Apple Cider Churro Donuts

Apple Cider Churro Donuts - Apple cider meets churros - this healthier, baked not fried, donut is a delicious treat to bake during the fall season! Gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, nut-free, and paleo friendly.

Last week, we had a local event in the area where business fronts downtown Hartwell would open their doors for women to shop, receive discounts in store all while enjoying delicious fall treats! In my office building, the chiropractor made warm apple cider, chocolate hummus, and goat cheese stuffed dates with chopped pistachios. So good! 

Running on the apple cider train, I decided in my dreams that I should make some sort of apple cider donut! Haha, I swear, pressure to recipe development is where it’s at for me! As you can tell in the pictures, I have cute mini donuts sprinkled in and that is because my initial thought was to use them as a garnish for the apple cider!

Now, if you decide to use the apple cider churro donuts as a garnish for your apple cider or apple cider mimosas, then please take pictures and share - It would just be the cutest thing! 

Okay, I digress again. The reason why I added churro to the recipe name is not because these are made in the traditional sense as they are baked, not fried, but the cinnamon sugar topping! And bonus, if you decide to use a piping bag to fill in the donut pans then they create a natural churro design which is super fun and holds more cinnamon sugar topping. And who doesn’t want more of that!?

If you would like to see the kitchen equipment and ingredients I used to make this recipe, then scroll down below for the links! 

So while it is still fall season and you have apple cider and all of your fall spices, then make a batch of these apple cider churro donuts! 

I think I will make these for my niece and nephews for Thanksgiving breakfast this year :)

And hey, if you want to get super creative, here are some fun ways you can pair your donut with, if eating them on their own is not enough! Seasonal drinks like adrenal cream cider, coffee, hot cocoa, apple cider, turmeric latte, and chai tea, milk, ice cream (stop it!), dipped in nut butters, jams or the traditional churro style with chocolate sauce. 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, pin it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Apple Cider Churro Donuts - Apple cider meets churros - this healthier, baked not fried, donut is a delicious treat to bake during the fall season! Gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, nut-free, and paleo friendly.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Servings: 12 large donuts

Ingredients

Donut Batter

• 2 cups gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour

• ¾ cup arrowroot flour

• ½ cup organic applesauce

• ⅓ cup coconut sugar

• ⅓ cup avocado or coconut oil

• ⅓ cup organic apple cider or apple juice

• 2 large eggs (room temperature)

• 1 Tbsp apple pie spice seasoning

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• Avocado/coconut oil spray for donut pans

Churro Topping

• 3 Tbsp melted grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil

• 3 Tbsp coconut sugar, maple sugar or date sugar

• 1 ½ tsp apple pie spice seasoning 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray silicone donut pans for easy removal. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (ie both flours, sugar, apple pie spice, baking powder and soda, and salt). Set aside. 

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, vanilla, applesauce, and apple cider/juice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well until fully combined. The batter should be scoopable, not pourable. 

4. You can either spoon the batter or transfer batter into a piping bag and fill into the wells of the lightly greased donut pan to make 11-12 donuts - you might need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your donut pan. 

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until set and a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cook for about 5 minutes. Once cooled, remove donuts from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely. 

6. While the donuts are cooling, make the churro topping. Melt fat of choice in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, stir the sugar and apple pie spice seasoning. Brush the cooled donuts with the fat and either sprinkle with or dip donuts in the sugar mixture. Serve right away or store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate or freeze to keep them longer. 

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Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Perfect for the holidays or as a side dish! Bonus - vegan, gluten-free and naturally lower in sugar.

Let’s be honest, the only time I think about eating sweet potato casserole is during Thanksgiving; amiright?! Like a complete cooked turkey, it seems like sweet potato casserole only falls within a Thanksgiving side dish category.

Maybe after you make this, you can see that this side dish can be made year-round! I’m thankful for that because when recipe testing a month before Thanksgiving, I was glad this could be eaten with most any dishes. For example, we had this casserole with my pecan crusted spiced salmon and broccolini and it was amazing!

When it comes to sweet potato casserole, I have noticed the toppings can fall within two categories: marshmallows or with a crunchy texture. I fall in the crunchy texture category 100%! Personally, I am not the biggest fan of marshmallows (I know, I know -- crazy, right?). If you enjoy marshmallows, you can still go that route.

What I love about this recipe and what sets this casserole apart from the rest is the secret ingredient: oranges. After watching Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix, she made a good point that many Thanksgiving dishes lack acid which is why cranberry sauce is often served. With that in mind, I knew I needed to change that! I’m so glad I did because the orange zest and juices completely elevate the spices and sweetness in the sweet potatoes perfectly!

The rest of the ingredients are pretty standard for a traditional sweet potato casserole sans butter and heaping cups of sugar. To make them naturally sweeter without adding so much sugar, I simply baked the sweet potatoes instead of boiling them to maintain their natural sweetness.

With Thanksgiving in mind, I would bake the sweet potatoes a day before the big day so that when you are at the point of cooking all your casseroles/side dishes, you will just need to prepare the mixture and topping and pop them in the oven 23-30 minutes. It’s that easy.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with a crunchy nut topping - Perfect for the holidays or as a side dish! Bonus - vegan, gluten-free and naturally lower in sugar.

ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes

• 1 cup plant based milk

• 1/4 cup orange juice (1/2 orange)

• Zest of 1/2 orange

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp allspice

• 2-4 Tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp salt

Crunchy Nut Topping

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

• 1/4 cup chopped almonds

• 1/3 cup GF old fashioned oats (regular is fine)

• 1/3 cup GF all purpose flour (regular is fine)

• 1/2 cup light organic brown sugar (coconut sugar is fine)

• 4 Tbsp cubed coconut oil

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Use a fork to poke holes in sweet potatoes and place potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet.

3. Roast for about 45 min to an hour or until fork tender. Allow potatoes to cool for 5-10 minutes before discarding the skin.

4. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees while potatoes are cooling. Spray an 8x8 inch pan or a 1 ½ quart to 2-quart oven safe baking dish with nonstick cooking oil. Set aside for later.

5. Place sweet potato flesh in a large bowl and add milk, seasonings, orange juice and zest, and maple syrup. Use an electric mixer or potato masher to beat mixture until smooth and creamy.

6. Pour mixture into a prepared baking pan and smooth top.

7. To make the crunchy nut topping: Whisk together nuts, oats, flour, sugar and oil.

8. Sprinkle topping all over the sweet potato mixture.

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Notes

1. You can make this casserole ahead of time! Cover and place in the fridge. When ready, bake as directed.

2. If you do not have coconut oil, you can use vegan or regular butter.

3. Don’t make the mistake I did and use quick oats! First bake is crunchy but reheating will make the topping mushy so use old fashioned oats!

4. I love using Spice Islands seasonings for this recipe, particularly their ground saigon cinnamon!

Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Tahini Drizzle

Roasted acorn squash with maple tahini drizzle - perfect for that simple healthy side dish for Thanksgiving!

Who else is excited for Thanksgiving like me? The food, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, napping after being full!? Thanksgiving will be here before you know it so if you are hosting Thanksgiving at your house or wondering what you can bring as a side dish, you are probably planning everything now!

As a side dish, this acorn squash with maple tahini drizzle will soon become a yearly Thanksgiving staple. The squash is cooked in one pan while the drizzle is made in a small jar, making clean up quick and painless. The recipe will not take up much space or equipment so you can continue spending more time on the turkey and other fixings. Not only is it quick to make, but the ingredients are also very simple!

Bonus! I have teamed up with Wayfair on how to make your Thanksgiving table setting simple yet beautiful! The pieces I have chosen were inspired by my home roots. Thanksgiving is all about family so the colors were inspired by my mother’s favorite color, purple, speckled in the centerpiece with gold furnishings all centered around a rustic/country theme. You may think the rustic theme has been overdone, but personally, I love it! I grew up in Georgia so I was often surrounded by country beauty.

To make your table setting really pop, add fresh flowers like mums, black-eyed susans, and magnolias. Adding foods like pumpkins, persimmons, pomegranates, and pears will tie the theme together.

Get creative and have fun!

Wayfair Thanksgiving Table Ideas:

Farmersville Buffalo Table Runner // More Table Linens	Pumpkin Decorative Accent // More Thanksgiving Decorative Accents	Ceramic Petite Pumpkin Cocotte // More Dutch Ovens & Braisers	Place Card Holder // More Place Card Holders
Cucina Wood Cutting Board // More Cutting Boards	Pacifica 10" Dinner Plate // More Plates & Saucers	5 Piece Flatware Set // More Flatware Sets	Lebanon Glass Champagne Glass // More Wine & Champagne Glasses
Round Wire Napkin Rings // More Napkin Rings	Sunderland Napkins // More Cloth Napkins	DIY Flower Black Eyed Susan // More Artificial Flowers	Mum Floral Arrangement // More Floral Arrangements
Magnolia Leaf Garland // More Garlands & Swag	Faux Persimmon Stem // More Floral & Flower Stems	Salt and Pepper Shaker Set // More Salt & Pepper Shakers	Rustic Decorative Bowl // More Decorative Bowls
Stoneware Covered Casserole // More Baking Dishes	3 Piece Candlestick Set // More Candle Holders	Thankful Serving Platter // More Serving Dishes & Platters	Regina Cake Stand // More Cake Stands

I was not financially compensated for this post.

Bonus: To turn this recipe into a soup: Peel the skin off of the acorn squash and blend into a blender with 1 cup plant based milk. Feel free to season to taste and add maple tahini drizzle to garnish!

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INGREDIENTS

ACORN SQUASH

• 2 acorn squash

• 2 Tbsp EVOO

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 tsp raw cane sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

MAPLE TAHINI DRIZZLE

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 3 Tbsp water

• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

• S+P season to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut acorn squash in half and take out the seeds. Then slice each half into 1/2 inch slices.

3. In a large bowl, toss acorn squash, oil and seasonings to combine.

4. Transfer to two sheet pans lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until squash is cooked through and edges are crispy. Will need to flip for the first 15 minutes.

6. While the acorn squash is cooking, add all ingredients for the maple tahini drizzle in a small mason jar and whisk until combined.

7. When the acorn squash is cooled, pour the maple tahini drizzle over the acorn squash and top with pomegranate arils and peptitas.