I’m sure that many of you can relate but I am absolutely addicted to Target. I love their clothing and shoes for myself and my kids. I can get lost in the aisles of home décor, party supplies and stationary. I just enjoy shopping there. When Blythe was a baby, I’d just go to Target and wander the store while she slept in her car seat. It was an easy place to get out with an infant and I seemed to always need something for our new baby. What makes me even more excited at Target is a good sale. Great stuff at a discount? Sign me up!
My biggest down fall is the holiday merchandise on deep discount. We have a running joke at our house about my love of Target clearance. There’s a handful of things I couldn’t live without yet those items have managed to go unused for several years once I brought them home. But they were such a good deal! A perfect example is the heart shape donut pan I purchased after Valentines Day. I wasn’t even blogging when I purchased this pan, which for those of you counting means it’s at least 3 years old. I’ve had great intentions of using this pan but lacked the follow through.
On a recent morning, I woke up much earlier than my children and decided to make a special breakfast for my kids. While I wish our current schedule included a day every week that we could sit down as a family and enjoy a big breakfast, that’s just not currently the case. So on the rare occasion I find myself with a little extra time in the morning, which is not as often as I’d like, I try to make a fun treat.
Varying types of pancakes is my usual breakfast treat but on this particular morning I had a bunch of over ripe bananas. I wanted to finally use the heart shaped donut pan I’d purchased and decided to make baked banana donuts. I thought I’d look at a few recipes online then create my own but when I saw a recipe for baked banana bread donuts from Sally’s Baking Addiction, I knew those were the donuts I wanted to make.
As the pictures show, my kids loved these Baked Banana Donuts with Chocolate Icing. The donut batter was easy to make and the donuts cooked quickly. The icing was the perfect balance of sweetness for the donuts. I used rainbow sprinkles because that’s what I had on hand. The funny thing was that both Currey and I thought they tasted better with sprinkles.
I used coconut oil and whole wheat flour for this recipe with great results. I felt better eating donuts for breakfast knowing that I had added healthier ingredients. This recipe made 12 donuts using my pan but the heart shape is smaller than a regular donut. If you are feeding a crowd I’d recommend a double batch. If you are looking for a fun and delicious breakfast for your family, Baked Banana Donuts with Chocolate Icing are the way to go!
ingredients
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons canola oil or melted coconut oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (1 very small banana)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
1 tsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp water
sprinkles (optional)
instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray donut pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the egg and sugar for about 4 minutes, until light in color. Switch to the paddle attachment and stir in the banana, oil, vanilla and yogurt.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the bowl of the mixer. Stir together until just combined being careful not to over mix.
- Pour the batter into a piping bag or a large Ziploc bag. If using a ziplock, cut off one corner of the bag to use as a piping bag. (This is the method I used with great results) Fill each section of the pan with batter, about 2/3 full.
- Bake donuts for 10-12 minutes. Donuts should be fluffy and golden and will spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.
- While the donuts are baking or cooling, melt the chocolate chips, corn syrup, butter, and water together in a small bowl with a large rim in the microwave (about 30 seconds). Stir so that all the chocolate chips are melted and the icing is smooth.
- After the donuts have cooled for 5 minutes, dip the tops into the chocolate icing and cover with sprinkles. Allow to cool on a cooling rack until the icing has set.
Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction