PALEO CHOCOLATE BEET DONUTS

Happy National Donut Day!!! I sure hope you’ve got some donut goodness going on today – whether it’s in your kitchen, or you’re grabbing a delish donut from the local donut shop.

If you’re looking to forgo store bought in favor of something a little healthier and totally delicious, might I recommend the chocolate beet donut beauties you’re currently staring at? They’re BEYOND – a few of these is definitely how I’m celebrating today’s holiday.

You might be side-eyeing me right now about that fact that the word “beet” is appearing directly before the word “donut.” I presume you don’t think those things go together.

Well, I’m here to tell you that you’re WRONG! They most certainly do. The beet flavor in these is undetectable, but they add a sumptuous moistness and soft, fluffy texture that is absolutely amazing. Oh, and the beet juice makes the frosting turn the most beautiful shade of pink!

Ingredients

2 small/medium sized red beets I used plain precooked beets from LoveBeets
1/3 cup non-dairy milk of choice
1 cup (96g) almond flour
1/3 cup (37g) tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup cacao powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze/frosting
1/2 cup coconut butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons beet juice I used the juice from a package of LoveBeets

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a donut pan with coconut oil.
Place the beets in a blender along with the non-dairy milk (I used cashew milk). Blend until smooth and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, coconut sugar, and cacao powder. Whisk all dry ingredients together.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, coconut oil and vanilla extract together. Whisk in the pureed beet mixture.
Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Use a spoon to put the batter in the prepared donut pan, or put it in a piping bag/ziplock bag with the tip cut off and pipe the batter into the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes - 11 minutes was perfect for me. Bake for 7 minutes for mini donuts. Let cool completely before carefully removing from the pan. Repeat with remaining batter.
For the glaze, combine all of the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl and whisk to combine. If you want the topping to be more glaze-like, you can warm the ingredients slightly and pour it over the donuts. If you want the topping more frosting-like (as pictured), let the ingredients thicken slightly and whisk to your desired consistency. Don’t let it get too hard or it will be hard to spread.
Store donuts tightly sealed in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for longer term storage.