So I haven’t ever done a guest post. Never! But I’ve wanted to do one with Jenni from Urban Poser ever since I first came across her blog. Not only are her pictures by far some of the best out there, but her recipes are incredible. I don’t understand how her brain comes up with some of these recipes she makes. She is an inspiration in the blogging and paleo food world, and I feel incredibly lucky to have her as my first guest post. She’s the best. Be sure to check out her blog right away and spice up your kitchen!
Oh and by the way, you’re welcome. This recipe is UNREAL. Bravo, Jenni. Bravo.
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Picture this: You’re sitting in your cave, shooting the breeze with your buddies Grok and Brog. It’s a nice day outside and you’re all feasting on the last of this month’s wooly mammoth. As you polish off the last bit you think, “dang, I could really go for something sweet.” Almost on cue, the doorrocks clank together and lo and behold, there’s a Cave-Girl Scout at the door with your favorite post-mammoth treat: Samoa cookies!
Ok, ok….so historically speaking that’s probably not 100% accurate. But seriously…..who cares? And who doesn’t love Girl Scout cookies?!?
When Juli asked me to guest post on her blog, I immediately started trying to figure out what I wanted to make for her. She left it wide open for me to choose and I had a lot of options in mind. But when the idea to reinvent my old favorite Girl Scout standard in “Paleo-friendly” donut style hit me, I knew that I had my answer.
Sometimes when I’m creating a recipe, it takes a little while to zero in on the perfect balance of ingredients and complimentary flavors, but in this case, literally millions of people have already stamped their seal of approval on the classic combination that is the Samoa cookie. (I know, I know….we’re not supposed to call them “Samoas” anymore but hey, I lived on the islands so I get a pass. Deal with it.)
All that was left for me to do was to see if I could reasonably create a Paleo friendly version of this classic treat. And surprisingly enough, I nailed it on nearly the first try. They came together beautifully and even though it may seem like a lot of steps, it’s actually incredibly simple to pull together and the caramel can even be made ahead of time, so don’t be afraid to dive right in and give it a shot.
Now I know that people come to “Paleo” for a lot of different reasons; and I’m not saying that these donuts will make you live any longer or be significantly healthier, but I do know that pretty much everyone agrees that one of the biggest keys to longevity is happiness, and these donuts will make you happy, guaranteed. So as far as I’m concerned, these donuts will make you live longer, healthier and make you an overall better person.
Guest Post: Samoa Donuts
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (such as Honeyville)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- A scant less than 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened or liquid
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 3 whole large room temp eggs
Coconut caramel topping
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk (about 1 1/2 cups), I used guar gum-free Natural Value
- 1/2 cup mild flavored honey or maple syrup,
- A pinch of sea salt
- 1 rounded tablespoon ghee or butter (can sub palm shortening or coconut oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup finely shredded coconut, plus 2 more tablespoons for garnishing
For the Dipping Chocolate
- 1 bag Enjoy Life Chocolate chips (melted in a double boiler)
Instructions
- Preheat your mini donut making machine OR preheat the oven to 350 degrees if you are using a regular donut pan or making into muffins.
- In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl, combine the honey, oil, vanilla, lemon juice and eggs.
- Add the oil/honey mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix till just combined.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of batter to each mould in the donut machine or scoop the batter into a ziplock bag, twisting the other end to close it. Snip the end off of one of the corners with a scissors. Start with a small cut. You can always make it bigger if you need too. Squeeze batter into moulds.
- Close the lid and allow to cook for about 2 minutes. Times will vary with each machine. Open the machine and flip over each donut using the forked ‘skewer’ that comes with most machines. Close the lid again cook for about one more minute. Remove donuts and let cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
- If using a regular donut pan, fill each well-greased mould about ¾ full. Smooth the tops if needed and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Makes 12-15 mini donuts or 6 regular sized ones (depending on how much batter you eat during the prep time.)
For the Coconut Caramel
- In a small-medium heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the coconut milk, honey and salt to a boil over medium high heat, being sure that they are well combined. Reduce to a medium heat, and let the mixture boil down for about 35-40 minutes.
- Add the ghee and vanilla, stirring it in till well incorporated. Continue cooking for another 5-15 minutes or as long as needed until it is a deep caramel color. Don’t rush the process. Depending on how hot your burner is this process could be faster or slower. Stir often toward the end to keep the bottom from burning too much. A little burning is fine as long as you are stirring it in to the mixture. It will give it a darker flavor.
- Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5 minutes then stir vigorously until it’s creamy, shinny and smooth.
- While the caramel is cooking, spread the coconut out on an ungreased cookie sheet and toast the coconut in a 325 degree oven. Stir often till golden, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Mix the toasted coconut into the caramel minus a tablespoon or so for garnishing later. Use coconut caramel while still warm for best spreading results. Caramel can be made ahead of time(w/o the shredded coconut) and reheated in a double boiler.
I have a huge donut craving now!
I think I just died and went to heaven. Donut heaven. The most delicious heaven there is.:) Must make these pronto!
Gah! I’m allergic to citrus. Is there anything I can substitute for the lemon or can I leave it out??
you should be ok to leave it out
Hopefully you found an answer by now, but don’t just leave out the lemon juice. You need it to react with the baking soda. If you’re allergic to lemon juice or are just out of it, sub an equal amount of apple cider vinegar, or any vinegar for that matter.
Happy cooking 🙂
This is awesome. I love samoas. But I’ve never heard of a donut baking pan before. I must go out and acquire one of these now.
I may be a complete moron, but how in the heck do you Pin this?! I so want this on my recipes board and can’t for the life of me figure out how to do it. Help!!! LOL
is it not showing up on the left side of you screen? i can see it when i pull up my website
You can also add a PIN button to your Bookmark Bar
https://help.pinterest.com/entries/22997343-Add-the-Pin-It-button
YUM. I need to make these. Immediately.
I might make these. Or I might just make the caramel sauce and eat that. All. With a spoon. YUM.
You read my mind, I don’t have the stuff to make the donuts…but that caramel sauce…mmmmm and with the big spoons that are usually used for serving…not the wimpy little ones. lol!!
anyone try this without the caramel? I’m reeeeally trying to watch my sugar intake…
My caramel came out super runny…did I not cook it long enough before I added the vanilla/coconut oil? Although, I think I have a nice caramel to add to coffee or put on some paleo ice cream. 🙂
Just cook it longer. It should be quite dark. As I said times will vary due to how hot your burner is and how thin or thick your pan is. It can take anywhere for
50 minutes to a little over an hour and that’s after it has come to the orig
If the caramel is runny once cooled it is not done. As the instructions say”times will vary” It all depends on the heat of your range and the type of pot you use. For some it could be done in 35 minutes (after the initial boil) and others 50 minutes to a little over an hour. So if it’s still taking a long than these times then you need to turn up your heat some. The caramel should be quite dark and look like caramel does. If it is light colored cook it longer. If it doesn’t thicken as it cools…..put it back on the heat and cook it longer. Stir constantly toward the end to prevent too much burning.
Dude, I have got to get a donut maker. I want fat donuts! In other news, a quick cheater’s way to get the chocolate streaks? Just dip a fork in the melted chocolate and make a slashing motion over the donuts. Less tidy, more *ahem* artistic. 😛