Donuts, donuts, and more donuts!
I’m on a mission to bombard this blog with THE best, most creative, high protein, nutritious recipes available on the planet…
and I actually had a muffin recipe all finished up and edited, ready to go, but I didn’t want to post another muffin recipe back to back. I wanted some variety and space in between each one.
But fear not friends, look for that in the next one—-I’m pretty sure it will blow your minds🤯🤯🤯….
Since I’ve been having these donut ideas flowing through my head lately, I had to take advantage of it, because you never know when inspiration will strike.
Ideas will just hit you randomly, at the weirdest of times, and you gotta act on them while it’s still fresh.
So I experimented, tinkered with some flavors, and came up with what I think is another sure-fire winner. I can’t wait for you guys to try ’em!
So without further adieu….
Enter….my Dark Mocha Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Donuts!!
Oven-baked protein donuts….
a 100% cacao, almond flour, whey protein batter….
loaded with dark chocolate chips, espresso, cinnamon, bananas, amaretto…
dipped into a decadent 72% cacao dark chocolate….
drizzled with all-natural peanut butter…
KA-POW!!
It doesn’t get much better than a dark chocolate, mocha, and peanut butter protein donut…..
…am I right??
So here’s what separates these donuts from all the rest…
NO refined flours, NO granulated sugars, and NO butter is used in the batter! That’s right—
1) Instead of all-purpose flour, the most common flour used to make donuts, I use almond flour.
It provides excellent nutritional value—-high in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants—all purpose flour provides NONE of this.
And also, according to the Diabetes Education Online website, “because fiber is a type of carbohydrate your body can’t digest, it does not affect your blood sugar levels. You should subtract the grams of fiber from the total carbohydrate.”
Generally, almond flour contains 5 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fiber per serving. Taking this into account, this means that almond flour only has 2 grams net carbs per serving! Much leaner than all-purpose, and leaner than other commonly used flours like, whole wheat flour or oat flour!
More excellent info on almond flour can be found here.
2) Cacao powder is used to add extra chocolate-y flavor, and also helps eliminate the need to use more flour.
This in turn, lowers the presumed carb and calorie count of these donuts, while also bumping up its fiber content! Cacao powder also has its own unique antioxidants (which we’ll explain its benefits down below). A win-win for us all!
3) I use monk fruit sweetener instead of granulated sugar.
This stuff is a game-changer for me.
—-And that makes it a fantastic substitute for regular white/cane/table/coconut sugar.
Most donuts add some type of sugar into their recipes, like brown sugar, table sugar, or coconut sugar, but these options are all super high in sugars/carbs, and we all know how bad sugars are no matter how you slice it.
But monk fruit sweetener is different.
Monk fruit sweetener is the juice collected from the monk fruit, and it is similar in appearance to regular table sugar.
Here’s the main difference though—
monk fruit sweetener is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, but with zero calories, and zero carbs.
—-And that makes it a fantastic substitute for regular white/cane/brown/coconut sugar.
I personally love this stuff! And I use it in most of my “sweet” recipes ever since I found out about it.
You can sub it in at a 1:1 ratio for regular sugar.
More detailed information about monk fruit can be found here.
4) I sub in peanut butter instead of butter.
I use peanut butter in these muffins to not only add that delicious, nutty flavor, and not just because of its high protein/nutrient content (about 7g protein, 12g unsaturated fats, 3g fiber per 2 tbsp serving), but also because it adds “healthy” fats and oils that help keep these muffins moist, which locks in its flavor.
5) Last but not least…
Whey protein powder is used to add some muscle-building protein.
Chocolate is my flavor of choice here, but you could use a mocha or coffee flavor here, if you like.
Speaking of, I also added espresso powder for that robust, coffee flavor, and this also subtly enhances the richness of the dark chocolate.
Banana is used as a natural sweetener, and I added cinnamon, and almond extract to enhance these already flavorful muffins up even more.
Here are the nutritional benefits of the main ingredients of these Dark Mocha Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Donuts…
Dark chocolate has been shown to contain high amounts of antioxidants, polyphenols, and flavonoids—all of which are believed to help fight cancer, fight free radical damage, and fight disease. Certain research has shown dark chocolate to maybe help improve brain function, boost memory, and enhance focus. Also, flavonoids in dark chocolate have been shown to help improve heart circulation.
Bananas are fully-loaded with potassium, a very important nutrient which has been shown to help support the body’s circulatory system, help move oxygen throughout our cells, and helps to lower high blood pressure. Bananas are high in fiber, which helps keeps our digestive system running smoothly, helps to remove toxins, and helps fight inflammation. Bananas are also high in vitamins B6, C, and manganese.
Peanut butter, which is basically grounded up peanuts, contain about 8 grams of protein per ounce, this is more than allother nuts. Peanuts contain bioactives like flavonols and phenolic acids, that provide numerous health benefits. Studies have shown that resveratrol (found on the peanut skins), a bioactive found in only a few foods, may help lower risks of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.
Cinnamon is considered the most antioxidant-rich spice available in the world. The antioxidants found in cinnamon are believed to fight off disease, protect our DNA from cell damage, slow the aging process, and may fight cancer. Cinnamon has also been shown to help fight off infection and sickness.
Here’s what you’ll need…
And of course, you need 2 donut pans. Like so….
Some quick notes before you get started…
-you can sub 2/3 cup applesauce instead of the banana.
-After removing them from the oven, let the donuts cool in the pan for a few minutes. This makes for easier removal.
-Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. Best if consumed within 3-4 days. I like to re-heat them back up in the microwave, it’s just like they’re fresh out the oven!
If you like these, then you need to check out my….
- Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Protein Donuts
- Hazelnut Mocha Amaretto Protein Pancakes
- Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Brownies
Alright then, let’s get to it!!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
donuts
|
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 scoops chocolate whey protein powder
- 3 tbsp cacao powder
- 2 tsp espresso powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp monk fruit sweetener
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 large banana
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 dark chocolate bar (70% cacao or higher)
- peanut butter
Ingredients
donut batter:
topping:
|
|
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Add dry ingredients to bowl. Mix thoroughly. In separate larger bowl, mash banana with fork. Add other wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients bowl, until fully incorporated. Don't overmix. Fold in dark chocolate chips.
- Grease donut pan with olive oil. Using spoon, add batter into each donut section, at least 2/3 full, or fill to the top. Should make about 10-11 donuts.
- Bake in oven for about 10-11 minutes, or until surface is set.
- Remove from oven. Let cool for 3-5 minutes in pan(for easy removal). Meanwhile, break down dark chocolate bar into small pieces. Place into bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, until melted to liquid form, stirring as needed.
- Dip donuts into dark chocolate. Drizzle peanut butter on top. Enjoy!
-you can sub 2/3 cup applesauce instead of the banana.
-After removing them from the oven, let the donuts cool in the pan for a few minutes. This makes for easier removal.
-Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. Best if consumed within 3-4 days. I like to re-heat them back up in the microwave, it’s just like they’re fresh out the oven!
Did you try this recipe? How did it turn out for you?? I would love to hear from you! Sound off in the comments section below or use the social media buttons throughout the website. Enjoy!!