Double Chocolate Donuts (Paleo & Keto)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! To me, Valentine's Day isn't about flowers, candy, and presents, it's about donuts.. clearly. I think I have posted a donut recipe every Valentine's Day for a few years, and I am totally okay with that! 

I wanted to make a yummy treat for Ryan and the boys to eat this week. Of course it had to be grain-free and free of refined sugars, so I whipped these up.. and they are wonderful. The ganache is simple and delicious. You will likely be left with a bit of ganache left over, but if you have big eaters like I do, that should not be a problem. 

**You will need a Wilton Donut pan (or 2). You can order those here!**

You will see how to make these both Paleo and Keto in the recipe below. Be sure to have all requied ingredients ready to go! I suggest using Amazon Prime to order the Choc Zero Sweetener and the Sugar-Free Chocolate chips if you are doing these keto!

Enjoy, and as always, please let me know how these go for you. Can't wait to see your photos. Be sure to hashtag and tag @thewholesomefoodie on Instagram!

Grain-Free Double Chocolate Donuts 

(Paleo, Keto-Option)

Serves 8-10

**You will need a Wilton Donut pan (or 2). You can order those here!**

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted but cooled slightly
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (my secret ingredient)
• 1/4 cup choco-zero maple syrup (purchase here for keto) , maple syrup, or honey (for paleo)

Ganache:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk or full fat canned cococnut milk
• 4 ounces Lily's chocolate chips (for keto) or semi-sweet chocolate chips (for paleo)

Donut Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and spray a Wilton Donut pan with coconut oil or spray.
2. In a large food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until batter is smooth.
3. Pour batter so it fills about 75% of each donut mold.
4. Jiggle pan around a bit to even off the batter and bake in oven for about 9-13 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and let sit for 30 seconds. Quickly flip onto a cooling rack and cool for 30 minutes before frosting.

Ganache Process:

1. Pour chocolate chips in a medium-large heat proof bowl.
2. In a heavy bottom medium sauce pan, heat milk and butter until butter has melted.
3. Allow milk to barely simmer for 2-3 minutes. Do not allow the milk to boil or it will burn.
4. Pour milk over chocolate so chocolate is covered and let sit for 4-5 minutes.
5. After the time is up, stir chocolate and milk mixture until smooth.
6. Dip donuts in the ganache and enjoy!

Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Brownies (with Keto-option!)

Hey guys!

Hard to believe we are almost at the end of the week. I just made a joke with my family telling them that if they gain weight this week it's not my fault.. and that's because I have been baking these bad boys ALL week long. They've had to endure devouring brownies.. I know, tough job, huh? My 5-year-old certainly doesn't seem to have any complaints!

It was much trial and error testing these recipes out, but I am finally confident I have them perfect for you all. These brownies don't require any beans, avoados, or sweet potatoes to make them nice and fudgey. Beware, if you aren't a fudgey brownie lover, these probably are not for you.
(Be sure to see the notes and my keto options below!)

Notes :

**Do not overmix. Blend the brownie mix until smooth and not any more. Over mixing may cause the brownies to crack and split during baking.

**If you're making the keto option, don't be surprised if the brownies don't look exactly the same. Different sweetners yield different results.. however, they're all still delicious!

**For more cakey brownies, feel free to add 1/2 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder to your mix. This MAY cause the brownies to rise and split just a bit, but I promise you they'll go down and even out once you remove them from the oven.

**Feel free to use all butter or all coconut oil. This may change the texture slightly. Be aware, the all coconut oil ones will taste very coconut-y... which some people love!

**If you aren't using baking powder, you may notice your brownies sinking in a bit in the center. This is normal. They will still be delicious.


Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Brownies:
(Paleo, Keto-option)

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (use a sugar-free brand for keto)
• 1/4 cup butter (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil 
• 6 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (use powdered sugar-free sweetener for keto)
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder (optional for more cakey brownies)

Process:

(Prepare an 8x8" pan by lining with aluminum foil and greasing with coconut oil. Preheat oven to 350°)

1. In a medium sauce-pan over low heat, melt chocolate chips, coconut oil, and butter and mix until very smooth. It is important you do this very slow so that the chocolate doesn't burn.

2. Set aside chocolate and coconut to cool slightly.

3. In a stand mixer or using a hand-held mixer with a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, coconut sugar or keto-sweetener, and vanilla until well-combined. 

4. In a separate bowl, mix arrowroot powder, cocoa powder, salt, and optional baking powder. You can sift these together if you'd like.

5. Add the melted chocolate and oil slowly to the egg mixture. Beat until mixture is smooth.

6. Add the dry ingredients, 1/4 cup at a time. Mix until batter is smooth and shiny.

7. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until center is set.

*For more homestyle recipes, tips, and tricks in the kitchen, visit our friends at Village Bakery!*

Paleo/Keto Blueberry Muffins

Happy snow day, New England! We are expected to get about 12+ inches here so we are cozied up inside, relaxing. and baking (of course). There is no better activities to do when you are stuck inside. A lot of you from Instgram have been asking for more keto-friendly recipes. And when you ask, I deliver! I whipped up a batch of these this morning so these are still a work in progress texture-wise, but they are DELICIOUS. 

Below, you'll see the recipe with keto modifications where the star ** symbols are. The Paleo version uses tapioca flour while the keto version uses a bit of coconut flour. The finished product may look a little different than my photos depending which version you try. I chose to make these Paleo. Please let me know how it goes if you decide to make these and post photos in the comments below, or tag me on Instgram!

Paleo/Keto Blueberry Muffins

(paleo, keto)

Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour or 1 tablespoon coconut flour for keto**
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup honey or 1/2 cup powdered sweetener + 2 tablespoons full fat coconut milk for keto**
• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries (not frozen)

Process:

(Preheat oven to 350°)

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together almond flour, tapioca flour or coconut flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together eggs, honey or powdered sweetener, coconut milk (if making keto version), vanilla extract, lemon juice, melted butter or coconut oil, and lemon zest.
3. Slowly combine wet ingredients in to dry and mix until batter is as smooth as possible.
4. Gently fold in blueberries.
5. Divide mixture into 12 muffin liners (**I used silicone, but if you don't, be sure to spray with your favorite baking spray!**)
6. Bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and muffins are golden brown.