Glazed!) Gluten Free & Keto Chocolate Donuts

Ingredients

• 64 galmond flour
• 28 gcoconut flour
• 1 tablespoonground psyllium husk
• 1 teaspoonxanthan gum
• 240 mlwater
• 57 ggrass-fed unsalted butter or coconut oil
• 3 tablespoonserythritol or xylitol
• 1/2 teaspoonkosher salt
• 3eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 30 gcocoa powder
• 50 gpowdered xylitol
• 1/4 teaspoonkosher salt
• 42 ggrass-fed unsalted butter, melted, or 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
• 1/2 teaspoonvanilla extract
• 2–3 tablespoonsheavy cream, sour cream or coconut cream, at room temperature
• 1–3 teaspoons, optionalhot water
• 1piping bag or plastic bag
• 1doughnut pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the oven

   Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease the doughnut pan and dust it with cocoa powder.

2. 2

   Mix the flours

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium husk and xanthan gum. Set the mixture aside.

3. 3

   Cook the dough

   Heat the water, butter, sweetener and salt in a medium pan or Dutch oven until the mixture just begins to simmer. Turn the heat to low and add the flour mixture, stirring continuously. Cook and stir for 1–3 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the pan and forms a ball.

4. 4

   Cool the dough

   Transfer the dough back to the bowl and leave it to cool for 5 minutes. It should remain warm, but not so hot that it scrambles the eggs.

5. 5

   Add eggs and cocoa

   Mix in the eggs one at a time with an electric mixer, waiting until each is fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla, baking powder and cocoa powder. The finished dough should be very elastic.

6. 6

   Pipe and bake

   Spoon the dough into a piping bag or plastic bag, without a tip, and cut a 2 cm opening in the bottom. Pipe rings into the prepared pan. Wet a fingertip and smooth the joins for a more even rise. Bake for 20–25 minutes, checking at 15 minutes for over-browning and covering with a foil dome if needed. Leave the doughnuts in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool before glazing. For a coating instead of glaze, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sweetener straight from the oven.

7. 7

   Make the glaze

   Sift the powdered sweetener into a bowl and whisk in the salt. Stir in the melted butter, vanilla and your chosen cream, one tablespoon at a time, until the glaze reaches the consistency you want. If needed, thin it with a little hot water. Test the thickness with a fingertip; if the glaze splits, use an immersion blender to smooth it.

8. 8

   Glaze the doughnuts

   Dip the doughnuts into the glaze. If the tops are uneven, turn them over and use the rounder bottoms as the new tops.

9. 9

   Serve or store

   They are best enjoyed warm and freshly glazed. Glazed doughnuts keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two; unglazed ones can be kept at room temperature.

What are chocolate doughnuts?

Doughnuts are a familiar American bakery treat, usually fried and often finished with a sweet topping. This version is baked in a doughnut pan and uses almond and coconut flours rather than wheat flour.

The dough is cooked briefly on the hob before the eggs are added, giving it a choux-like method. Cocoa in the dough and a creamy glaze make these especially chocolatey.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 166 calories, 5g protein, 6g carbs, 14g fat.

The almond and coconut flours contribute most of the carbohydrates, while butter, cream and eggs provide much of the fat; eggs also supply some protein. For a more balanced plate, serve one doughnut with plain yoghurt or fresh berries.

Why cook the dough first?

Flour mixture: whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium and xanthan gum together before adding them to the pan so the binders are distributed evenly.

Pan stage: stirring the mixture over low heat until it forms a ball is a key part of the method. Let it cool for 5 minutes before adding the eggs so they blend in rather than scrambling.

Getting an elastic dough

Eggs: add them one at a time and mix each in fully. The dough should become elastic before you pipe it; this helps it hold its ring shape in the pan.

Piping: cut an opening about 2 cm wide and make a continuous ring in each mould. A damp fingertip can smooth the join where the ends meet.

Baking and checking doneness

Timing: bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes, but start checking at 15 minutes in case the tops are browning too quickly. Cover loosely with a foil dome if they need more time but are already darkening.

Cooling: leave the doughnuts in the pan for 10 minutes before moving them to a rack. Let them cool before glazing so the topping can sit on the surface rather than melting straight off.

Making a smooth glaze

Cream: add it one tablespoon at a time, since the amount needed can vary with your chosen cream and the consistency of the sweetener. Sour cream gives the glaze a tangy edge.

Texture: if the glaze is too thick, loosen it with a little hot water. If it splits, an immersion blender can bring it back together; cream at room temperature can help avoid that problem.

Serving and finishing

Fresh glaze: these are at their best while still a little warm and freshly dipped. Turn a doughnut over if its top has baked unevenly and the underside is rounder.

Alternative coating: for a cinnamon-sweetener finish, brush the doughnuts with melted butter and sprinkle them straight after baking, rather than glazing them.

Recipe notes & tips

• Bring the cream to room temperature before mixing it into the glaze.
• Weigh the flours for a consistent dough texture.
• Pipe the dough evenly so the doughnuts bake at a similar rate.
• Check for browning at 15 minutes and use a foil dome if needed.
• Wait until the doughnuts have cooled on a rack before glazing.
• For the smoothest finish, dip the rounder side of each doughnut.

Variations

• Coconut oil: use it in place of the butter in the dough for a dairy-free option.
• Tangy glaze: choose sour cream for a gently sharp finish.
• Coconut glaze: use coconut cream instead of heavy cream or sour cream.
• Cinnamon coating: brush the hot doughnuts with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sweetener.
• Thinner glaze: add hot water a little at a time until it reaches your preferred consistency.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding eggs to hot dough: leave the dough to cool for 5 minutes first so they do not scramble.
• Adding all the eggs at once: mix them in one at a time so each is fully incorporated.
• Skipping the early check: look in at 15 minutes and cover with foil if the tops are browning too quickly.
• Glazing too soon: cool the doughnuts on a rack first so the glaze does not melt away.
• Adding too much cream: stir it in one tablespoon at a time to control the glaze thickness.
• Using cold cream: bring it to room temperature to reduce the chance of the glaze splitting.

How to store

Store glazed doughnuts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days; unglazed doughnuts can be kept at room temperature for the same period. Warm briefly before serving if you like, then glaze freshly if they were stored unglazed.

Frequently asked questions