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These chocolate frosted donuts are a wonderful treat! A delicious, golden-baked donut dipped in an indulgent chocolate glaze.
Who doesn’t love Chocolate Frosted Donuts? Baking homemade donuts is not only healthier, but it’s fun too, and this is one of my favorite recipes. They’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or as a snack.
Why This Recipe Works
- A little nutmeg in the batter gives the donuts their true bakery taste.
- A blend of oil and butter adds moisture as well as a buttery flavor.
- Buttermilk adds a moist texture and delicious tang.
- Vanilla adds an extra layer of flavor to the donuts.
I’m a big fan of homemade donuts – I mean, who isn’t, right? Ever since I got my first donut pan, I’ve had a lot of fun creating recipes to use it, like my Old Fashioned Glazed Donuts, Chocolate Glazed donuts, and my Iced Vanilla Donuts. The other day my son asked to go to the donut shop because he was craving Chocolate Frosted donuts. So, I knew that was my next donut recipe to add to the list!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour: Use all-purpose or plain flour. I use unbleached flour, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Sugar: You can use Granulated sugar or super-fine/caster sugar.
- Eggs: Use large or jumbo eggs that are at room temperature.
- Butter: I almost always use salted butter in my baking for extra flavor, but you can use whatever butter you prefer.
- Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil such as canola or vegetable oil/
- Nutmeg: You can use ground or freshly ground nutmeg. I find an ? teaspoon of nutmeg adds just enough bakery flavor to this recipe, but you can adjust it according to your preference.
- Buttermilk: Full fat or low-fat buttermilk can be used for this recipe.
Step By Step Instructions
Grease your donut pan well with baking spray and preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C.
Melt the butter on the stove or in the microwave and allow it to cool. You want to cool it enough that it won’t cook the eggs when combined).
Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients with a whisk until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Mix to combine. The mixture will be thick, but you want to mix all of the flour into the dough. If it seems dry or stiff, add a little more buttermilk.
Pipe the dough into the donut cavities in the pan. You can use a piping bag or a large ziplock bag, by cutting one of the corners off the bottom of the bag.
Once the cavities are filled, wet your finger and pat down the seams of dough so they join well.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned and a cake tester comes out clean.
Allow the donuts to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Prepare the glaze by mixing powdered sugar, cocoa powder with milk, vanilla, corn syrup, and a little salt. For detailed instructions on making the glaze, see my Chocolate Glaze for Donuts recipe.
Once the donuts are cooled, place a piece of parchment paper under a cooling rack to catch any glaze that falls from the donuts.
Coat the donuts in the glaze by dipping them in the bowl. It’s not necessary to coat both sides, but you’re welcome to do so.
Place the glazed donuts on the cooling rack to set. After about 20 minutes, the glaze will set and harden.
Serve and enjoy every last bite.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
- Chocolate frosted donuts are best served the day they are baked. Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To freeze chocolate frosted donuts: Freeze unglazed by adding the cooled donuts to an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperate and frost before serving.
Tips & Variations
- Correctly measure flour by spooning the flour into the measuring cup and then leveling off the top, or for most consistent results, use a kitchen scale.
- Don’t overmix the batter when you combine the wet and dry ingredients. Overmixing can cause the donuts to be dense and not light and fluffy.
- Use room temperature ingredients as they blend better when they’re all at the same temperature.
- To quickly fill the pan, pipe the dough into the pan using a piping bag, or use a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Just cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each cavity.
- Chocolate frosted donuts are best when eaten on the day they are baked.
Rate This Recipe
Recipe
Chocolate Frosted Donuts
Ingredients
- Baking spray
- 6 tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup buttermilk (plus more as needed at room temperature)
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For The Chocolate Frosting
- 1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 4 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons milk (or water)
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup (optional)
Instructions
For the Donuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C and spray your donut pan with baking spray. This recipe makes 12-15 donuts, so have more pans handy.
- Add the cooled melted butter, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk to a mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until smooth and combined, being careful not to over mix the batter. The mixture will be pretty thick, but all of the flour should be incorporated. If the dough seems stiff or dry, add a little more buttermilk.
- Pipe the dough evenly into the pans, filling the cavities ¾ full.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool for 15-20 minutes.
For the Frosting
- Sift together the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the milk, then mix the vanilla and corn syrup to make a smooth glaze. If the frosting is thick, add a little extra milk to loosen it to a pourable consistency.
- Once the donuts are cooled, use a spoon to pour over the donuts or dip them into the bowl one at a time.
- Allow the frosting to set before serving.
Tips
- Correctly measure flour by spooning the flour into the measuring cup and then leveling off the top, or for most consistent results, use a kitchen scale.
- Don’t overmix the batter when you combine the wet and dry ingredients. Overmixing can cause the donuts to be dense and not light and fluffy.
- Use room temperature ingredients as they blend better when they’re all at the same temperature.
- To quickly fill the pan, pipe the dough into the pan using a piping bag, or use a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Just cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each cavity.
- Chocolate frosted donuts are best when eaten on the day they are baked.
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