Nutrition
Sugar-free Sweet Ricotta Doughnut Balls
As a father, and general advocate of healthy living I appreciate the need to eat healthier, but as a chef, I always want to create dishes that look and taste amazing – and in particular, desserts that feel indulgent and a little bit naughty.
When I wrote my gluten free cookbook these healthy doughnut balls were one of my favorite recipes, so I thought I’d have a go at creating a no added sugar version and I’m delighted with the results.
For a sweet treat, just make sure the oil is deep and hot enough to make the dough inside fluffy and light.
You can use a wheat flour instead of gluten-free, in which case leave out the xanthan gum. The recipe makes about 30 bite-sized healthy doughnut balls
Servings: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes to drain the ricotta
Cooking time: 25 minutes
You’ll Need
Doughnuts
Vegetable oil for deep frying
250g ricotta cheese
45g gluten free flour blend (see below)
1/8th level tsp xanthan gum
1level tsp gluten-free baking powder
1tbsp xylitol (available in stores as Total Sweet)
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
1 egg, beaten
1 egg yolk
White & brown rice flour blend
Makes 500g
175g mixture of half white rice flour with half brown
175g potato starch
150g tapioca flour/ starch
Cinnamon dusting
2tbsp xylitol
1tsp cinnamon
– READ MORE: 9 Healthy Baking Books That Aren’t Just For Cheat Day –
Method
Step 1: Drain the ricotta: turn into a colander and leave to drain until dry, about 30 minutes or overnight.
Step 2: Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 180⁰C, or a deep sided pan filled one third with oil.
Step 3: Place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, xylitol and lemon zest into a bowl and mix together evenly. Add the egg and yolk; next add the drained ricotta cheese and again mix well.
Step 4: Spoon the dough into a piping bag (not fitted with a nozzle) and when the oil is hot, pipe small balls of dough straight into the hot oil. If you don’t have a piping bag, roll little balls of mixture between metal spoons and transfer to the oil.
Step 5: Cook a small batch at a time, swirling and turning with a slotted spoon so you get an even color and until nice and golden: about 3- 4 minutes.
Step 6: Drain well on kitchen paper and then roll in cinnamon dusting while still warm.
Step 7: Serve warm and fresh straight away. The recipe makes about 30 to allow 4 servings of six little bites.
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