Candy pearls, coconut, sliced almonds & powdered sugar make these donuts elegant!
p style=”text-align: justify;”>The Artist loves donuts, but they don’t love him. He usually winds up with a heck of a stomachache from the greasiness in normal fried donuts. He splurges occasionally but always pays for it. I have wanted to find a new way of making donuts that we both can enjoy without any repercussions.
One way around his physical reaction is to bake the donuts instead of frying them. They taste more like mini cakes than traditional yeast-risen donuts, but boy are they good!! Instead of making a yeast dough, rolling it out and cutting it into donut-shaped pieces, you make a thick batter and pipe it into a baking form.
Freshly baked, undipped
I have been looking at donut pans for years but a few weeks ago I finally broke down and bought one. It is from Norpro and I love it! Make sure you get a nonstick pan so that the donuts will pop right out. You won’t need as much oil in each indentation, saving you some calories from fat.
Another tool I used to make these really easy is a disposable piping bag. Made of plastic, they are sturdy enough to handle stiff doughs, yet flexible enough to pipe easily. I made one mistake, I cut too large an opening at the tip of the bag, making the amount of dough I piped into the baking pan a bit thicker than it should have been. Instead of filling each opening 2/3 full, they were completely filled with batter. But they still turned out perfectly! If I had a slightly thinner batter and filled them as directed, I probably would have gotten twice as many donuts as I did, but I’m not complaining. With only two of us to eat them, this recipe made just the right amount. 😉
And for the most perfect snow fall of powdered sugar, pour it into a very fine wire sieve (mine is about 6-inches diameter) and tap it over the tops. No lumps, perfect shower!
If you are doing more delicate or intricate decorating of cookies and such for birthday parties, Christmas and the holidays, a variety of stainless steel tips will be most helpful. A small round tip allows you to write messages on birthday cakes. I love using a star tip when filling deviled eggs because they make something so commonplace incredibly beautiful. A piping bag is traditionally used to form profiteroles or eclairs out of choux pastry, meringues with sweetened egg whites. If you are making jelly doughnuts, you can insert the piping tip into the baked pastry and inject the filling. Piping bags are incredibly versatile!
When your donuts are hot out of the oven, baked and puffed, transfer them from the donut pan onto a wire rack for cooling. If you are using a nonstick pan, you can flip the pan over and the donuts will fall right out. If they stick at all, nudge them loose with a spoon or fork.
When I was thinking of garnishes for the donuts, I decided to go with all white for an elegant look that would be perfect for holiday parties or certainly for a New Year’s Eve Party! If you are making these for children, colorful sprinkles, edible confetti, and jimmies would be so festive.
Donuts and milk go together like peanut butter and jelly!
These donuts would be fun to change up too. I could easily see adding a touch of cinnamon to turn them into Mexican Chocolate donuts, using a touch of bourbon or rum in the glaze for an adult version, or swapping out the dark chocolate for white chocolate in the glaze. The sky is the limit – go out and get creative!
Happy Chocolate Monday ~ Have a wonderful week!! 
Jane’s Tips and Hints:
I made this completely by hand with a whisk, but if you are short on time, you can certainly whip this up in a stand mixer.
Gluten-Free Tips:
Use your favorite gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. If your mix does not include xanthan gum add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp to the dry ingredients. As always, read the labels on all your ingredients and keep an eye out for hidden sources of gluten!
Kitchen Skill: Filling a Piping Bag
Piping bags are a wonderful way to make quick work of repetitive tasks, portioning of dough and batter, or making foods look extra festive and decorative. The easiest way to fill a piping bag is to set it, tip down in a tall, heavy drinking glass. Using a bottom-heavy glass will help keep it from tipping over. Fold the top of the bag down over the lip of the glass creating a deep cuff. Spoon, pour or scoop the batter into the bag, until about 2/3 full. Fold or roll the cuff over the batter and then cut the tip off the bag. Squeeze the bag from the top and use your opposite hand to guide the bag’s tip.
- Donuts
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (gluten-free)
- 1 tsp baking powder (gluten-free)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp water
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Chocolate Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (gluten-free)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder (gluten-free)
- 2 tbsp softened butter or partially melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tbsp milk
- Decorations, optional
- Flaked coconut, chopped nuts, colorful sprinkles, shaved chocolate, cinnamon-sugar mixture, or a dusting of powdered sugar
- Donuts: Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray donut pan lightly with vegetable oil spray (without flour). Set a wire cooling rack over a sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Line a baking sheet with parchment; set aside.
- In a small bowl stir together the milk and melted butter. Reheat as needed to keep the butter liquefied.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to blend thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, water, sugar, and vanilla until thick and creamy. Add the dry ingredients and the milk/butter mixture to the sugar/egg mixture. Whisk until smooth.
- Spoon mixture into prepared pans or use a piping bag until each is 2/3 full. Using a piping bag makes this fast and easy! Bake for about 8 minutes or until puffed, the tops spring back when lightly touched with your finger, and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.
- If the pan is completely filled, you can flip the donuts out onto the wire rack. Cool completely before glazing. If you only have a portion of the tins filled, you will want to let them cool slightly in the pan and then use a spoon or fork to nudge them onto the wire rack for cooling.
- Wipe pan clean with a paper towel, re-spray with vegetable oil and repeat with the remaining batter.
- Chocolate Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, butter and 1 tbsp of the milk until smooth. Add more milk if needed to make a good dipping consistency.
- If you are using garnishes, place some of each in individual shallow bowls for dipping.
- When donuts are cool enough to handle, hold at the edges and quickly dip the top in the glaze. Lift straight up and quickly flip it over and set on the parchment-covered baking sheet. Let sit for no more than a minute if you are using garnishes. Carefully dip them in your favorites and turn them back over, setting them on the rack to finish setting. Repeat with remaining donuts and set aside to allow glaze to firm up before serving.
- Yield: approximately 18 to 24 mini donuts
Create a New Tradition Today!
Let’s connect! If you love The Heritage Cook, you can follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. If you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, need to alter a recipe for gluten-free, or want recipe suggestions, don’t hesitate to email me. Thanks for reading!
Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. This includes copying and reprinting content and photographs. If you have any questions or would like permission, I can be contacted via email. Feel free to quote me, just give credit where credit is due, link to the recipe, and please send people to my website, www.theheritagecook.com. Please see the Disclaimers page for additional details.
This site is not intended to provide medical advice. The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. It is the reader’s sole responsibility to determine which foods are appropriate and safe for their family to consume. Always consult your doctor. The author makes no claims regarding the presence of food allergens and disclaims all liability in connection with the use of this site.
Thank You!
