Today is National Donut Day (well, at least it is as I am writing this!) and in honor of this seemingly arbitrary day, I decided to whip up a batch of Baked Cinnamon Coconut Donuts.
Why I love making baked donuts
I love making baked donuts like these because they use minimal ingredients, can be made using just two bowls and NO fancy mixing equipment (you will need donut pans though- these are the ones I use), and can be tailor made to fit whatever you happen to be craving. The best part is – these can be made from start to finish in under 30 minutes, including rest/cool time! Today, I was craving something sweet, but not overly sweet, and can pretty much eat cinnamon anything all day everyday, so I decided to shake this recipe up a bit by using a ripe banana instead of sugar and full fat coconut milk instead of whole milk, since both flavors pair very nicely with cinnamon. And the result is truly something amazing! I personally can’t really taste the banana flavor as its very subtle, and there isn’t a strong coconut flavor either. Both are super mild and just marry all the other awesome ingredients together so nicely!
Some surprisingly healthy ingredients
What else I love about this recipe is I can throw in other healthy ingredients and no one would know, except of course, me (and now you!). Baking with grass-fed collagen peptides is one of my favorite ways to add extra gut healthy nutrition and protein into our diets. Just two scoops of the powder equates to 20 grams of protein and mixes in really nicely to the batter and has no flavor. Perfect Supplements makes my favorite grass-fed collagen and I prefer it over main brands like Vital Proteins, because it is glyphosate residue-free certified by the Detox Project. Use code GLOWING10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order on Perfect Supplements. This is such a versatile ingredient and you can pretty much add collagen peptides to anything, including broths, soups, coffee, and other types of desserts, like these dairy-free fudgsicles I make regularly for myself and the kids.
Let me know what you think!
This Baked Cinnamon Coconut Donut recipe has lots of room for flexibility, so if you make these and put your own spin on it, I’d love to hear about it!
Enjoy!
Baked Cinnamon Coconut Donuts
Ingredients
For Cinnamon Sugar Topping - Optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray donut pans with Avocado Oil Spray
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray each donut mold in your pans with Avocado Oil spray, or your preferred non-stick spray, to ensure they come out easily after baking.Â
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Mash and Mix Wet Ingredients
In a small to medium sized mixing bowl, mash your banana until it becomes a smooth, glossy paste. A few lumps at this point will be fine, as it will continue to break down as other ingredients are added. Next, add the eggs and vanilla and mix altogether. Once combined, pour in the sourdough starter discard (or one of the suggested substitutions) and the full fat coconut milk. Mix until completely combined and is a smooth, well-blended mixture.Â
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Mix Dry Ingredients Together
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. Feel free to sift if you'd like, but I usually skip this step as it doesn't feel necessary. Once mixed, create a well in the center of the bowl to prepare the mixture for the addition of the wet ingredients.Â
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Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Pour the wet ingredients into the center of the well of dry ingredients you created. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Mixture should be slightly thicker than pancake batter.
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Pour batter into oiled donut pans
Using a ladle or measuring cup, scoop enough batter into each donut mold so that it is about 2/3 full. You do not want to overfill the molds. Take a spatula and scrape any of the batter that covered the donut hole center off to the side, making sure that the center is exposed in order to create the actual hole in the center of the donut while baking.Â
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Bake!
Place prepared donut pans into your preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 12 minutes. Depending on your oven and altitude, baking times may vary, so make sure to check periodically if they need to go past 12 minutes. I use the knife test after 12 minutes to ensure that they are done. If the tip of the knife comes out clean, then they are done. The edges will also be slightly browned to indicate that they are done.Â
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Rest and cool
Once done, take donuts out of the oven and, using the tip of the knife, slightly go around the edges of the donut to gently dislodge, careful not to cut into them. Place a wire rack on top of the donuts and then flip them over to release them from the pan. Allow them to rest on the wire racks for at least 5 minutes before eating.Â
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Optional Topping - Cinnamon Sugar
Once you have let your baked donuts rest for at least 5 minutes, now you can add any additional toppings you desire. You could use plain powdered sugar, make a vanilla glaze with coconut butter and vanilla extract, or my favorite, top with a cinnamon sugar mixture. For my cinnamon sugar mixture, I like to use Coconut Sugar instead of refined sugar. To make, I use 1 tablespoon cinnamon and combine it with 1/4 cup sugar. Mix together and that's it! I like to dip each donut into the mixture, and then sprinkle a little more on top.Â
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Enjoy!
This is where you get to savor your baked cinnamon coconut donuts and not even feel a little guilty since they are health-ish! And honestly, any day can be donut day when they are this easy to make!
Note
These will keep on the counter in a sealed container for 3 to 5 days. Because these baked cinnamon coconut donuts are delicious AND pretty to look at, I like to keep mine on my counter in my favorite eco-friendly and sustainable glass storage containers with beautiful bamboo lids by Urban Green. The glass containers can go in the dishwasher and look absolutely gorgeous filled with coffee beans, lentils, flour, oats, baked goods, etc! This is where I snagged mine!
