In honor of Halloween this week I want to share this special recipe for paleo Chocolate Sprinkle Doughnuts from page 33 in my cookbook Eat What You Love. When I was growing up, it was a tradition to have pumpkin soup and donuts on Halloween night before going out to trick or treat. Sugar before sugar! Ha. Most of the time, it was powdered sugar donuts. But sometimes they were chocolate glazed with sprinkles, like these. My favorite!
We make these doughnuts for almost all special occasions in our house. They are my kids’ favorite breakfast treat for birthdays, Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day! They are a grain-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free chocolate cake doughnut with a smooth chocolate glaze topped with sprinkles and/or toppings of your choice.
When I was growing up, it was a rare treat to get doughnuts for breakfast, but I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents and going to their favorite doughnut spot, World’s Fair, for breakfast. This recipe brings back all the nostalgic memories and it makes me incredibly happy that I get to give my kids similar memories! I also love to keep them stocked in the freezer to send to school for parties.
Getting the kids involved:
My kids love making this recipe for paleo chocolate sprinkle doughnuts with me! They like to help by dipping their doughnuts in the chocolate sauce and decorating them in their own special way. It’s a great family activity and a way to get your kids involved in the kitchen. Typically I use dye-free sprinkles when I make these but when I last made them with Kezia, she had the great idea of using dried strawberry slices. You can really get creative here and add whatever toppings you’d like. I even think some bacon bits would taste delicious on top! We like to make an assembly line where I put the melted chocolate in one bowl and all the toppings in smaller bowls so the kids can easily dip whichever toppings they’d like. This makes it easier to clean up, as this definitely can result in a messy kitchen when little ones are involved!
The doughnut Maker:
As a cookbook author, I have several kitchen gadgets that I am always using to test new recipes. Besides my Instant Pot, I think the purchase of my doughnut maker has been one of the best decisions. It makes perfectly sized mini doughnuts in a matter of minutes, and I think the texture is better than when baked. If you don’t have a doughnut maker, you can easily just use a doughnut pan and cook in the oven.
I have several other doughnut recipes too if you are looking to make a variety of flavors. My Paleo Strawberry Doughnuts, Baked Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts, and my Caramel Glazed Doughnuts are all delicious and paleo-friendly doughnut options. You can make a batch of each flavor and assort them in boxes and use them as a fun and delicious holiday treat for friends and family!
I hope you enjoy this exclusive recipe from Eat What You Love! Be sure to let me know what toppings you decorate your doughnuts with!
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PrintChocolate Sprinkle Doughnuts
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1⁄2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1⁄3 cup melted expeller-pressed coconut oil or ghee
- 1⁄4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1⁄2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1⁄2 cup coconut sugar
- 6 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1⁄4 cup arrowroot powder
- 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
GLAZE
- 3 ounces dark chocolate
- (85 percent cacao), chopped
- 11⁄2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon expeller-pressed coconut oil (see Tidbits)
- 1⁄2 cup Rainbow Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat a doughnut maker. If using a doughnut pan, preheat the oven to 350oF and grease the pan liberally with palm shortening.
- In a blender, combine the eggs, coconut milk, oil, maple syrup, vinegar, vanilla, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, coconut flour, arrowroot, baking soda, and salt and blend on high speed for 30 seconds, until well incorporated. Let the batter rest for 2 minutes, then blend again on high for 15 seconds. Scoop the batter into a large resealable plastic bag, seal the top, and snip one of the bottom corners to make a piping bag. Pipe the batter into the doughnut mold or pan, filling it completely. Cook until the doughnut machine indicator light goes off, about 5 minutes, or bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a doughnut comes out clean. Remove the doughnuts from the mold or pan and cool on a wire rack.
- To make the glaze, bring 1 inch of water in a saucepan to a simmer. Place the chocolate, maple syrup, and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl and set it over the simmering water, creating a double boiler. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the mixture frequently until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Turn off the heat, remove the bowl from the pan, and stir in 1 tablespoon of water.
- Pour the sprinkles into a shallow dish. Dip the tops of the cooled doughnuts in the warm glaze and twist gently as you remove them from the bowl to allow excess glaze to drip off. Place the doughnuts on a wire rack to set for 10 minutes, then dip the tops of the doughnuts a second time. Immediately dip the tops in the sprinkles. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour to harden the chocolate.
Notes
Store the doughnuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, or freeze the doughnuts in an airtight container, with a square of parchment paper placed between each row of doughnuts, for 4 months. Defrost at room temperature for 1 hour.
Tidbits: I use expeller-pressed coconut oil so the glaze doesn’t taste too coconutty, but virgin coconut oil would work as well.
While making your own sprinkles is fun and ensures they are free of artificial dyes, refined sugar, and cornstarch, India Tree makes some dye-free sprinkles that would work well here.
Keywords: dessert, chocolate doughnuts, doughnut, baking, gluten free, paleo, Danielle Walker, against all grain
10/27/21
Paleo Chocolate Sprinkle Doughnuts
I would love to try these donoughts for my daughter. They would be perfect for school, however she is egg free right now. What can I use to replace the eggs? Thanks so much. I live your recipes. I bought all your books;)
Hi Gina! Any egg replacement you can tolerate would work well with this recipe – you can try flax eggs or aquafaba. Enjoy!!
What sprinkles do you suggest? We need cornstarch and tapioca starch free. I cannot find anywhere.
would love to try this but i have a question … is it 6 tablespoons coconut flour AND 1⁄4 cup arrowroot powder, or is it OR 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
Tried these assuming i’d be disappointed. No donut maker so i used a mini bundt pan for some and madaline molds for more, then poured the rest in a small pyrex pan. They didn’t last long enough to put the chocolate on top, nor did they cool! closest thing to edible cake i have had since going GF. I have a double batch in right now in hopes of trying the chocolate on top!!
★★★★★
I just made these and they are awesome!! I have not had a doughnut or chocolate cake in years and this is definitely like the real thing! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!! I do have a question about the glaze, though. Is the maple syrup supposed to be 1 1/2 Tbsp.? It looks like 11/2. Thank you again!!
★★★★★
one and a half!
Great! Thank you!
Love these!! I have family members with dairy and gluten allergies so I tried these and they were a big hit! Perfectly tender and great chocolate flavor. I will be returning to this recipe over and over.
★★★★★
These donuts are the BEST!! Decadent and not too sweet so you can eat a whole bunch and not feel sick!! 😂🍩🍩🍩
★★★★★
Where can we find the nutrition information for your recipes. thank you
These are so good! My whole family was impressed with the flavor and texture. I will be making these often!
★★★★★
Can these be made in a stand mixer or do they need to be made in a blender?
Hi! You can use a stand mixer. Enjoy!