fire balls!
Today I bring you Fire Balls! These tasty little treats were inspired by Season 5 Episode 10 of Friends, and of course my podcast Friends with Food where we discuss it (and this recipe!) in detail! Listen to the podcast here! This recipe was also inspired by a Sunny Anderson recipe which uses canned biscuit dough to make easy and delicious donut holes! Woot! The guest on this episode of Friends with Food is Seattle-based burlesque artist Ramona Rhapsody. Ramona is an accomplished keto chef and generously created a keto version of this recipe which you can find below! These sweet treats are perfect for the holidays or any other time, so dig in and enjoy! Happy happy y’all!
fireballs
1 c sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
½ tsp - 1 tsp cayenne, to taste
½ tsp salt
One can refrigerated biscuit dough
Vegetable oil, about 2 cups
Combine sugar and spices in a wide, shallow bowl. Use a bit less cayenne if you are sensitive to heat. You can always start with a ¼ tsp and add more to taste. When you work with the sugar and spice mixture, the cayenne may make you sneeze a bit, so be forewarned.
Open the can of biscuits. Peel off a biscuit and cut it into quarters (I use kitchen scissors for this). Roll each quarter into a ball in your hands and set the balls on a plate. Continue until you have turned all the biscuits into balls.
Pour the vegetable oil into a large heavy pan until it reaches a depth of about a half inch. Heat the oil over medium high until it reaches 350F. A thermometer is helpful here, but if you don’t have one, don't worry! The oil will shimmer when it gets hot, and if you drop in a ball of dough the oil will bubble vigorously. If you start to smell burning, remove the pan from the heat for a moment and turn down the heat. As the oil is heating, prepare a plate lined with paper towels and set it next to the pan of oil. When the oil is hot, drop in about 6 to 8 dough balls (depending on the size of your pan; you don’t want it too crowded). The donut holes will bubble vigorously and quickly begin to brown. Keep an eye on them and turn them over when the bottoms are nice and golden brown; this should only take about 30 seconds or so. Keep turning until the balls are golden on all sides. This will happen quickly so stay by the stove and keep things moving! Using a slotted spoon, remove donut holes to paper towel lined plate to drain briefly, then while they are still hot roll the donut holes generously in the sugar mixture, scooping mixture over the top to ensure they are thoroughly coated. Once the donut holes are well and goodly coated, remove them to a dish of your choice. Repeat the frying, draining, and sugaring process with the remaining dough. When all the donut holes are done, turn off the heat and let the oil cool. When oil is cool, you can dispose of it in a container in the trash (an old can is good for this) or reserve for another use. Oil can be reused several times for frying of this nature.
Let donut holes cool slightly (the dough will continue to cook after you pull the holes out of the oil so if you bite into one immediately the inside may still be raw), then enjoy while still warm! Perfect with coffee or tea.
keto fireballs!
Dough:
2 cups Kirkland Brand almond flour
3 teaspoons Clabber Girl baking powder
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon Red Mill xanthan gum
Combine all ingredients together in bowl until smooth dough has formed. Refrigerate dough covered overnight (max.) or for a couple of hours (min.).
Fireball Ingredients:
All the same except the following:
1 cup Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener (granulated)
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
½ tsp - 1 tsp cayenne, to taste
½ tsp salt
Avocado oil
Combine monk fruit sweetener, spices, and salt in a wide, shallow bowl. Use a bit less cayenne if you are sensitive to heat. You can always start with a ¼ tsp and add more to taste. When you work with the spice mixture the cayenne may make you sneeze a bit, so be forewarned.
Form the dough into balls and arrange on a plate. When forming the balls, keep in mind the keto donut holes will not expand when cooked.
Pour the avocado oil into a large heavy pan until it reaches a depth of about a half inch. Heat the oil over medium high until it reaches 350F. A thermometer is helpful here, but if you don’t have one, don't worry! The oil will shimmer when it gets hot, and if you drop in a ball of dough the oil will bubble vigorously. If you start to smell burning, remove the pan from the heat for a moment and turn down the heat. As the oil is heating, prepare a plate lined with paper towels and set it next to the pan of oil. When the oil is hot, drop in about 6 to 8 dough balls (depending on the size of your pan; you don’t want it too crowded). The donut holes will bubble vigorously and quickly begin to brown. Keep an eye on them and turn them over when the bottoms are nice and golden brown; this should only take about 30 seconds or so. Keep turning until the balls are golden on all sides. This will happen quickly so stay by the stove and keep things moving! Using a slotted spoon, remove donut holes to paper towel lined plate to drain briefly, then immediately roll the donut holes generously in the spice mixture while they are still hot, scooping mixture over the top to ensure they are thoroughly coated. Once the donut holes are well and goodly coated, remove them to a dish of your choice. Repeat the frying, draining, and seasoning process with the remaining dough. When all the donut holes are done, turn off the heat and let the oil cool. When oil is cool, you can dispose of it in a container in the trash (an old can is good for this) or reserve for another use. Oil can be reused several times for frying of this nature.
Let donut holes cool slightly (the dough will continue to cook after you pull the holes out of the oil so if you bite into one immediately the inside may still be raw), then enjoy while still warm! Perfect with coffee or tea.
