Cocoa Banana Donuts

One of the things I like to do for special occasions at work is make a unique, off-the-official-menu (gasp!) snack for the kids. Generally, these events are restricted to once a month or so in order to prevent me getting into too much trouble with the parents and other staff (some of them are quite particular about sticking to the corporate menu cycle), so when I do deviate I try and make the best of it. Whether it's a pan of chewy brownies, itty bitty cinnamon buns or a whole cookie sheet apple pie, throwing a twist into the usual fare of crackers, veggie sticks and banana bread keeps the kids interested, and the teachers hungry too!

Since the teachers and I were up to our eyeballs in planning stress over last week's Mother's Day event, the kids missed out on any sort of special treat themselves. To make it up to them, I made a few batches of goodies last week, so that each class could have something suited for their palates (and any dietary restrictions). These donuts were the Elementary group's special treat: slightly sweet, fruit-filled, baked rings that were tender and moist inside (despite being eggless). They got a hint of colour and flavour from a combination of cocoa and mesquite powders and a boost of nutrition from spelt flour too. Not that the kids cared... they saw donuts and the rest was history!

Shared with Sugar & Slice Sunday.

Cocoa Banana Donuts
Makes 14
1 large banana, mashed
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp melted butter
¾ cup buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup spelt flour
1 tbsp mesquite flour (optional but delicious)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
½ tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp sea salt

Glaze:
¼ cup whole milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 425°F and lightly coat a doughnut pan with cooking spray.
2. Mash banana, sugar, honey, melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla together until smooth.
3. Add flours, cocoa, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
4. Scrape into a piping (or zip-top) bag and pipe into the doughnut pans.
5. Bake for 8 minutes.
6. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

For glaze:

1. Combine milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat until warm.
2. Sift powdered sugar and cornstarch into milk mixture.
3. Whisk slowly until well combined. Dip doughnuts and cool on a wire rack.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 203.5
Total Fat: 2.2 g
Cholesterol: 5.4 mg
Sodium: 29.6 mg
Total Carbs: 44.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
Protein: 2.8 g