Chocolate Baked Doughnuts

2400 calories, 12 doughnuts, 5 miles, 1 hour. That was the challenge.

When you live with a runner, it's only a matter of time before you become a runner. Ryan jumped on the bandwagon last fall and finished his first race this weekend! Yay! Go Hubby!!

This race didn't only involve running, but eating as well. The Krispy Kreme challenge is an annual event held in Raleigh that challenges not only your physical ability, but your stomach strength as well. 

Probably the worst idea for a race, but it started with a few NC State students on a dare.  The race is now one of the largest charity races in North Carolina (not to mention a great shout out for Krispy Kreme).

Two of our closest friends drove up to run in the race with us. Jordan decided to partake in the dozen doughnut consuming aspect of the race, but Nancy and I were smart, we just ran and watched everyone be miserable!

Since Nancy and I stick to a gluten-free diet, it was only fair that we get doughnuts too! So I made these chocolate gluten free doughnuts for us to enjoy! I know, most people hear gluten free and run, but honestly these were amazing!

Since this was my first time making doughnuts (thanks for the baking dish bro), I did a little research to get started. I found inspiration at Running To The Kitchen, another fantastic healthy food blog that provides a lot of raw, gluten free and Paleo recipes. I started with a recipe for Chocolate Baked Donuts and went from there.

These were a great guiltless treat after the race. Here's to having your doughnuts and eating them too!

Chocolate Baked Doughnuts (Gluten Free)
Adapted from Running to the Kitchen Chocolate Donuts
Yields: 10 doughnuts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
3/4 cups almond meal/flour
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/4 tsp baking soda (gluten free)
pinch of salt
3 eggs (separated)
3 T melted coconut oil or melted butter
4 T honey (add more for sweeter doughnut)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp espresso powder

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a donut pan.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, cacao, baking soda, espresso powder and salt. In two smaller bowls, separate the eggs putting the whites in a slightly larger bowl. Set the whites aside and add the melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla to the egg yolks. Whisk to combine and add to the dry ingredients bowl, stir to combine.

Beat the egg whites with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined. Pour the batter into a large Zip-loc bag or piping bag and squeeze the batter into the donut pan, about 2/3 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove from the pan and cool before eating.

Crispy Baked Sriracha Chicken Tenders

Fried foods. Something I swore I would NEVER make in my kitchen, and to this day, I am proud to say I have kept that promise. Unfortunately, we LOVE chicken tenders. There is just something about a crispy, juicy chicken tender that entices your taste buds. Friends, I am here to tell you that you don't need a deep fryer to produce crispy, juicy tenders!

I started following the food blog, Katie's Cucina after the Great Food Blogger cookie swap last year. She was one of the random bloggers that I sent my Cherry Walnut Oatmeal cookies to. 

Baked, Not Fried

She recently posted a recipe for baked (not fried) chicken strips that promised to be just as crunchy and tender as the fried version. I was immediately intrigued and drawn to one of my most requested (and most raved about) recipes for inspiration, the Buttermilk-brined Pork Chops. Why not marinate the chicken in a Sriracha-buttermilk mixture before coating in spicy, herby flakes and baking? 

Glad I merged the two recipes together, because it was fantastic, and a healthy alternative to fried chicken tenders. Crispy outside, tender and juicy inside...yummy!

These will be great for game day with several condiments for dipping. I also tried a few of the tenders in Panko bread crumbs instead of Corn Flakes. It was a nice alternative, but the Corn Flakes were my favorite.

Crispy Baked Sriracha Chicken Tenders 

Adapted from Katie Cucina's Crunchy Baked Chicken Strips
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes + marinating time
Cook Time: 25 minutes

2 14oz. packages of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 2 lbs of chicken tender cuts

2 c fat-free buttermilk

3 T Sriracha or other chili sauce

2 T salt, split

2 egg whites

4 c Corn Flakes or other unsweetened corn cereal

2 T paprika

1 tsp dried thyme
1 T garlic powder

If starting with whole chicken breasts, rinse and dry the chicken. Cut the breasts into long strips, similar to the size of a tender. I got about 6-8 tenders from a whole chicken breast.

In a large ziploc bag, mix the buttermilk, Sriracha and 1 T salt until the salt has disolved. Add the chicken and massage the mixture into the chicken and seal the bag. Place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. The longer the chicken marinates, the more juicy the tenders.

Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400F and lightly grease a cookie cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Whisk the egg whites in a shallow bowl and set aside. In a food processor, pulse the corn flakes, thyme, paprika and remaining salt. Pour this into a separate shallow bowl.

Remove each piece of chicken from the bag and dip into the egg white bowl to evenly coat. Then dip into the corn flake mixture bowl to evenly coat and place on the prepared racks. Repeat for all of the tenders and bake for 25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.

Serve with favorite dipping sauce such as Sriracha ketchup or honey mustard.