Healthy Banana "Doughnuts"

Lilly asked me the other day if we could pick up a doughnut before school.  I thought this was strange because we very rarely ever go get donuts, and if we do it is a special treat.  She said that all her friends at school get donuts in the morning so I decided to do some research on the internet to find a healthy way to make my own donuts for breakfast.  I found out on another friend's blog that Sur La Table carried donut pans for pretty cheap so Lilly and I headed down to the store to buy our own.  This pan has become my new "go to" item for breakfast treats. I found a great recipe on the internet for banana bread and used it in our new donut pan and violia!  It's now Lilly's favorite breakfast.  With Austin starting to eat table food now I thought this would be a great addition for his palate as well and sure enough it was, along with all the other babies in his class:)

Healthy Banana "Doughnuts"

Recipe courtesy of babble.com



2 cups (300g) whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup flax seed meal (optional)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3 large, very ripe bananas
1/2 cup (220g) organic sugar (it has an earthier flavor, but regular is fine)
1/3 cup (60g) no sugar added applesauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 110g) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees, Celsius). Spray a non stick muffin pan, or donut pan,  with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mash bananas until almost smooth, but still chunky. Stir in sugar, butter, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.

3. Carefully fold flour mixture into banana mixture. Stir until just incorporated. Batter should be lumpy, with no dry spots.

4. Fill each muffin or doughnut tin 2/3 full. Place on a large cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees, until a toothpick, inserted in the center muffins, comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.