Flourless Chocolate Protein Donuts (with hidden veggies!)

My family has some pretty great foodie traditions when it comes to holidays. Gingerbread men decorating parties at Christmas. Huge pancake stacks with whipped cream and sprinkles on my daughter’s birthday. Smoked salmon anything and everything on my birthday and Mother’s Day. Beef stick bouquets on anniversaries (true story). And donuts on any holiday that centers around my husband, Ken.

For as far back as I have known my husband, donuts have been his kryptonite. Maybe it started way back in his teenage years when he used to make donuts at a local donut shop. Or maybe its just something he has loved for all his life, but each year on his birthday and Father’s Day, my daughter and I tiptoe out of the house at the crack of dawn in our jammies to retrieve him his beloved donuts. It’s our tradition to enjoy those little circles of sugar on those holidays, and I doubt we will ever give it up entirely.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t make the tradition a little bit healthier. A bit cleaner. With protein……and hidden veggies!

Don’t get me wrong! I am all about living a life of balance and think there is nothing wrong with an occasional treat that is as far from healthy as you can get. But, I am also all about finding new, healthier ways of living the life we love. A way to have our cake and eat it too….or, in this case, donuts.  Enter my Flourless Chocolate Donuts (with hidden veggies!).

These bad boys bring a new level of health, deliciousness and nutrition that has never seen donut form before. Moist and fudgey. Perfectly chocolately and sweet…..but loaded with veggie goodness, healthy fats and protein that the unknowing taste tester will never detect.

I first became inspired to preform a major donut makeover when I received at bag of Paleovalley’s Organic Supergreens Powder in the mail. I was totally in love with its amazing superfood ingredients (spirulina, kale, spinach, broccoli sprouts, and aleo vera leaf to name a few) and adored that it was free of any fillers or funky preservatives. I was dying to find a way to get it into my family’s bellies, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to convince my 5-year-old and brutally honest husband to drink a glass of Supergreens Powder with water (which I totally do). And then one day, I found myself lacking greens for my Flourless Chocolate Protein Waffles (with hidden greens) and subbed in the Organic Supergreens Powder  ….and it was magic! 

Soon, I found myself throwing the green goodness in everything to help get bonus veggies into my family. Meatballs. Pasta sauce. And now these donuts.

What felt like a “cheat” now feels like an investment in our health. These Flourless Chocolate Protein Donuts are loaded with good fat from almond butter and avocado and are naturally sweetened. Beside the Organic Supergreens Powder, these donuts unknowingly sneak a little extra zucchini into your diet. 

My family’s tradition of donuts on Father’s Day with continue on this Sunday, but this year it will be a bit healthier of a celebration. 

Psssttt. Extra special for YOU, Paleovalley is giving all of my followers a special discount to use site-wide so that you guys can make their awesome products part of your easy-peasy healthy living journey as well!  Just enter the Promo Code “nurture” for 30% OFF entire order from now until June 30, 2017. 

Disclaimer: Thank you to Paleovalley for sponsoring this post! My promise to you, my readers, is to only promote content and products that I truly believe in and buy myself. All opinions stated in this post are my own.

Makes 6 standard donuts (double batch pictured)

Ingredients for donuts:

• 1 heaping tablespoon Organic Paleovalley Supergreens Powder
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup natural unsalted smooth almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut free option
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1/2 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
• 3/4 cup washed and roughly chopped zucchini
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• coconut oil for greasing 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and use a pastry brush or your clean hands to grease a 6-cavity donut pan.
2. Combine all ingredients in your blender and run until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender a few times to make sure that all ingredients gets mixed in! But be careful not to over mix.
3. Scoop donut batter into a large ziplock bag and cut off the tip of the bag with scissors. Squeeze batter into the greased donut pan. Tap the donut pan on the counter a few times to make sure all the batter settles into the cavities evenly.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Set pan over a wire rack to cool. Wait until donuts are cooled then remove from the pan. The longer they cool, the firmer they will become.
6. While donuts cool, make the chocolate drizzle (optional)

Ingredients for chocolate drizzle (optional)

• 1/3 cup clean chocolate chips (this is the brand that I used)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil

Directions:

1. In a double boiler, combine chocolate and coconut oil. 
2. Melt over medium heat, stirring continuously to prevent burning.
3. Once chocolate is totally melted and smooth, use a spoon to drizzle over the cooled donuts.
4. Enjoy as is or garnish with fresh berries, slivered almonds, chia seeds, bee pollen, shredded coconut or dye-free sprinkles!

MAKE SURE YOU STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL OF THE HAPPENINGS HERE ON THE NATURAL NURTURER AND SUBSCRIBE HERE. 

This post contains affiliate links, though all opinions are my own. When you purchase anything using my links, it costs you absolutely nothing extra, but it does kicks The Natural Nurturer a little financial love to keep doing what we do. Thank you for your continued support, both with your dollars and your interest

Sharing is caring!