What’s A Swoonut?

Let’ start with the short definition. A swoonut is a baked cake donut that’s dairy, gluten and refined sugar free.

If the word “swoonuts” appeared in a dictionary, it would look something like this:

Swoonuts [swoon-nuhts]

noun

1. a small cake of sweetened dough, baked, typically shaped like a ring.
2. a donut that is dairy, gluten, and refined sugar free.
3. the best doughnuts you’ll ever eat!

As for the long definition, here you go: swoonuts are everything a good donut should be! They have a heavenly, melt-in-your mouth, cake-like texture, that stays fresh and moist for days. The donut itself must have a delicious flavour that glaze and toppings merely enhance, not compensate for. And if you choose to add glaze and toppings, they must be applied generously. Swoonuts proudly sit on the healthy side of the donut scale, yet are still considered a delicious, indulgent treat.

Phew!

Now that we all know what I’m talking about when I say “swoonut”, I probably don’t need to do any further convincing of why you need to make them…right? 😉

History Of The Swoonut

I posted the original swoonut recipe, Spiced Vanilla Cake Donuts, way back in August 2017. They were such a hit that I followed them up with an even more decadent Chocolate Swoonut a couple of months later.

Both of these original recipes are dairy, gluten/grain free (depending on what flour you choose), and refined sugar free. But they do contain eggs, so my next challenge was to create a swoonut that was completely vegan.

In May 2018 I posted the first completely vegan swoonut which used peanut butter as the egg replacement. These Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Swoonuts have an incredibly smooth, velvety texture with a deliciously rich chocolate flavour.

Next came Red Velvet Swoonuts with Cashew Creme Frosting, which use beetroot to create the iconic red velvet crumb. And then came Christmas Spice Swoonuts with Cinnamon Orange Glaze, which combine all the spices and flavours found in traditional Christmas cake and Christmas spice cookies!

In March 2019, I realised there were no fruity swoonuts so I created these Lemon & Poppy Seed Swoonuts, which have just the right balance of tangy citrus to sweet cake donut, dotted with poppy seeds for a hint of nuttiness.

That brings us to present day and these Chocolate Oreo Swoonuts  –  which might just be the most ULTIMATE swoonut to date.

What Makes These Chocolate Oreo Swoonuts So Special?

For starters, these new Chocolate Oreo Swoonuts are completely gluten free and vegan. They’re comparatively lower in sugar than regular cake donuts, and the sugar they do contain is unrefined.

These swoonuts are baked, not fried, so they’re not soaked with oil and much better for you.

Lastly, like all swoonuts, they have a velvety, melt in your mouth cake texture with a truly decadent, chocolate flavour.

How To Bake The Perfect Swoonut

The trick to achieving the perfect texture for these swoonuts is slightly under baking them. To do this, simply take them out of the oven when they’re just firm to touch and a knife comes out mostly clean with the odd crumb.

Swoonuts will continue to cook for at least another 30 seconds once they’re out of the oven, which will bring them to the perfect, melt-in-the-mouth texture.

If you bake a donut too long it will be hard and dry and are taste nowhere near as good. So be sure to use a timer when baking these swoonuts so you can check them around the 10 minute mark. They’ll likely need another minute or two depending on your oven, but probably not much more.

Let’s Not Forget About The Toppings!

One of the best things about these Chocolate Oreo Swoonuts is they’re delicious straight from the oven, without any toppings at all!

But if you want the full Oreo experience, dip them in the simple glaze recipe below and top them with crushed Oreo cookies.

One thing to note is, store-bought Oreo cookies are vegan but not gluten or refined sugar free. So if you want your Chocolate Oreo Swoonuts to be completely gluten free, you can make your own Oreo cookies using my Oreo Cookie recipe here.

But one more thing to note, my Oreo Cookie recipe does contain eggs. So if you need a gluten free AND vegan Oreo cookie, you’ll have to watch this space because I’m still working on that recipe!

I hope you love these vegan, Chocolate Oreo Swoonuts, and if you make them, be sure to tell me what you think in the comments below! Enjoy.

Chocolate Oreo Swoonuts (Vegan)

Makes: 12 donuts
Prep time: 20 minutes Bake time: 12-14 minutes

Dry Ingredients 
50g rice or buckwheat flour
50g ground almonds
50g coconut flour
50g raw cacao powder (or dutch process cocoa for extra dark swoonuts)
75g coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla powder (optional)
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt

Wet Ingredients
125g smooth nut butter (I used chocolate chocolate hazelnut butter)
100g coconut yoghurt
200ml plant milk
3 Tbsp rice syrup, raw honey or pure maple syrup
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Simple Glaze
1 cup icing sugar (I used powdered coconut sugar for the caramel glaze)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup, rice syrup or raw honey
1 Tbsp plant milk

Topping Suggestions
Crushed Oreo cookies (store bought or homemade)
Raw cacao nibs
Raw chocolate

Preheat the oven to 170ºC fan bake (190ºC conventional). Lightly grease a non-stick donut pan with coconut oil. If you don’t have a donut pan you can also bake these as muffins.

Gently melt the coconut oil if solid.

Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until evenly combined.

Place all the wet ingredients, except the coconut oil, into another bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined, then add the coconut oil and mix to combine.

Drop spoonfuls of donut mixture into the pan and spread evenly to fill the holes 3/4 full, alternatively pipe the mix into the donut holes for a really even, smooth donut.

Place the donut tray in the centre of the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The secret to a good baked donut is not over-baking them. You want them to be just baked through so they stay lovely and soft on the inside.

The donuts are ready when they bounce back when lightly pressed and a knife inserted comes out clean.

Remove the donuts from the oven and allow to rest a few minutes before tipping them out onto a wire rack. They should come out easily. If not, try gently teasing the donut sides while holding the tray upside down.

Allow the donuts to cool completely before dipping in glaze and sprinkling with toppings.

Store the donuts in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze up to 1 month.

To make the glaze: place all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well combined. For a white glaze use white icing sugar and rice syrup, and for a caramel glaze use powdered coconut sugar and pure maple syrup.

To dip the donuts in glaze: set a wire rack over a sheet of baking paper to catch the drips. Place the glaze in a small bowl and dip the round side of the donuts, then place on the wire rack. If using crushed oreos as the topping, press them into the glaze. For an extra thick coat you can also double dip the donuts. Excess glaze caught on the baking paper can be reused. Simply combine the leftover glaze then pour onto a lined tray and place in the freeze to set.

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