Phil's Sweet Ricotta Doughnuts

When I wrote my gluten free cook book these doughnut balls were one of my favourite recipes, so I thought I’d have a go at created a no added sugar version and I’m delighted with the results…

For a sweet treat, just make sure the oil is deep and hot enough to make the dough inside fluffy and light. You can use a wheat flour instead of gluten free, in which case leave out the xanthan gum.

Method:

Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 30 minutes to drain the ricotta 

Drain the ricotta: turn into a colander and leave to drain until dry, about 30 minutes or overnight.

Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer to 180⁰C, or a deep sided pan filled one third with oil.

Place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, xylitol and lemon zest into a bowl and mix together evenly. Add the egg and yolk; next add the drained ricotta cheese and again mix well.

Spoon the dough into a piping bag (not fitted with a nozzle) and when the oil is hot, pipe small balls of dough straight into the hot oil. If you don’t have a piping bag, roll little balls of mixture between metal spoons and transfer to the oil.

Cook a small batch at a time, swirling and turning with a slotted spoon so you get an even colour and until nice and golden: about 3- 4 minutes.

Drain well on kitchen paper and then roll in cinnamon dusting while still warm.

Serve warm and fresh straight away. The recipe makes about 30 to allow 4 servings of six little bites.