For Christmas, Aleyah, my six-year-old,  received a “doughnut basket” under the tree. In it was:

• Babycakes Covers the Classics Cookbook
• A Bella Cucina Mini Donut Maker
• A mixing bowl and a spatula
•  Sprinkles and chopped nuts

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  
  

On New Year’s Eve, we had the opportunity to give this no-fry donut maker a test drive. We had fun and it turned out to be a delicious little treat! I chose a gluten-free cookbook because I love giving my family more than just wheat-based products. I used the plain donut recipe which calls for garbanzo bean and fava bean flour as well as brown rice flour. (She recommends Bob’s Red Mill flours)

After the 7 minutes or so it took to make 7 donuts, we let them cool a bit and then dipped the tops into our dark chocolate sauce (see below), placed several organic mini marshmallows on the chocolate, and then crushed graham crackers (NOT gluten-free) to finish our indoor “s’mores”. My favorite part of the night? EVERYONE in the house that night, even those who “oppose” healthy food (we kept the recipe to ourselves), enjoyed every bite!

I highly recommend this cookbook. From breakfast to savory crepes to redos of our favorite treats, this NYC baker has a great insight into creating delicious creations.

FYI – I did discover that xanthan gum is a standard binding ingredient in gluten-free recipes, and that it is expensive! I did a little research and discovered I could use milled flaxseed in its place. For these little donuts, it seemed to work out find. If we had a gluten-free need in our house, I would have invested in it, but since this is an occasional switch for our family, I was happy to find this substitution.

Dark Chocolate Sauce

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

• 1 tablespoon oil (extra light virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, or canola oil)

Place both ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl. Melt chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after each time until chocolate is completely melted.