Keyword: donuts

Little Chocolate Donuts

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Little Chocolate Donuts with pink icing

Little chocolate donuts are a fun, nostalgic treat from my childhood. I’m talking about the ones at the local market that come in a plastic sleeve. I remember sharing the waxy little donuts with a friend, and at the time we thought they were delicious. Now that I’m an adult, I realize that homemade ones taste soo much better and they’re surprisingly quick and easy to make. They’re delicious with either naturally pink strawberry icing or chocolate glaze. I shared the recipe for both options below.

For Valentine’s Day, I used a heart-shaped mini donut pan for the donuts shown in the photo, but a standard round mini donut pan works too. A sprinkle of pink sparkling sugar makes them extra special, especially for Galentine’s Day.

Little Chocolate Donuts

Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 14 mini donuts

Ingredients
  

Little Chocolate Donuts

  • â…” cup (85g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 3 tablespoons (17g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine seat salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup (115ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup (128ml) buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Strawberry icing or chocolate glaze recipes below
  • Pink sparkling sugar, optional

Pink Strawberry Icing

  • 1 ½ cups (181g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) puréed strawberries, strained fresh or frozen
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) whole milk, room temperature

Chocolate Glaze

  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces (113g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Instructions
 

Little Chocolate Donuts

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Spray a mini donut pan with nonstick spray. (I used a heart-shaped mini donut pan** but a standard round mini donut pan***works too.)
  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda until well combined.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, egg, buttermilk and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
  • Transfer the batter to the donut pan, using a piping bag or a plastic food storage bag with the corner cut off. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the donuts comes out clean, about 6-8 minutes. Do not over bake or the donuts will dry out. Transfer the donuts to a cooling rack. Clean the pan and repeat with the remaining batter.

Strawberry Icing

  • In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, pureéd strawberries, melted butter, salt and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of milk until well combined. Add additional milk as needed to reach your desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Dunk the top surface of the cooled donuts into the icing.

Chocolate Glaze

  • In a heat safe bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the butter, chocolate and corn syrup together, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Dunk the top surface of the cooled donuts into the glaze or spoon it over the tops.

Notes

*To find pink sparkling sugar, click here.
**To find the heart-shaped mini donut pan I used, click here.
***To find a standard mini donut pan, click here.
 
Keyword chocolate, donuts

Orange Vanilla Bean Donut Holes

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Orange Vanilla Bean Donut Holes

During citrus season, in the heart of winter, my backyard orange tree is brimming over with fresh oranges. So I love bringing some fresh-picked sunshine to my family with these fluffy Orange Vanilla Bean Donut Holes from my childhood. When I was a child, my parents used to love taking our family to a smorgasbord. The owner would always come out from the kitchen and say hello to my parents. He made delicious fried donut holes that my brother and I looked forward to at the end of our meal. At home we duplicated the donut holes using a recipe from an old cookbook. Unfortunately the cookbook is lost, but this recipe is pretty close to the original. Tossing the little donuts in vanilla sugar makes them even more fragrant and delicious. The vanilla sugar can be used immediately, but for the best flavor, make it in advance.

The original recipe had vanilla and nutmeg in it, which are classic cake donut flavors. The addition of fresh orange zest and juice makes them vibrant and flavorful. I love making different flavors of these donut holes. To view Blueberry Donut Holes, click here.

 

Orange Vanilla Bean Donut Holes

by Mari Vasseur
Orange & vanilla donut holes, fluffy & fragrant on the inside, crisp & sugary on the outside
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 24 donut holes

Ingredients
  

Donut Holes

  • 2 cups (255g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup (100g) sugar
  • Zest of 1 large orange
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) melted butter
  • ½ cup (118ml) orange juice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste
  • ½ cup (100g) vanilla sugar Recipe below
  • Oil for frying

Vanilla Sugar

  • ½ split vanilla bean
  • ½ cup (100g) sugar

Instructions
 

Donut Holes

  • In a large, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, orange zest, melted butter, orange juice and vanilla bean paste until creamy and well combined. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Do not over mix. A few small lumps are okay.
  • In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 340ºF (170ºC). Place the vanilla sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
  • Drop tablespoon-sized portions of batter into the hot oil. (I used a #60 portion scoop**) Don't over crowd the pan.
  • Fry the donut holes until golden brown on all sides, about 2-4 minutes, flipping halfway through. If the donut holes cook too quickly on the outside, turn heat down a bit.
  • Briefly drain the donut holes on paper towels, then toss them in vanilla sugar. Serve warm.

Vanilla Sugar

  • With the dull side of a knife, scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the vanilla seeds together with sugar, breaking up any clumps. Use immediately or make in advance and let the flavor develop 1-2 weeks in a covered container.

Notes

**To find vanilla beans, click here.
*To find the scoop I used, click here.
 
Keyword donuts, orange vanilla