I mentioned before that I try to reduce the sugar in the sweets and meals that we eat. When I get a craving for something sweet, I hope there’s fruit in the fridge…otherwise, I tend to grab whatever leftover cake or whatever is in the fridge at the moment. I’m very weak in that area.

So, when I’m making foods, I try to go ahead and reduce the added sugar so I can feel less guilt when I cave later. And, a lot of the sweet things I make are for the kids’ breakfasts (like these banana chocolate chip muffins) and I really do try to not load them up on sugar before I send them out of the house.

The kids LOVE donuts though (as do I), and gluten free donuts are pricey. I buy a few boxes at a time and keep them in the freezer, only pulling them out once a week (or less) to try to make them last as long as possible. So, when I was going to find a recipe that I could make this week, I searched and searched for an easy gluten free donut one. I used Splenda Sugar blend to reduce the sugar in the recipe (adapted from this one) and cut the calories (the sugar blend is a mix of no-calorie Splenda and real sugar).

This recipe is DELICIOUS. The batter is INSANE. They’re moist, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, cinnamon-sugar covered bites of heaven. AND, they’re oh, so easy to make, and super duper freezable for those busy school mornings.

I used a donut pan first, and ended up filling up a mini muffin pan with the leftover batter when I became impatient and decided that I didn’t want to do three (or more) separate batches with my one donut pan.

Note: next time I make these (which will be very, VERY soon) I’ll add an egg to the batter. As delicious as they are, they could stand to stick together a little better. Although, then I wouldn’t be able to sneak spoonfuls of it while I’m filling the pans….

What you need:

For donuts/muffins:

2 1/2 cups gluten free pancake/waffle mix (I used Pamela’s–affiliate link)

1 cup unsalted butter (or butter subsititute)—softened

1/4 cup Splenda Sugar Blend

3/4 cup water

For cinnamon/sugar topping:

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4-1/2 cup Splenda Sugar Blend

1-2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a donut pan or muffin pan (mini or regular) with nonstick cooking spray. Mix together first four ingredients until smooth. Batter will be thick (and delicious). Spoon into pans. They will rise, so if using a donut pan, fill about 1/2-3/4 full (or, less than I did, unless you want a half donut, half muffin top). Bake for 10-15 minutes (less for mini muffins, more for regular muffins or donuts) until slightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.

Immediately flip onto wax paper lined baking sheet. Stir together cinnamon and sugar for topping. For the donuts, I drizzled melted butter then sprinkled the sugar mix on top. For the mini muffins, I dipped them in the melted butter and then rolled them in the sugar mix. Allow to cool and then try not to eat them all.

To freeze, put them in a container lined with wax paper (you can layer them with wax paper in between) and cover with a lid or foil. In the morning, pop a plate of them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until warm.

These would also be delicious drizzled with a chocolate or vanilla glaze!

This is too full for the donut pans:

But this is perfect for the muffin pan:

My assembly line for topping warm donuts/muffins:

The finished product:

Just about anywhere you love sugar, you’ll love SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener! The SPLENDA® Brand is dishing out 365 ways to swap sugar for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products. Visit www.365SweetSwaps.com for tips and recipes to help you save calories from added sugar all year long.

This post is part of the SPLENDA® 365 SWEET SWAPS ™ blogger program by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. and The Motherhood, who sent me products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are my own, and I hope you enjoy them.