering if donuts can really be healthy, I ask you: What truly makes a healthy food?

There is often a tendency to categorize foods as “good” or “bad.” Yet the truth is that food is far too complex to classify food in such a black-and-white, yes-or-no way. The secret is that we must aim for balance and eat a wide variety of foods.

To put it simply, I like to say that home-cooked meals are typically healthier than purchased, already prepared alternatives, since the food industry likes to add fat, sugar, salt, and additives to processed foods. When you learn to make healthy modifications to your recipes, you really can make your entire diet nutritious - even the treats!

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