Easy Chocolate Donuts
Moist, chocolatey, and sweet without being too sweet, these baked chocolate donuts are a chocoholic’s dream breakfast. Not only are they quick and easy to make (less than half an hour!), but they are super chocolatey (like my chocolate pop tarts) with chocolate chips in the batter and a silky chocolate ganache-esque glaze. While you could skip the glaze, these donuts are intentionally not too sweet on their own, so I recommend adding it. It’s super simple to make (just 2 ingredients!) and sets up with a semi-firm finish. Sprinkles are always a good idea too!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
Perfect chocolate flavor, but not too sweet.Lighter and healthier than your typical fried donut.Easy to make with no mixer required.Makes a great chocolatey breakfast or dessert.
What You Need
Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to make these soft and fluffy chocolate donuts:
Buttermilk. Buttermilk adds tenderness and flavor to the donuts. If you can’t find this in your local grocery store, you can always make my easy buttermilk substitute.Cornstarch. One of my favorite secret ingredients! Cornstarch adds softness and makes these chocolate donuts melt in your mouth.Cocoa powder. I prefer natural cocoa powder, but you could also use Dutch process cocoa in this recipe. Dutch process cocoa will impart a deeper flavor and darker color. Very hot water. I whisk the cocoa powder into very hot water in order to “bloom” it, which just means we’re intensifying the chocolate flavor (which can otherwise fall flat if the cocoa isn’t bloomed). If you really wanted to amp up the chocolate flavor, you could use very hot coffee instead. Either way, make sure the liquid you choose is steaming hot. Coconut oil. This is for the chocolate glaze. You can taste a hint of coconut flavor from the oil, which I personally like. Vegetable shortening would also work if you’re not a coconut fan.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Chocolate Donuts
Chocolate Glaze
SAM’S TIP: Just like any quick bread batter (pancakes, banana bread, muffins, etc.), these chocolate donuts are prone to over-mixing. Once you combine your wet and dry ingredients, use a gentle hand (no mixer or whisk!) and stir the batter until just combined. Love chocolate for breakfast? Try my double chocolate muffins! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook I originally published my chocolate donut recipe in February of 2016. I have updated the recipe to improve it and give it a richer chocolate flavor and make it easier to prepare. I’ve also updated the photos to reflect this and added a how-to video.
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