Chocolate Frosted Donuts

Donuts have always been hands down one of my favorite foods. I love them so much in fact that I purchased a couple donut pans about 4 months ago. Foolishly believing making my own donuts would be a complicated procedure I left my donut pans in the cabinet used for months. Last weekend I finally pulled them out and I was amazed at how easy and fast it was to have fresh baked donuts in my own kitchen. I chose to make chocolate frosted donuts because they have always ranked near the top of my absolute favorites list.

Perhaps the best thing about this recipe is that the donuts are baked and not fried! So I can kind of convince myself that it is okay to have more than 1. I am wholeheartedly encouraging you to make donuts yourself this weekend. It is a great way to start your day plus you do not even have to change out of your pajamas.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used plain)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients for Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons water
optional: rainbow sprinkles

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. For the donuts: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk the egg, brown sugar, milk, and yogurt together until smooth. Add the melted butter and vanilla, whisking until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be very thick.
4. Spoon the batter into the donut cavities or use a pastry bag or zip lock bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about 3/4's of the way. (Piping it is definitely the easiest way to go here).
5. Bake for 9–10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the pan and bake the remaining donut batter. Allow the donuts to slightly cool before glazing.
6. For the chocolate glaze: Place the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, and water in a medium bowl. Melt in 20 second increments int he microwave, stirring after each time, until completely melted and smooth. You can also make your glaze in a double boiler.
7. If using sprinkles do so immediately before the frosting sets.

Donuts can be stored for up to 2 days in an air tight container.

Recipe Source: Sally's Baking Addiction. I have used many of Sally's recipes in the past and they always turn out to be perfection.

On the Menu: Donuts with Maple Glaze

Donuts are definitely one of my weaknesses. It's impossible to pass up a delicious donut especially if it has sprinkles. This was my first attempt at homemade donuts and it turned out incredible and it was so easy! Add a simple maple glaze and it became even better.

Ingredients
1 cup of powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp of milk
1 tsp Maple Extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Directions
1. In a bowl mix the powdered sugar, 1 tbsp of the milk, and the maple extract together. Whisk together. If the glaze is too thick add a little more of the milk, if it is too thin add a little more powdered sugar. I kept this to the side to dip my donuts in.
2. In one bowl whisk the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt together. In another bowl whisk together the milk, buttermilk, and sugar.
3. Use a fork to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, until just combined.
4. Take half tablespoons of dough and gently roll into balls. I rolled all of the dough out and placed the balls on a plate.
5. Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a nonstick frying pan. Gently roll the dough balls in the oil until fried to a golden brown. Don't let the oil get too hot. If it does the outside will get burned before the inside is done.
6. Carefully remove with a set of tongs onto a plate with a couple of paper towels on it to absorb the excess oil. Roll in sugar. Repeat until all of the donuts are made. It took me a couple of batches to get them all fried in one pan.