I am sure that every parent thinks (and should!) that their child is the most special, adorable and supremely gifted kid in the universe. I am no different and my son continues to amaze me on a daily basis with his kindness, empathy and ability to read. Now, don’t get me wrong – he is still very much a toddler; irrational, moody, dramatic and way too finicky about endless minutia.
His thing is that he was an early reader.
Now, he is 3 and 3/4 and is reading books. Like 2nd grade books. It has taken us a while to get used to this unique and early ability because there have been some downsides to it – like having to explain concepts and ideas to a 2 and 3-year old that you might not think they are ready to talk about. Things like war, death, politics and weather tragedies top the list as he regularly scans the newspaper headlines and asks questions about “why is the government shut-down?” or “why did a drone kill someone from the Taliban?”
All in all, there are way more upsides to early reading than downsides and one of my favorite is his ability to read recipes and ingredients. A couple of weeks ago, I was flipping through a cooking magazine and a little person popped over my shoulder and shouted, “Doughnuts! We have to make Doughnuts! Look, mommy, a chocolate doughnut recipe. Do you see it? Do we have the ingredients? Can we make them?”
The recipe was a standard American diet recipe with white flour, white sugar and all kinds of other crap that I don’t keep in my house and try to limit eating in general.
So, we made our chocolate doughnuts, which are still a major treat in my book, but with the cleanest ingredients we could. The thing is you wouldn’t know when you taste these. These doughnuts are light, full of chocolate and a bit of palm sugar but not cloyingly sweet. The mini chips in the doughnuts give them textural depth and the chocolate glaze seals the deal!
They are phenomenal. You need to make these ASAP!
NOTES:
- I used Enjoy Life Mini Chips. They are dairy, soy and nut free.
- I am in love with Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for two reasons – one is that it has a very mild taste and doesn’t overpower my baked goods (or savory dishes) and two, I get the HUGEST tub of it at Costco for about $20.
- Wilton makes a non-stick, affordable doughnut pan. I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond but Amazon has it for pretty cheap (less than $10) as well.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Paleo Chocolate Chip Doughnuts
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil + a little extra to grease the pan
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk from a can
- 1 teaspoon raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut flour sifted
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips melted
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
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Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease doughnut pan with coconut oil and set aside.
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Using a stand or hand mixer, beat eggs with coconut oil and palm sugar on medium speed until creamy.
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Slowly add in coconut milk, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract and continue beating until well mixed.
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Stop mixer and add in sifted coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and sea salt (or just sift right into the bowl like me). Mix until just combined and remove bowl from mixer.
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Stir in mini chips and scoop batter into doughnut pan with a spatula. Try not to overfill them. You may just a tablespoon or two of batter left over.
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Bake in the center of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool. Trim with a kitchen scissors if necessary.
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Mix 1/3 cup mini chips with 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil in a wide, microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 90 seconds, stopping to stir 1 or 2x, until melted. Working quickly, dip each doughnut (the ugly side that was face up when cooking) into the melted chocolate and place baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Once all of the doughnuts are glazed, place in fridge to set for 15 to 20 minutes.
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Store in the fridge but remove about 15 min prior to eating to allow the doughnuts to come to room temperature. With that being said, we have eaten them right from the fridge and they are still really good but much better at room temp!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Yay for chocolate doughnuts!!! I want some now.
I love baked doughnuts, these look like such a treat!
I will be trying these shortly. How did you get your son to read at his age? I have a son he same age.
Hi Julie!
My husband was an early reader so it might just be genetic. We did do a lot of fun learning games with him when he was a baby but nothing outside the norm.
Your son is impressive! He probably reads better than I do! 😉 Although I’ll bet I could eat more of these doughnuts! Really good recipe, fun post – thanks.
Alyssa,
I think it’s terrific that you’ve got such an exceptional son, and how smart of him to choose doughnuts! I can see he gets it from his mom, because it’s brilliant of you to make a tasty-looking doughnut from ingredients you choose.
Chocolate on chocolate action is my favorite.
Thanks!
Hi Kirsten! Very smart of him to chose doughnuts right 😉
Your little guy is going to keep you very, very busy with his never ending questions. A good thing.
I don’t eat donut but this is more like a cake so I may just give it a try.
Oh my gosh Norma – he already does!! So many, “Why?” and “How does it work?”s a day – it’s crazy!
Alyssa, I am ordering a doughnut pan ASAP to make these…they look scrumptious! What an amazing treat to make, especially with holidays and school breaks coming up soon. And I’m impressed with your little guy’s reading!
They are such a treat Hannah – I have been thinking about getting a second doughnut pan and making two batches at a time to freeze some – that is probably overkill but my boys love these!
Can I replace coconut sugar with stevia or another natural sugar free sweetener?.
I haven’t tried it Kelly so I am not sure if it would work or not – Good luck!
These look incredible! I am excited to try them, and also to play with the recipe, because I am a tinker-er. Can you tell me what, if any, other ways you tried this recipe before you were happy with it?
Hi Nicole!
I tried less palm sugar, more palm sugar and different levels of vanilla with each – this is my favorite version. Try them this way first and then fiddle 😉