“Caramel” Apple Donuts/ Protein Donuts

Recently while we were out the girls got a mini donut pan and instantly I knew the first donuts I would be making were caramel apple donuts and another donut that I will be sharing soon! Of course these aren’t fried and I tried to make them as healthy as possible even making a “Caramel” Apple Mini Donuts! I say “caramel” because it isn’t real caramel made with butter and sugar but instead  made with almond butter and agave. You can also top these with peanut butter, coconut palm sugar and cinnamon, or eat them plain. I made these for the girls as an after school snack but also the batch for myself which I enjoyed in the morning.

I made a few batches, which my family didn’t seem to mind at all, to see what would work best. I found that applesauce (we used our own homemade chunky apple sauce) will work if you are looking for the prettiest donuts but grated apples also work and taste delicious. The protein version are vegan and gluten-free . I did try to make a gluten-free non protein (still vegan) version with the grated apple which is pictured but those were more dense, more like a cake donut and didn’t rise much. As the girls don’t need to have them gluten-free I made a batch with cake flour which does result the fluffiest/ lightest mini donuts that are like the warm light mini donuts you find at a fair!

With fall in the air these mini donuts are quick and delicious and sure to be a hit with your family, if you don’t eat them all yourself. They are quick, only 7-8 minutes baking time. If you don’t have a mini donut pan don’t worry these can be made in a mini muffin pan which I will be trying soon and updating with bake time.

Apple Protein Mini Donuts

Makes 18-22 mini donuts

1/3c oat flour, gluten-free

1/3c buckwheat flour

1/3c protein powder (used Vega Sport Performance Protein, Vanilla)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

1 flax egg (1 TBSP ground flax+ 3 TBSP warm water)

1/2c apple sauce or 1/2c packed, not too tight keep juices, peeled apple shredded

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4c coconut palm sugar, sucanat, or sugar of choice (used Navitas Naturals Coconut Palm)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/3c coconut milk (used So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Milk)

1TBSP coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 425. In a small bowl mix flax and water, set aside for 10 minutes. In another small bowl, mix together milk and lemon juice. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix together flax egg, milk, applesauce or apples and coconut oil. Add wet ingredients to dry until just combined. Spoon mixture, or use a piping bag, into mini donut pan filling half way. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Let cool a couple of minutes and remove from pan. Sprinkle with coconut palm sugar and cinnamon, or top with “caramel” (recipe below) or peanut butter. Enjoy!

Apple Mini Donuts

Makes 18-22 mini donuts

1c cake flour (if using gluten-free flour add 1/2tsp xanthan gum and 1/2 tsp baking soda)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 flax egg (1 TBSP ground flax + 3 TBSP warm water)

1/2c apple sauce or 1/2c packed, not too tight keep juices, peeled apple shredded

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4c coconut palm sugar, sucanat, or sugar of choice  (used Navitas Naturals Coconut Palm)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/3c coconut milk (used So Delicious Unsweetened Vanilla Coconut Milk)

1TBSP coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 425. In a small bowl mix flax and water, set aside for 10 minutes. In another small bowl, mix together milk and lemon juice. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix together flax egg, milk, applesauce/ apples and coconut oil. Add wet ingredients to dry until just combined. Spoon mixture into mini donut pan filling half way. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Let cool a couple of minutes and remove from pan. Sprinkle with coconut palm sugar and cinnamon, or top with “caramel” (recipe below) or peanut butter. Enjoy!

“Caramel” Topping

3 TBSP almond butter (used MaraNatha)

3 TBSP raw agave

1 tsp vanilla

Stir together almond butter, agave, and vanilla until smooth.

As a Vega Recipe Ambassador I receive Vega products, which I used as an option in this recipe. I use Vega not because it is given to me but because it has been my plant-based protein of choice since before I started blogging and some recipes are made with Vega products I purchase. I only write about foods I love, my blog is an extension of my hobby to make fun healthy food creations for me and my family.