Chocolate Protein Donuts and Cupcakes THM-Deep-S
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These Chocolate Protein Donuts and Cupcakes are the ultimate decadent treat while also being THM-Deep-S, keto, sugar-free, gluten-free, and they even have spinach in them (but you’d never know it’s in there)!
Finally you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in decadent donuts or cupcakes! These Chocolate Protein Donuts and Cupcakes have a rich, light and fluffy crumb and are topped with a Skinny Chocolate glaze or frosting. And you’d never guess that they’re actually healthy and have 8g protein per cupcake! They even have spinach in them (but you can’t tell it’s in there)!
These are great to have on hand around the holidays, or really anytime, to help satisfy your cravings while also resisting the urge to indulge in not-so-good-for-you treats. And they’re great for getting veggies and other healthy ingredients/superfoods into picky kids (or adults). 😉 They’re even allergy-friendly since they’re gluten-free and have dairy-free and nut-free options, while being keto/low-carb/THM-Deep-S!
What’s in them?
Collagen or Whey Protein Isolate: Both adds protein and acts as a “flour”. Collagen give a more moist and delicate crumb while WPI gives a drier/fluffier crumb. Either can be used in this recipe but I prefer to use collagen in mine because it’s a THM-Deep-S superfood.
Psyllium husks: Adds fiber (while being zero net carb) and acts as a “flour”. I buy NOW Whole Psyllium Husks and grind into a fine powder in my coffee/spice mill before measuring.
Oat fiber: Also adds fiber (while being zero net carb) and acts as a “flour”.
Coconut oil: While butter or other fats can be substituted, I prefer coconut oil in mine as it’s a DS superfood.
Spinach: I use organic frozen chopped spinach (measured while frozen) in mine but I’m sure fresh spinach (or even maybe shredded zucchini) would work just as well. Not only does the spinach add valuable fiber and nutrients, but it also helps keep the donuts and cupcakes moist and yummy. And you can’t taste or see the spinach in them at all!
Eggs: I use pasture-raised chicken eggs because I love the dark orange, nutrient-dense yolks, but any eggs will work! Just make sure to bring the eggs to room temperature first for lighter, fluffier donuts/cupcakes!
Of course there are other ingredients, too, but I just wanted to highlight a few!
What’s not in them?
THM-DS is a powerful fuel-setting in Trim Healthy Mama, but it is also the most restrictive. It emphasizes pure fats, proteins and green/nonstarchy veggies and is extremely low-carb.
Therefore, this recipe does not have:
Nuts: While it does have a little unsweetened almond milk (which is allowed in small amounts in THM-DS), it does not use nut flours like almond or coconut flour. If you are sensitive/allergic to nuts, feel free to substitute a milk of your choosing or water for the unsweetened almond milk.
Gluten/Grains: To keep this recipe extremely low-carb, no gluten or grains are used. Instead, protein (collagen or whey protein isolate), oat fiber, and psyllium husks act as the “flours” but are zero net carb and gluten-free. Of course, oat fiber is not Paleo since it is made from the hulls of oats but it does not contain oats/grain. If keeping them Deep-S isn’t necessary, you could likely substitute coconut flour for the oat fiber. While I haven’t tested this yet, I would try adding 25% less of coconut flour than what the recipe dictates.
Dairy: While butter or ghee can be substituted for coconut oil and whey protein isolate can be substituted for collagen, I like to make mine completely dairy-free with the DS superfoods, coconut oil and collagen.
Chocolate Protein Donuts and Cupcakes Flavor Possibilities
Of course these are delicious just as they are, but I also like add some other flavors sometimes, too! A few of the ones I’ve tried and really like are Almond Joy, Peppermint Chocolate, and Death By Chocolate/Mocha.
Since I use unrefined coconut oil when making mine, it can give a slight coconut flavor to the donuts/cupcakes. So, instead of trying to cover up the coconut flavor, I like to celebrate it by adding almond extract. The combo of the chocolate, coconut and almond reminds me of Almond Joys. 😋
I’m also a big lover of anything that combines mint and chocolate and love adding mint extract to these donuts/cupcakes! This makes a great holiday flavor, too! 🎄
For a Death By Chocolate/Mocha version that’s super dark and rich, I just add some Trader Joe’s Instant Cold Brew Coffee powder. But instant coffee/espresso might work just as well!
And, while I haven’t tried this one yet, a Peanut Chocolate version may be another tasty option. In Deep-S, up to 1 TBS of defatted peanut powder is allowed in a meal. If you try this, maybe try substituting half of the cocoa for peanut powder and comment below on how it turns out!
Chocolate Protein Donuts and Cupcakes are easy to make!
This recipe is mostly made in the blender or food processor! You just mix your dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Then you mix your wet ingredients in the blender/food processor. And then either add your dry ingredients to the blender (while on low) or add the blended wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Mix until smooth and let batter expand/absorb for few minutes and you’re ready to bake/cook!
Don’t forget the Skinny Chocolate!
You can even top these donuts and cupcakes with Skinny Chocolate! What’s “Skinny Chocolate”? It’s a Trim Healthy Mama homemade chocolate that’s primarily made of fat-burning coconut oil and antioxidant-rich cocoa, and it’s Deep-S approved!
To make the glaze, you just melt the coconut oil and stir together the ingredients. It helps if the donuts are cold when dunking into the glaze so the glaze will stick to the donuts and harden quickly. Then you chill the glazed donuts in the fridge or freezer until the glaze fully hardens and they’re ready to eat!
I even made flavored glazes to add to the donuts in my pictures (that’s what gives them the “stripes”) instead of using sugary sprinkles. The greenish glaze is made with matcha powder (for green color), coconut oil, mint extract and powdered Swerve. The whitish glaze is a combination of coconut oil and butter (for cream color) with almond extract and Swerve. (Sorry, I don’t have exact amounts for these!)
I first glazed the donuts with Skinny Chocolate. I then dripped the colored/flavored glazes over the chocolate once it was cold and hardened and then put back in the freezer to harden the additional glazes.
Even the cupcake frosting is made of Skinny Chocolate!
Normally, Skinny Chocolate would completely harden when chilled because of the coconut oil in it. However, frosting needs to stay soft and fluffy, even when chilled. To do this, I mix it with “bloomed” gelatin.
First you “bloom” the gelatin powder with a little unsweetened almond milk. Then you dissolve the gelatin mixture with a little hot almond milk. You’re then ready for the other ingredients. Just mix everything together and put in fridge for a bit until it starts to thicken. Finally, stir/whisk and it will magically become that perfect frosting texture that remains soft and fluffy even when chilled. But make sure your cupcakes are fully cooled before topping with the Skinny Chocolate Frosting (or it will start melting)!
Chocolate Protein Donuts and Cupcakes THM-Deep-S
Course: THM-Deep-S, Dessert, SnackCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy12
servings5
minutes13
minutes101
kcalThese Chocolate Protein Donuts and Cupcakes are a decadent treat while also being THM-Deep-S, keto, sugar-free, gluten-free, and even have spinach in them!
Ingredients
- Wet Ingredients:
4 eggs (room temperature)
1 cup (or 113g/~4oz) spinach (I use organic, frozen, packed), shredded zucchini may work, too.
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, or preferred milk or water
1/4 cup melted coconut oil, butter, or fat of choice (I use coconut oil)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Other optional extracts – 1 tsp almond extract or 1 tsp peppermint extract
20 drops liquid stevia, optional or to taste
- Dry Ingredients:
10 TBS (70g) collagen peptides or 8 TBS (48g) whey protein isolate
1/2 cup sweetener* (I use Lakanto Golden)
6 TBS cocoa (I use Dutch-processed)
1/4 cup (19g) oat fiber if using collagen / only 2 TBS (10g) if using whey protein isolate
1 TBS ground psyllium husks (I use NOW whole psyllium husks and grind into fine powder in my coffee/spice mill before measuring)
2 – 4 tsp Trader Joe’s Instant Cold Brew Coffee powder or instant coffee/espresso powder, optional for Death By Chocolate/Mocha flavor
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- Skinny Chocolate Donut Glaze:
3 TBS coconut oil, melted (or other fat like butter or ghee)
3 TBS cocoa
1 T powdered sweetener, or to taste (like Swerve or other sweetener ground into fine powder in coffee/spice mill)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Sea salt to taste (I use about 1/8 tsp)
Liquid stevia to taste, optional
Optional extracts like mint or almond for a flavored glaze (or peanut powder for a Peanut Chocolate glaze), to taste
- Skinny Chocolate Frosting
6 TBS coconut oil, melted (or other fat like butter or ghee)
6 TBS cocoa
2 T powdered sweetener, or to taste (like Swerve or other sweetener ground into fine powder in coffee/spice mill)
1/2 tsp gelatin powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp unsweetened almond milk to “bloom” the gelatin + 1 TBS hot milk to dissolve the gelatin + 3 TBS (or more) milk when adding the rest of the ingredients
Sea salt to taste (I use about 1/4 tsp)
Liquid stevia to taste, optional
Optional extracts like mint or almond for a flavored frosting (or peanut powder for a Peanut Chocolate frosting), to taste
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 350* and prepare donut or muffin pan (or pre-heat Babycakes donut maker)
- If eggs are stored in fridge, put in hot tap water for a few minutes to bring to room temperature.
- Measure other wet ingredients into blender while eggs are warming up.
- Mix dry ingredients into medium sized mixing bowl and set aside.
- Eggs should now be room temperature. Crack and add them to wet ingredients in blender and blend until smooth (may take a couple minutes to break down all the spinach).
- Then either slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the blender (while on low) or pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and uniform.
- Let batter sit for about 5 minutes to let ingredients expand and absorb.
- Then portion batter into donut or muffin pan or start cooking in Babycakes donut maker. Makes about 1 dozen cupcakes, about 13-14 donuts or about 25-30 mini-donuts. Cupcakes take about 15-18 minutes or until tops are firm and toothpick comes out clean in the center. Donuts take 13-15 minutes or until tops are firm and toothpick comes out clean in center. In Babycakes maker, I cook until green light comes on and then flip them over and cook until green light comes on again. (Times may vary depending on ingredients used and individual oven temperatures)
- While the donuts or cupcakes are baking, make the glaze or frosting. Just stir together the glaze ingredients until smooth and it’s ready to go. For the frosting, “bloom” the gelatin first by stirring the gelatin powder into 2 tsp of almond milk. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Take another 1 TBS of almond milk and heat in microwave for about 15 seconds and stir into the gelatin mixture to dissolve it. Now warm the coconut oil (about 30 seconds in the microwave) and stir it into the gelatin/almond milk mixture. Finally, stir in the rest of the ingredients and put in fridge. If you’re in a hurry, you can set mixing bowl in ice water and stir the frosting every couple minutes as it cools and thickens. When it is cool (but not cold) and has thickened up a lot, whisk/whip it until it resembles frosting and it’s ready to use. If you want a thinner/softer frosting, feel free to add a little more almond milk (if it gets too cold/thick, you may need to melt the frosting in microwave for a few seconds so the ingredients will emulsify).
- Collagen donuts and cupcakes may be a little delicate when first come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool. Let cupcakes cool to room temperature before frosting. Allow donuts to cool on rack for few minutes and then transfer to cookie sheet and put in freezer until cold to the touch (but not frozen). Then dunk tops in Skinny Chocolate glaze and then put back into freezer until chocolate coating hardens. Then enjoy!
- Both the cupcakes and donuts freeze well, too. I like to go ahead and glaze the donuts before freezing and then let thaw in fridge before eating. I usually freeze cupcakes without frosting and top with frosting just before eating.
Notes
- If any ingredients appear to have a line through them, just click to side of ingredient (or on another ingredient) and the line should disappear. It’s a feature of the recipe plugin that allows people to cross off ingredients as they add them to a recipe. Also, the print feature of this plugin is a little wonky so always check over recipe print-outs to make sure all ingredients are included and correct. Another option is to copy and paste the recipe text and print through a different program.
- Macros based on 12 servings (so about 1 cupcake per serving) and made with collagen (does not include frosting/glaze): 101 calories, 0.8g net carbs, 6.9g fat, and 8g protein.
- Since a greater volume of ingredients is used in the collagen version of this recipe, I get higher yields (aka more donuts/cupcakes) when using collagen than when using WPI.
- If using a different sweetener, check out this sweetener conversion chart.
LifeSource Foods Oat Fiber 500
Nutrition Facts
12 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories101
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
6.9g
11%
- Total Carbohydrate
3.4g
2%
- Dietary Fiber 2.6g 11%
- Protein 8g 16%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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