Sea salt chocolate oat-nuts
Hey hey hey 😀 How are you? What have you been up to this Sunday?
Bella’s been up to the usual..
Sleeping and looking gorg. She’s good at that 😉
This morning, we met up with some friends for breakfast at the Delicious Egg and then hit up La Encantada to shop a little. We both need outfits for Tuesday night (all of our fancy schmancy attire is in the POD), but didn’t have any luck.
I did, however, manage to find some stuff at J Crew (heh heh)
and a DONUT PAN! 😀
I’d been wanting one ever since I saw the incredible donuts Jenna posted and the chocolate donut recipe in Cooking for Isaiah, so I was super excited to finally find it at Crate & Barrel.
When we got back to the casa, we had a little snack (TJs artichoke ravioli for him, protein pancakes for me)
a cocktail
and made something delicious in the new pan 😀
This recipe is just a version of *this recipe* that a reader, Jerri, directed me to. When I first saw the recipe, I was so excited because it doesn’t contain any flour or sugar.
I went through a phase last year when I was “healthify-ing” recipes by doing one of three things: 1) use Stevia instead sugar, 2) putting a bunch of protein powder in it, and/or 3) adding in pureed vegetable (like butternut squash or pumpkin). These tactics worked pretty well for me, but I’ve gotten to a point where if I want a dessert, I want it to be a not-necessary-but-mind-blowing dessert (like the torte last night!), or something that isn’t trying to masquerade as something else. (<— I do that enough with my protein pancakes and everyday type stuff)
This recipe isn’t low-cal, low-sugar, low-fat or have extra protein. It’s all real food though, and has an amazing dose of healthy fats from the olive oil, flax and almonds. It’s more of a muffin or cookie-texture instead of a donut, but the hole in the middle makes things a little more exciting 😉
For the directions, check out *this recipe*—here are the ingredients I used:
Wet ingredients:
-1.5 mashed bananas
-1 small container of plain organic applesauce
-1 T flax
-1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
-1 t vanilla
Dry ingredients:
-1 1/2 C gluten-free oats
-1/2 C almond meal
-1/2 C shredded, unsweetened coconut
-1 t baking powder
-1 t cinnamon
1/8 t sea salt
-1 bar of dark chocolate with sea salt, chopped
The dough has a unique fluffy texture from the bananas:
just enough for the donut pan + 5 heaping tablespoon-sized cookies 🙂
Baked for 15 min at 350*:
(Note: flipping smoking hot donut-things onto a plate wasn’t my smartest move… they almost totally fell apart, but I couldn’t wait to see what they looked like!!)
So cute!! The Pilot tried one and really enjoyed it. The texture is definitely different, but the melty chocolate chips are what does the trick 🙂 The plan for these is to take some to the madre’s, and then individually wrap the rest and freeze them. This way, whenever we want a sweet treat, we can grab one and heat up 🙂
We’re going to make dinner and then meet friends for some vino 😀
Have a lovely night and I’ll see ya in the morning! <3
xoxo
Gina
Something to do: Last chance to follow me *here* to be entered for the dehydrator giveaway!
Something to talk about: What’s your favorite *unique* kitchen tool/accessory? I adore our pizzelle maker- perfect for Christmas cookies and waffles cones.
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How cute! I love getting new kitchen toys 🙂 Can’t wait to hear about your LA trip!!!
I desperately want a donut pan!
Enjoy your night with friends & wine – sounds perfect!
I can’t think of any particularly *unique* kitchen tool I use. I really love my marble rolling pin, my apple cutter and my mini crock-pot (for dips) though. I also have some really unique bamboo appetizer plates that I love to bust out at dinner parties! =)
Your donut-cake-cookie-thingies look/sound delicious! I might try them in cookie form!
Yum- those look delicious, and I approve 100% of all the ingredients 🙂 Love that’s there’s all wholesome, real food and no processed or added sugar. No donut pan yet, but i may just have to make these into cookies in the meantime 🙂
definitely some good wholesome ingredients in there though! i need to get myself a donut pan.. the ziplock bag/cut a hole in the corner trick can only work for so long… i need prettier donuts!
what a great idea! 🙂
mmm melty chocolate chips are always the trick 😉
Ahh I have been wanting a doughnut pan forever I definitely need to get on that asap yours are adorable!
Does TJs carry Kombucha?
I like my sushi mat
How creative to turn cookies into “doughnuts”! I’ve been wanting a doughnut pan since Mama Pea whipped up her first batch!
Fave unique tool/utensil would be my Toddy for brewing coffee! It’s totally changed the way I drink my morning cup! Love it!
I recently saw a donut pan at a kitchen store at the outlet mall and really wanted one, but didn’t know how to make donuts. Maybe I can get one now and use your recipe!
Bella looks super duper adorable in that pic. I played with my doggies today and feel so much better – usually I don’t get enough play time with them and feel guilty.
I can’t wait to find out about the dehydrator giveaway tomorrow. I’m going to wish upon a star tonight that I win, haha!
Mmm those donuts look so fun!
This isn’t unique, but I love my magic bullet! It’s perfect for my protein shakes/smoothies and so easy to clean up!
I want a donut pan — if only to make such cute shaped treats 🙂
Cannot wait to get a donut pan! Auuuugh! 😀
that flavor of synergy is my favorite 🙂
i plan to stock up our freezer this year with healthy snacks and goodies, individually packed in vacuum sealed packages, always ready to go! plus i will always have healthy snacks on hand with my new dehydrator, just need some recipes!
Post idea is for more dehydrator recipes or all sorts, snacks and desserts. You recently did kale chips and bread. i need more help 🙂
So glad you liked the recipe so much so that you turned them into donuts! You’re just brilliant- they’re much cuter that way! Cheers!
The pilot looks so pensive in that pic. 😛
The “donuts” look great!
Yum! I love that Healthy Cookie recipe. I’ve made so many variations of it, it’s gotta be my favorite healthy recipe. I’m jealous of your donut pan, it makes things so much cuter 😀
Those are uber cute!! I don’t have a donut pan, but could definitely make these into cookies. As for unique kitchen gadgets…today it was using a small ice cream scooper with the handle you press in to easily get the dough out. It never gets used for ice cream, only making uniform cookies. Tomorrow i’ll find a totally different kitchen gadget that I love, lol…
Our doggies look alike;) Except Henry is obviously a boy. Love that pic of Bella.
Yum–those look great! I’ve been loving my whoopie pie pan (that I actually use for veggie burgers-haha)! 🙂
I love that kombucha! I had the exact same one on the ferry on my way to work today! 🙂
I also saw the donut post from Jenna’s blog and thought I ought to get a donut pan. Not done it yet – thanks for the reminder!
oh they look so yum! im coming over to eat them mmmk?
Donut pans are so awesome. I can’t wait to bake with one. 🙂
Those donuts look so great. It is the shape that give them a lil something special, even if they taste like a cookie.
I think my favorite kitchen tool is my apple de-corer. I love that thing and use it all the time.
What a great recipe…reminds me of many of my nobake granola bars but then baking them into those cute donut rings. Love the donut pan you found. I think I need to make donuts all of a sudden!
“something that isn’t trying to masquerade as something else”
and
“This recipe isn’t low-cal, low-sugar, low-fat or have extra protein. It’s all real food though,”
I totally agree with both. I am done “healthifying” desserts. Broccoli is healthy, that’s why i eat it. Dessert is dessert. I dont need to confuse or intermix the two concepts 🙂
And the 2nd part…not low cal, etc. Amen. Not everything has to fit that bill. I grew up on cakes and cookies and you know what, it was great 🙂
I love this post and recipe, Gina!
I’ve been wanting a donut pan since I saw Jenna’s donuts too! Right now I’m loving my blender/food processor, but I’d also love to have a juicer! Your dough recipe sounds delicious. I love the ingredients too – I think I could probably just eat the dough on its own… on that thought.. maybe I don’t need a donut pan. 😉
Bella is so precious! She looks so comfy!
Where did you find that dark choco with sea salt? I remember seeing it somewhere but cannot remember where for the life of me!
Those donuts still look pretty darn healthy to me! And I love the way their texture looks. I actually prefer a muffin texture to a cakey texture.
You two could definitely win a most beautiful bloggies contest!
and those donuts look great! sort of granola-y with a softer texture. must try!
I had to google pizzelle maker – interesting!! I had never even heard of it – very cool. I love the idea of your donuts – so smart to make them almost crunchy with the granola. That sea salt chocolate sounds amazing too.
Mmm donuts. That looks good, but every now and then I’d need the real thing 😉
Fave kitchen tool? Frother maybe? Or marble pizza stone? Or melon baller?
What an awesome idea, these look amaziiiiiiing and they look very healthy ! YUM!
Mmmm, muffin-y donuts with sea salt chocolate (my fave) – these sound fantastical!
Those look great- and different!
I’ve been wanting a donut pan too. Now I have to get one because that recipe looks amazing. Oatmeal+chocolate= 🙂
Yet another baking item that will be added to our wedding registry 😉
I couldn’t agree with you more.. I’ve made ‘healthy’ versions of desserts and have come to the conclusion (after biting into a chewy weird textured applesauce & yogurt-y banana bread) that I should just use butter & sugar… lol. My husband agrees.
Those look so delicious! I think it is really important to enjoy everything we eat – especially dessert! I’m not good at substiting things like stevia for sugar – especially because I don’t like the taste! Lately I’ve been focusing on eating what I like – and if it isn’t healthy, either trying to find a healthy version I enjoy or avoiding it completely!
I think we should enjoy all the food we eat — after all, the process of digestion starts in the brain — how we feel about what we are going to eat, how much we desire it, etc.!
Mama Pea has also done some nice donuts recently – one had oat flour and protein powder. I plan to give it a shot. I am not huge fan of cooking with protein powder but maybe if it has a donut shape I will like it more.
cute doughnuts 🙂
Too funny, I was so close to buying a donut pan over the weekend. The protein pancakes sound awesome. Lately I’ve been using my sprouter like crazy sprouting whatever type of beans and grains I can.
I keep seeing great donut recipes…I think you have convinced me that I need to invest in a donut pan!
I think I’m gonna try to make these as cookies for now 🙂
Those doughnuts look so yummy! Oh, and I followed you!
I went through that phase too! I am totally with you, I do that all the time, so when it’s treat time, have a real treat! Enjoy it, get it out of your system and then back to normal. 🙂
amen
How healthy are those doughnuts really? They look amazing!
Just catching up on your blog! Love the little donut pan, so cute! Also, random question: where did you get your cute pink cardy? I love how bright and springy it is!
thank you! it’s from new york and company- i almost never find anything there, but love their cardigans!