Fluffy Baked Chocolate Donuts

Thank you guys so much for your patience last week!  That bronchitis really wiped me out and we are slowly returning to humanity again this week!  I will admit, there has been a whole lot of take-out since I was out of commission this week. I had to tie on my apron though to share a recipe with you for the week and I hope that these Baked Chocolate Donuts will do the trick!

If you have missed my past donut posts, I used a few Swagbucks that I had set aside and credited them towards an Amazon gift certificate to purchase two donut pans for free. I found these Norpro 6-count Nonstock Donut Pans for $12.99 and making donuts has become a new fun tradition in our house.

I have been dying to make chocolate donuts in my donut pan, but had a really hard time finding a good chocolate baked donut recipe that incorporated what we already had in our pantry. I decided to improvise and pulled together this recipe and, I have to say, these are AMAZING.

The donuts look rich and decadent, but are surprisingly light in texture. My secret ingredient of leftover coffee from my morning coffee, heightens the chocolate flavor of the cocoa powder. A light dusting of confectioners’ sugar finishes this delicious treat for a fun way to start the day or a mid afternoon snack.

Let’s get baking!

In a bowl, mix together your cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking soda with a wire whisk.

In another bowl, whisk together your melted butter, egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and coffee.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Be careful to mix these just until they are incorporated so you have a nice & fluffy donut.

Spoon your batter into well-greased donut pans. I have found that an ice cream scoop can be the be the perfect way to scoop in the batter without a lot of spills or drips. You want to fill them about 3/4’s full which worked out to be six donuts worth. Slide them into your oven at 325 degrees  and bake them for thirteen minutes.

Once they are done baking, pull the donuts out and place them on a cooling rack to cool.

Give the cooled donuts a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar or finish with a simple glaze. Enjoy with a ice cold glass of milk!

Baked Chocolate Donuts

1 cup all-purpose flour (may need to add 1/4 cup more of flour if your dough is looking too loose)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
4 teaspoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze (optional):

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, butter, or almond extract

Heat oven to 325.  Coat donut pan with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  In small bowl, whisk milk, sugar, egg, butter, coffee, and vanilla until smooth.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture; whisk until blended and smooth. Fill each doughnut cup approximately 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees for thirteen minutes or until doughnuts spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Optional: To make glaze, blend confectioners’ sugar, hot water and extract in a small bowl. Dip doughnuts in the glaze and then dip them in sprinkles.

Looking for more fun ways to enjoy baked donuts at home? Check out our recipes for Fluffy Baked Cake Donuts with a Simple Glaze,  Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Syrup Frosting and these delicious Baked Glazed Gingerbread Donuts for three more variations that your family will flip for!