Gluten-Free Cinnamon-Sugar Donut Holes

Absolutely delicious and gluten-free donut holes! These are so wonderfully easy to whip together because the batter mixes in a bowl (using a spoon), you scoop them (using a cookie scoop) into a low pan of oil, and they fry up in no time (sometimes turning themselves over. Fun, right?!) They puff right up while they're cooking, and it's so much fun to watch!  Roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture while hot so it sticks nicely.  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes

Makes 40 donut holes

 

Line a cookie sheet with a double-layer of paper towel. 

 

Mix together some cinnamon sugar in a bowl:

½ cup white sugar

1 – 2 Tbsp cinnamon

*Note: you can adjust the ratio of sugar/cinnamon so it’s how you like it best.

 

Fill a wide frying pan (with higher sides) with ½ - 1” canola oil.  Set over medium-high heat.

 

If you want to make 1 cup buttermilk (which I tend to do) do the following now:

Put  in a 1 cup measuring cup:

2 Tbsp lemon juice OR white vinegar

Fill up to 1 cup with milk (lactose-free works, too)

 

Mix in a large bowl the following until nicely blended:

2 cups Kristin’s gluten-free flour mix

½ cup light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

 

Add and mix with a large spoon, just until well combined:

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

2 Tbsp butter, melted

 

Reminder: The donut holes need to be rolled in the cinnamon sugar mixture while they are still nice and hot, so don’t let them cool too much before rolling in the cinnamon sugar or it won’t stick well.  It helps to have someone else around who can start to do this part so you can keep your eye on the donuts in the pan.

 

Once oil is nicely heated, drop donut holes by 1 Tbsp sized (I use a mini cookie scoop) into the oil.  They’ll sink at first and then rise to the top.   They sometimes turn themselves over if the pan isn’t too crowded.  These will puff right up while they cook.  Let cook 2-3 minutes per side, until nicely browned, rotating at least once, but it’s okay if you rotate a few times to make sure you’ve gotten everything evenly cooked.   Once cooked, remove to your paper towel-lined cookie sheet. 

Repeat with remaining batter, until all donut holes have been cooked.

Donuts cooking in 1/2-1" oil.  Donuts finished and cooling on paper towel-lined cookie sheet.

While the donuts are nice and warm/hot roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mix.  Eat and enjoy!

Roll in cinnamon sugar asap! Just place back on the paper towel.

Enjoying the delicious fresh donut holes.

*If you have extras that aren’t eaten within a day or two, you can freeze them in a Ziploc bag.  Just pop them in the microwave to warm them up. They won't be as nice and crunchy, but they'll still be yummy.  Enjoy!