Nothing speaks of the holiday season more than buffalo plaid, pine trees, and gingerbread. These grain-free gingerbread donut holes taste like Christmas! They are crisp on the outside, soft and flavorful on the inside. Bursting with gingerbread flavor and full of holiday cheer! I love these healthy donut holes because they are delicious, simple, and perfect for the holiday season!
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Modern Pioneer Recipe
These grain-free gingerbread donut holes are the perfect modern pioneer holiday recipe! Donuts are a pioneer food, but I’m not so sure when donut holes became popular. Despite that fact, I’d still say these donut holes are a modern pioneer recipe with heritage roots!
They are made with simple, wholesome ingredients that you may already have stocked in your homestead pantry. Not to mention these donut holes are baked, not fried! Eliminate all those unhealthy fats and still keep the soft, delicious taste and texture of a donut hole. You don’t need any special tools to make these donut holes, just roll them and place them on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
These donut holes are bursting with gingerbread flavor and have the perfect, soft texture. They are also made with allergy-friendly ingredients! These gingerbread donut holes are…
- grain-free
- gluten-free
- egg free
- tree nut free
- corn free
- refined sugar free
- low sugar
Want to skip the donut holes and go right to the donuts? Try out these grain-free brownie mint donuts!
The Flavor of the Season
It seems like every season has a flavor (or two) associated with it. For me, my favorite Christmas time flavors are peppermint and gingerbread. You can’t go wrong with a Christmas dessert that includes peppermint or gingerbread.
I have so many sweet holiday recipes that I want try, but I decided to start with these gingerbread donut holes. Donut holes are a popular snacking food in my house, so these allergy-friendly sweet treats are fun to have around the holiday season. I think these gingerbread donut holes came out perfectly (after two tries) and they made me want to try some more gingerbread recipes!
I love this recipe for actual gluten-free gingerbread, but I have also wanted to make a gingerbread cake, gingerbread donuts, gingerbread baked oatmeal…. you name it, I want to make it gingerbread flavored! Last year I mastered my grain-free gingerbread men recipe and they turned out perfectly!
I have also made a pretty awesome grain-free gingerbread loaf that is made with cassava flour and has the most amazing texture ever! And since we are on a gingerbread kick, I should also mention these gluten-free gingerbread muffins that you should definitely check out.
A new recipe that I tried this year was a gingerbread pie. The gingerbread pie was custard based and so delicious! The recipe needs a little refining, since the pie literally lifted right out of the pie plate (don’t worry, it settled back down when it cooled), so maybe I’ll be able to share it next year!
Healthy Holidays
Some of you may object, but I think the holidays can be made healthy! If you have been on a low-inflammation diet for a while or have lived with food restrictions your whole life, you probably know that you can make some pretty delicious holiday treats using healthier ingredients.
For me, healthy holiday treats means cutting out inflammation causing ingredients like gluten and corn as well as keeping the sugars relatively low. I also like to stick to natural sugars, and avoid refined sugars and cane sugar. Technically I need to stay on a grain-free diet for inflammation reasons, but during the holdiay season I splurge a little bit as long as I am using gluten-free flours.
The same goes for sugars. I try to avoid cane sugar as much as possible, but during the holiday season I allow myself a little more freedom with using ingredients that may have a little added cane sugar in them, such as chocolate chips.
But don’t worry, if you need to be strict with your dietary restrictions, there are still plenty of recipes and ingredient alternatives to make this holiday season healthy and enjoyable! Check some of my favorite holiday recipes:
- grain-free sugar cookies
- grain-free snowball cookies
- gluten-free caramel pretzel crack
- grain-free cinnamon rolls.
About the Ingredients
I think the ingredients are pretty simple in these donut holes. The combination of flours allows them to have the perfect consistency without the overwhelming taste of one flour over the other. Also, the spices in these donut holes are just right and the molasses is not too strong.
Ingredient Guide:
- Organic butter- I have not tried using a dairy-free substitute in these donut holes and the shape of these donut holes is really dependent on the consistency of the butter.
- Coconut sugar- I chose coconut sugar as my sweetener for these donut holes because it is a low glycemic, economical, healthy sugar. You could probably substitute maple sugar instead if you wanted.
- Tapioca flour- The tapioca flour in these donut holes keeps the coconut flour from becoming too strong. It also keeps the donut holes light. You can substitute arrowroot flour if you want.
- Coconut flour– Coconut flour keeps the donut holes from becoming to stretchy in consistency and helps them hold their shape.
- Molasses- One of the star ingredients in these donut holes is the molasses. Molasses contains many beneficial minerals and provides a delicious flavor!
- Ginger, Cloves, and Cinnamon- We can’t forget the key ingredient in these gingerbread donut holes, the ginger and accompanying spices! While they may be present in too small amounts to provide nutritional benefits, they still add plenty of flavor!
Recipe Tips
Donut holes can be a little tricky to make, but with a few tips you should be able to whip up a batch of perfect grain-free gingerbread donut holes. The key is making them hold their shape without having them dry out too much. The consistency of your ingredients and the batter is key when making donut holes. Here are a few tips to help you out:
- Soften your butter (until about 3/4 melted). Softening the butter will help keep the donut holes from flattening out when they are baked.
- Powder the coconut sugar. The powdered coconut sugar gives the donut holes a sweet, light, and flakey texture.
- Use the right combination of flours. I have not tried any substitutes with the flours and the combination that I used yields the perfect consistency.
- Mix your wet ingredients, then the dry ingredients. The order in which you combine your ingredients will affect the consistency of your batter.
- The final dough should be dry enough that you can roll it into balls without it sticking to your hands. If it’s not, let the dough rest a few minutes to give the coconut flour some time to absorb the moisture.
- Freezing the donut holes after you roll them is a must! It helps them keep their shape and gives them a firm outside and soft inside texture.
Lastly, I rolled my gingerbread donut holes in a cinnamon coconut sugar mixture after they came out of the oven. It makes them look pretty and taste delicious!
These grain-free donut holes are going to be the perfect addition to your holiday celebrations! They are allergy friendly and healthy, making them a guilt free holiday snack or dessert option. I love to have my donut holes with some holiday tea or hot cocoa!
Grain-free Gingerbread Donut Holes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic, grass-fed butter softened
- 1/2 cup powdered coconut sugar
- 1 cup + 2 T. Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- 1 medium pasture-raised, organic egg
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 T. organic blackstrap molasses
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 T. ground cinnamon rolling mixture
- 2 T. coconut sugar rolling mixture
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, powdered coconut sugar, sea salt, molasses, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir until smooth.
- Stir in the coconut flour. Add the 1 cup of tapioca flour and stir until the batter is crumbly. Add the egg and stir until the dough forms a ball. Sprinkle the 1 T. of tapioca flour over the dough and stir until incorporated.
- You should be able to handle the dough by now and be able to shape it into balls. If it is still too sticky, let it set for a few minutes or add a little bit more tapioca flour.
- Pinch off tablespoon size pieces of the dough and roll them into balls. Place them on the baking sheet or on a plate. Freeze the balls for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. The bottoms should be lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
- Mix the coconut sugar and cinnamon reserved for the rolling mixture together. Roll each donut hole in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Enjoy!
Where to Find the Ingredients
- Nutiva coconut sugar
- Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- Otto’s Naturals cassava flour
- Nutiva coconut flour
- Wholesome organic molasses
- Supplies- unbleached parchment paper, small seed grinder
Grain-free gingerbread donut holes are full of holiday flavor and goodness! I absolutely love their texture and taste! They are the perfect dessert to make for modern pioneers with dietary restrictions and are sure to be loved by all ages. They are low inflammation, contain healthier sugars, and are nut free. I think these gingerbread donut holes are pretty simple to make and would make a great addition to any holiday dessert platter! What desserts are going to make it on your holiday platter?
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by Alexa
Tori
December 5, 2019 8:00 pmJust wondered how you got your coconut sugar to be powdered. I have a recipe that calls for powdered sugar and have tried putting it in the food processor but it is still very gritty.
ThePioneerChicks
December 6, 2019 2:11 pmGreat question! I use a small seed mill/coffee grinder to grind my coconut sugar. It works pretty well! Here is one on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PjYEzJ It’s a little newer than the one I use but it has the same affect.