Healthier Spiced Sweet Potato Baked Doughnuts (gluten free; optional dairy free) with Maple Glaze

Meet my gluten free Sweet Potato Baked Doughnuts or should that be baked ‘donuts’? They’re awesomely good and way healthier than most doughnuts you’ll find. They are wholesome not only for the ingredients they contain, but because they are baked doughnuts, rather than fried.

I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love a doughnut. If you are Coeliac or a gluten-avoider though, a decent gluten free doughnut is an elusive treat (I know… I’ve hunted high and low for them…). Equally, if you fancy a doughnut but have a health-conscience, you’re pretty much stuffed! So these, my healthy but ‘intolerant’ friends are for you…

Anyone who has followed Gluten Free Alchemist for some time will know that I love a challenge. My creativity is most inspired when given an ingredient or some strange specific ‘guideline’ (like a colour, ingredient or foodie event) that I have to incorporate into a new recipe.

These sweet potato doughnuts are the result of one such provocation and are developed in response to a sweet potato challenge thrown to me at the Allergy and Free From Show last week by the team from Fullgreen, in partnership with Hip and Healthy. The specifics of the challenge were to create a recipe using Fullgreen’s Sweet Potato Vegi Rice. I’m all for finding ways to hide veggies in treats to make them healthier (and to sneakily get the kids to eat more good stuff), so a sweet bake (which would also harness the natural sweetness of the sweet potato) seemed the way to go.

We already often eat Fullgreen’s Vegi Rice products at GFHQ (they do a variety of cauliflower rices in addition to the sweet potato), mainly because I can’t be bothered with the hassle and mess of ‘ricing’ cauliflower and other veg, when I can buy it already prepped in a bag (yeah… I know I’m really lazy), but I have never tried baking with it. Heaven only knows why, because it has to be one of the easiest, most time-efficient ways there is to bake with veggies… No peeling, chopping, grinding, grating, pulsing, steaming or extra washing up. You just tip the bag into your mix at the right time and bobs-your-uncle, veggies included!

The recipe for these gluten free doughnuts is also so versatile that I have used the batter base for an alternative bake which I will share with you very soon. I’m really thrilled with how it (eventually) turned out. I admit the final recipe was the end result of three trials (fortunately I had a couple of spare bags of Fullgreen’s Sweet Potato Vegi Rice in the larder in addition to the one they kindly gave me at the Free From Show).

The sweet potato adds moistness as well as goodness to the doughnuts without any obvious hint of ‘veg’ (my daughter and her friend didn’t come anywhere near guessing the ‘secret ingredient’) and whilst I used butter for a little decadence (and because we can eat dairy), they work equally well with both a good dairy free spread or with coconut oil (I have tested!).

These particular baked doughnuts need less sugar because of the natural sweetness of the potato, although I have mixed in a little of the less refined variety. You can use either light soft brown or coconut sugar, both of which are better from a health-perspective as well as offering a lovely caramel hit on the tastebuds.

The addition of nutritionally-rich ground almonds (high protein, low carb, with great levels of healthy mono-unsaturated fat and vitamin E) is not only good for you, but helps keep the doughnuts fresh for days (if you can make them last that long) and I’ve also used my home mixed Gluten Free Alchemist rice free flour blend both for the best texture and because the blend incorporates protein and fibre-rich whole grain gluten free flours.

Although the glaze contains a cheeky bit of icing sugar, the bulk of its luscious sweetness comes from the use of natural maple syrup, which not only gives a beautiful caramel colour, but tastes divine and pairs perfectly with the warming cinnamon and ginger spices in the doughnut.

Want to know how good these gluten free sweet potato doughnuts are? When I gave them to my daughter’s friend (who is a usual gluten eater), she told me that they were ‘the best doughnuts she had ever eaten’… which makes me happy that they are good enough to share with you too. Go on… give them a go (and of course, let me know if you do and tag me on social media… I love to see what you have all been making)!

Gluten Free Spiced Sweet Potato Baked Doughnuts (optional dairy free)

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Yield: 12 doughnuts

Author: Gluten Free Alchemist

Delicious, healthier gluten free sweet potato baked doughnuts drizzled with a deliciously decadent maple glaze.

ingredients:

Sweet Potato Doughnuts

• 160g rice free flour blend (as in this post) or alternative rice free blend
• 80g ground almonds/almond meal
• 1½ teaspoons ground psyllium husk powder
• pinch fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon GF baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder
• 50g unsalted butter/dairy free spread/coconut oil (butter should be softened; coconut oil should be melted)
• 120g soft light brown sugar/coconut sugar
• 3 large eggs (preferably free range)
• 200g (1 bag) Full Green Sweet Potato Vegi Rice (or equivalent weight mashed/riced cooked sweet potato)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Maple Glaze

• 60g butter/dairy free spread
• 120 ml maple syrup
• 125g icing/confectioner’s sugar (sifted)
• roasted chopped nuts (optional) to decorate

instructions:

How to cook Gluten Free Spiced Sweet Potato Baked Doughnuts (optional dairy free)

Doughnuts

1. Prepare a doughnut tin by lightly greasing the doughnut holes (Tip : use cake release paste/spray). Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
2. Weigh and mix together the dry ingredients (flour; almonds; psyllium; salt, baking powder; bicarbonate of soda; spices) and set aside. Tip :  weigh into an airtight container and shake vigorously to mix.
3. Beat together the butter/spread/melted coconut oil with the brown sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add and beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended and slightly lighter in colour.
5. Add the sweet potato and vanilla extract and beat again until well-blended.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and lightly fold through until evenly blended.
7. Pipe the dough batter into the holes in the doughnut tray and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until firm and springy (be careful not to over-bake, or the doughnuts will become dry).
8. Carefully remove from the tray and place on a wire rack to cool completely (cover with a clean cloth whilst cooling)

Maple Glaze

1. In a small saucepan stirring over a low heat, or in a microwave (30 second bursts at medium, stirring frequently), melt the butter/spread into the maple syrup and mix until well-blended.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the icing/confectioner’s sugar.
3. Leave to cool (stirring intermittently) until the glaze has thickened to a light coating consistency.
4. Dip each doughnut (Tip : dip the ‘fluffy’ side) into the glaze and place on baking paper or a wire rack (glaze side up). Sprinkle with chopped, roasted nuts (optional) and leave (either at room temperature or in the fridge) to allow the glaze to set.

NOTES:

This recipe makes 12 doughnuts, for which you will need two six-hole doughnut tins. If you only have one, make 6 doughnuts and make the rest into doughnut muffins or mini cakes.

Gluten Free Alchemist © 2013-19

Created using The Recipes Generator

I am also sharing my gluten free spiced sweet potato baked doughnuts with :

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Baking Crumbs with Jo’s Kitchen Larder and Apply To Face Blog
What’s for Dinner #209 with The Lazy Gastronome

Inspire Me Monday #391 with Create With Joy
Dare to Share Saturday #374 with Pam’s Party & Practical Tips and Kandy Kreations
Fiesta Friday #284 with Angie, Of Goats & Greens and Food, Eat Love

Weekend Potluck #385 with The Country Cook

Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Party #292 with Across The Boulevard, Two Chicks & a Mum; Sew Crafty Crochet, This Autoimmune Life and Eye Love Knots

Gluten Free Alchemist © 2013-19 unless otherwise indicated