When school becomes an endless cycle of cramming, you may find yourself having to choose between studying, socializing, and sleeping. Since I can’t do work without play, my health is normally sacrificed first. Doing school work and going out becomes my definition of working out. Customizing a Chipotle burrito bowl passes as making dinner. And let’s not go into details about how my room starts to look.
But eventually I reach my limit and suddenly have an overwhelming drive to cut all sweets and “bad foods” from my diet. Spoiler alert: the cold turkey approach never works. While your mind may be resolute on your new goals, your body does not get on board as easily. As you try to avoid indulging your cravings your mind becomes consumed with food, making dieting an even bigger challenge.
After years of living in extremes, I learned the key to a healthy, sustainable diet is eating dessert. Yes, dessert. Without hard rules on what you can or cannot eat, high-maintenance short-term diets are replaced with a healthy lifestyle. You can satisfy your cravings without increasing your waistline, especially with these low-calorie Nutella churro donut holes. Rolled in cinnamon sugar and stuffed with Nutella, it’s hard to believe each donut is only 64 calories. My new edible obsession is oven-baked, not fried, and made with light ingredients, creating the perfect breakfast snack or dessert full of flavor without the fat.
Nutella Churro Donut Bites
Ingredients
Instructions
First and foremost, preheat your oven to 350°F and generously coat your mini muffin tray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar (1 tbsp), salt, and baking powder together. When mixed, make a hole in the center of the mixture.
Slowly add in oil, egg, vanilla and milk and whisk until the mixture has a smooth consistency without lumps.
#spoontip: Whole milk is the baking standard because it makes the finished product tender and moist. So make sure your low-fat substitute contains at least 1% fat.
Use a teaspoon, measure two teaspoons into to each muffin hole; filling the hole about ¾ of the way full.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
#SpoonTip: The baking time may increase if using almond milk.
In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the coating.
When cooled, brush each donut off with a thin coat of melted, unsalted butter or spread.
Roll each donut hole around in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until it has an even coating.
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Using a piping bag with a narrow nozzle, slowly fill each donut hole with melted Nutella until they begin to expand. Be careful to not overfill them.
#SpoonTip: If you do not have a piping bag, fill a plastic bag with the melted Nutella and cut one corner. Make an hole in the donut with a skewer or straw, and then pipe in the filling.
Serve and enjoy.