Lemon Pistachio Protein Donuts

Yum

Oh.

My. 

Goodness.

These donuts. I just don't even have the words.

Let me try and find them: LEMON. PISTACHIO. PROTEIN. DONUTS. 

Even though I made them myself, it is hard to believe how amazing these taste when they are made with protein powder. I mean, let's not fool ourselves - baking with protein powder is GREAT, but its never quite the real deal. But I swear to you, if you didn't know how these were made you would think I picked them up from a near by donut shop. 

I will admit that I had my doubts I could ever get this recipe exactly spot on like I wanted it. The first attempt the batter had too much liquid and they baked flat and rubbery. The second attempt I almost had but it they were a little dry, however, still definitely edible, I just wasn't sold on the glaze. This third attempt I was determined to nail it and boy did I. 

I will say I tried so hard to make a "healthy" glaze for these donuts by using minimal sugar and even some whey protein powder in the mix, but it just wasn't the consistency I wanted. So I compromised and made a traditional glaze with powdered sugar and milk...but used it oh-so-sparingly. I try my hardest to steer clear of refined sugars but you know what, sometimes you gotta give a little.

Aside from the glaze these are incredibly healthy donuts! The lemon zest and lemon juice make these the ideal summertime donut as their flavor is bright and bursting with with citrus. Each donut packs 8 grams of protein and less than 5 grams of fat. It is hard to believe something that taste THIS good is actually healthy. Don't believe me? You'll just have to see for yourself!

Lemon Pistachio Protein Donuts

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 8 minutes

Servings: 6 donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts

• 1/4 cup  vanilla whey protein powder (I use Whey Protein Isolate from True Nutrition)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose)
• 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar 
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Zest of 1 lemon (approx. 2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Glaze

• 3 tbsp powdered sugar, loosely measured not hard packed
• 2 tsp milk (or nondairy milk of your choice, I used cashew)

Additional Toppings

• 2 tbsp pistachios, toasted

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease donut pan with coocnut oil (just so the donut don't stick to pan) and set aside. 
2. Mix all dry ingredients (protein powder, flour, coconut palm sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt) together in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients (butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, yogurt, egg and vanilla) and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until well incorporated. 
3. Transfer batter to a large Ziploc bag - we will use this as a piping bag. Snip a very small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag and evenly pipe batter into donut pan. I like to tab the pan on my counter top to level out the batter and ensure there are no air bubbles. 
4. Transfer donuts to oven to bake for 8 minutes or until a toothpick in inserted into the donut and comes out clean. Make sure not to over bake since we are using whey protein and over baking and make your donuts dry and rubbery!
5. After the donuts have finished baking, remove pan from oven and remove donuts from pan for cooling. 
6. While donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl add 1 tsp of milk at a time to the powdered sugar, stirring after each tsp of milk. If you haven't already toasted your pistachios, now would be the time to toast them. Once cooled, chop the pistachios finely.
7. With a spoon, drizzle equal amounts of glaze over the tops of the cooled donuts. Sprinkle chopped pistachios over each right after the glaze.
8. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, placed in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information (1 donut)

145 calories - 8 g Protein, 17.5 g Carbohydrates, 4.7 g Fat

Blueberry Lemon Protein Scones

Yum

Breakfast pastries are usually synonymous with high fat and loads of sugar.

But dang it...don't they always look so enticing behind that glass case in the coffee shop?! Sometimes you just want that sweet treat with your cup of coffee - hold the 10 lbs of sugar.

These Blueberry Lemon Protein Scones are the perfect alternative to feed your cravings for breakfast pastries! Bursting with lemon and fresh blueberries, I bet these will rival any scones you'll find in your local coffee shop.

One of my absolute favorite flavors of protein powder recently has been the Lemon Cake Pea Protein from True Nutrition. I'd been trying to come up with a good recipe to use it in and these scones seemed like the perfect match. Plus, you can't go wrong with freshly zested lemons and juicy blueberries!

Blueberry Lemon Protein Scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 17-20 minutes

Servings: 8 scones

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup Lemon Cake Pea Protein (3 scoops) ** Any lemon flavored or vanilla flavored pea protein would work here as well!
• 1-1/4 cup gluten free flour blend (I use Bob's 1-to-1)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 2 tbsp melt butter
• 1/2 c Greek yogurt, nonfat 
• 1/2 c + 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (cashew, almond, soy, etc)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 c fresh blueberries

Baking Accessories:

• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper. 
2. In a mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients: pea protein, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and coconut palm sugar, whisking to combine.
3. In a separate bowl combine all remaining ingredients, except for the blueberries. Stir to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a dough is formed. Fold the blueberries into the dough gently, ensuring the blueberries are mixed evenly throughout.
4. Form the dough into a round disk, about 10" in diameter, on your parchment paper lined baking sheet. Slice into 8 equal parts and separate slightly before baking. 
5. Place in oven to bake for 17-20 minutes. Test the scones by inserting a toothpick into the center - they are baked completely when it comes out clean. Serve immediately or allow to cool completely and store in an air tight container for later.

Nutritional Information (1 scone):

175 calories - 12 g Protein, 24 g Carbohydrates, 3.5 g Fat