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To calm my nerves when I have a new cookbook come out, I bake my way through the recipes in it. That's how I remind myself that yes, I did develop develop develop then test, test and retest every recipe, and that they all work.
Along the way, I also end up developing some new recipes that could have been in the new book, but that I honestly just didn't think of in time. With my newest cookbook, Gluten Free Classic Snacks, nothing has changed.
I've been baking plenty of gluten free Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes and Twinkies (the Twinkies are in the oven as I type!), and I just couldn't resist a copycat recipe for gluten free Hostess Crunch Donettes.
Do you remember these mini Hostess donuts? They're the yellow cake ones that are topped with that crunchy-sweet crumb that tastes of honey and faintly of coconut. Can I get an amen?!
The donuts can be made in a mini donut pan in the oven (my current favorite donut pans are the cheap-o ones made by Wilton), or in an electric miniature donut maker. Mine is Babycakes brand, and I bought it at Kohl's. With a coupon. On sale. For next to nothing. And I highly recommend it. It makes the cutest, roundest donuts.
Being able to duplicate a favorite snack (or even just one you've never tried but have seen on grocery store shelves!) means that nothing is out of reach. That if you loved it before, you can have it back, which creates a sense of possibility where maybe before there was sadness. And it also means that you can and should share your childhood memories with your children and grandchildren. Along the way, you'll create new memories that they can then share with theirs. Basically, we're saving the gluten free world, one Twix bar at a time. ;)
Gluten Free Hostess-Style Crunch Donettes
Equipment
- Electric mini donut maker or mini donut pan
Ingredients
For the Crunch Topping
- 2 ½ cups (3 ounces) unsweetened gluten free cornflakes, crushed into small crumbs (I used a food processor, but you can crush them by hand as well)
- ⅓ cup (32 g) nonfat dry milk powder, (try replacing with an equal amount blanched almond flour)
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the Donuts
- 1 ⅝ cup (228 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 6 tablespoons (54 g) cornstarch, (replace with more Cup4Cup if that is your all purpose gluten free flour blend)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (56 g) neutral oil, (like canola or safflower oil)
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 (25 g) egg whites, at room temperature, beaten
- ⅝ cup (5 fluid ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (42 g) honey
- ½ teaspoon pure coconut extract, (or pure vanilla extract)
For coating
- 4 tablespoons (84 g) honey, plus more as needed
- Crunch topping, (from above)
Instructions
Make the crunch topping.
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside. In a large bowl, place all of the crunch topping ingredients, and mix to combine well.
- Turn the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread into an even layer. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until just beginning to brown (about 20 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet while you make the donuts.
Make the donuts.
- To make the donuts in the oven, increase your oven temperature to 350°F. Grease a miniature donut pan, and set it aside.
- To make them in an electric donut maker, warm the appliance according to the manufacturer’s directions.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil, egg, egg white, buttermilk, honey and coconut extract, mixing well to combine after each addition. The batter will be thick.
Bake the donuts.
- If making the donuts in an oven, fill the prepared donut wells about 3/4 of the way full. Place in the center of the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the donuts are set and a toothpick inserted in the center of a donut comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If making the donuts in an electric donut maker, fill the bottom of the donut maker wells completely with batter, then close and secure the lid. Allow to bake for 3 minutes.
- Open the donut maker and remove the donuts with the remover tool or the tines of a fork. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Assemble the donuts.
- Place 4 tablespoons of honey for the coating in a small, heat-safe bowl and warm in the microwave for about 20 seconds or over a double-boiler until thinned.
- Place the cornflake crunch in a shallow bowl and set it next to the honey. Dip both sides of each cooled donut in the warm honey, and then press firmly into the crunch topping on all sides so the topping adheres before placing on the wire rack.
- Repeat with the remaining donuts, adding more honey to the dipping bowl as necessary.
- Allow the donuts to set before serving.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made half the recipe (cause I didn’t have enough corn flakes)probably a good thing cause I couldn’t stop eating them…. Oh and the crunch was delicious even by itself. I swapped out the sugar for coconut sugar and a little less. So good! Thank you for so many delicious things I’ve never even heard of
I know you have a young family, with all their friends; yet I was mentioning to my hubby the other day. “I clearly don’t know how she manages to stay so trim, while baking all these decadent, delightful treats. It’s such a marvel to me, and the photography.” Kudos! I’ve lost 40 lbs after going gluten-free, so I’ve been reluctant to going back to baking bread and desserts for just two. Truly how do you manage so well?
Oh how I remember how good these donuts use to taste. Hahaha, think I’ve gained two pounds just looking at those scrumptious little morsels.
As you said, Sharon Anne, I have a relatively big family and they eat a lot, plus plenty goes in to the office with husband. That, and I think baking 7 days a week for all these years has nearly cured me of the need to eat more than just a serving of any one thing!
We just got a coupon from Kohls, so we’re going to go get a baby cakes mini doughnut maker on sale for next to nothing tomorrow. Lol! i saw these in the store the other day and went to see if they were in the new book. when i saw that they weren’t i went to request them… and there they were! thank you nicole!
Well if that’s not meant to be then I don’t know what is! :)
Bought 2 of your books and can’t wait to get them so I can enjoy a lot of old favorites again
I can’t wait to try this, and all of the other recipes in the book! Unfortunately it’s not available as an ebook in Australia so I’m waiting for the book to arrive. I’m so excited!!!
I’m salivating over these right now. I’ll be making them tonight! Thank you for sharing. I have purchased all your books in kindle and a physical copy. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your support, Michelle ! It means so much to me. :)
I saw a kid eating the gluten version of these the other day, and wished I could have one. Thank you! My very, very favorite donuts are the yellow ones with the chocolate glaze, so I may make the powdered sugar ones in the book, and use the glaze from the chocolate ones. I made the Mc Vities chocolate digestives the other day, and they are delicious! I love all of the possibilities!
And I swear I correctly typed “donettes”. Stupid autocrrect.
So glad you liked the Digestives, Michelle! Believe it or not, the texture was really hard to master on those, but they turned out great in the end.