It’s funny that this is the first recipe I’m posting on this here blog because I actually had no intention of making these! This recipe started out as funfetti cake, morphed into funfetti donuts (still to come, obviously), and then became cinnamon chocolate chip donuts when I realized my coconut sugar-laden donut batter was much too brown for something funfetti.
So, here we are! I’m pretty excited about this recipe because I think it’s one you can make any day of the week without feeling too guilty about it. The donuts have a lighter taste to them, so you don’t feel sick to your stomach after eating one (or two or three because that’s how many you’ll want.) Plus, I think this recipe could become kind of a base for other semi-healthy donut recipes I make in the future.
I do want to mention a few notes before I get to the recipe…
The “healthy” ingredients
You’ll notice that there are a lot of “healthier” ingredient swaps, like coconut sugar for granulated sugar and coconut oil for canola oil. I’m not going to guarantee that that makes these donuts healthy, but I do think it gives them a sweet, but not-too-rich flavor.
I know not everyone has coconut sugar and coconut oil stocked in their pantries, so if you want to sub in more standard staple ingredients, go for it! I think coconut sugar, coconut oil, and almond milk can be subbed for granulated sugar, canola oil, and milk, respectively, without too much of a difference in texture. (But please keep the Greek yogurt!)
Yes to room temp!
You’ll also notice that the cold ingredients in this recipe should be room temp when you use them. I have two reasons for that: (1) It makes it so much easier to combine the ingredients (seriously—you’ll be shocked by how easy it is.) (2) It prevents the coconut oil from hardening back up when you add it to the batter.
Piping the batter into the pan
I realized when piping the batter into the pan for the first time that chocolate chips don’t squeeze very well out of large round piping tips. So, I recommend using either a piping bag without any piping tip or a plastic baggy with a large corner snipped off. Or, you could always opt for mini chocolate chips!
Yay, powdered sugar!
Um, how fun is it to take photos of donuts with powdered sugar “snowing” on them?? I took the powdered sugar photos here with a sieve in one hand and a camera in the other, so I’m just a wee bit proud of myself. I intended to photograph the donuts straight-on while doing this, but hey—you can’t win ’em all.
Alright, recipe time! Enjoy, and happy baking!
Baked Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Donuts
Nutrition per portion
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c (180 g) AP flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅔ c (100 g) coconut sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp
- ⅓ c (79 mL) almond milk, room temp
- ½ c (120 g) plain Greek yogurt, room temp
- 3 TB coconut oil, melted
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ c (120 g) chocolate chips
- powdered sugar, for topping (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease one 12-donut or two 6-donut pan(s) with non-stick spray. (Or, you can always use one 6-donut pan twice!)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, egg, almond milk, and yogurt until smooth. Add the coconut oil and vanilla extract and stir quickly to combine.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan(s) so that each cavity is about ¾ full.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are beginning to brown slightly.
- Sift powdered sugar over the donuts if desired. (If topping with powdered sugar, be sure to serve immediately.) Best served warm!
