My protein donuts have always been my most popular recipes. I mean, who doesn't LOVE a good donut, especially when they are a healthier alternative to the traditional fried and sugar-filled treat!?
I've done Pumpkin and Apple Cider, but I hadn't to created a CHOCOLATE protein donut. GASP!! This coming from the girl who has a major soft spot for chocolate. I knew it needed to be changed.
I also took to Instagram and asked a few of my devoted pronut enthusiasts (you know who you girls are!!) what flavors they would like to see for a new donut creation. Chocolate coconut was suggested and I couldn't agree more with that flavor combo.
These donuts seriously taste waaaay too naughty to be nice. Nothing is overly complicated about these protein donuts, but the combination of seemingly simple ingredients make these donuts pack a punch of deliciousness. The chocolate donut is a great base, but what really shines are the toppings.
A simple 2-ingredient glaze sets things off, followed by a small drizzle of chocolate and a sprinkle of toasted coconut. Sure donuts are thought of as a breakfast treat, but these can stand on their own as a seriously awesome dessert.
I highly recommend having one with a hot cup of coffee...or serving one of these up with a scoop of vanilla Halo Top ice cream.
Chocolate Coconut Protein Donuts
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 donuts
Ingredients:
Donuts
- 1/4 cup chocolate whey protein powder (I use Whey Protein Isolate from True Nutrition)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup nonfat plain skyr (Icelandic-style yogurt)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 1 tbsp Neufchatel cheese (or lowfat cream cheese)
- 12 tsp vanilla cashew milk (or nondairy milk of your choice)
Additional Toppings
- 1 tbsp chocolate chips
- 1-2 tbsp shredded coconut, unsweetened
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease donut pan with coocnut oil or butter (just so the donut don't stick to pan) and set aside.
- Mix all dry ingredients (protein powder, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt) together in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients (butter, applesauce, yogurt, egg and vanilla) and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until well incorporated.
- Transfer batter to a large Ziploc bag - we will use this as a piping bag. Snip a very small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag and evenly pipe batter into donut pan. I like to tab the pan on my counter top to level out the batter and ensure there are no air bubbles.
- Transfer donuts to oven to bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick in inserted into the donut and comes out clean.
- While donuts are baking, toast shredded coconut. In a small fry pan over medium heat, continuous stir shredded coconut. It will begin to become golden in just a minute or two. Keep an eye on this because it can go from golden and toasted to black and burnt in seconds! Pull from heat and transfer to a small bowl to cool.
- After the donuts have finished baking, remove pan from oven and remove donuts from pan for cooling.
- While donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. Combine cream cheese and milk in a small flat bowl which is wide enough to dip an entire donut in. Carefully pick up each of the donuts and dunk the tops into the glaze for a light coating.
- Place glazed donuts on a parchment lined cutting board. Melt chocolate chips either over a double boiler or in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Once the chocolate has melted, use a spoon to drizzle over all the donuts, as seen in the photos above. Next sprinkle toasted coconut over donuts.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, placed in the refrigerator.
Nutritional Information (1 donut)
115 calories - 9 g Protein, 8 g Carbs (3 g Fiber), 5.5 g Fat