Do you love a good chocolate donut, but are looking for a baked version? How about this Glazed Baked Chocolate Donuts Recipe? Keep reading to find out more!
These bite-sized treats are so easy to make, moist, and perfectly chocolatey. They are also made with whole wheat flour. If you are new to baking with whole wheat flour, this is a good recipe to start with. I will share all my tips for creating perfect donuts the first time you make them and every time after that.
Another baked donut recipe I think you are going to love are my key lime baked mini donuts. They have a bright flavor and are so easy to make.
Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour- This is my favorite for use in baked donuts, cakes, cookies, etc. It is a lower protein flour that still produces really tender baked goods.
- All-purpose Unbleached Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Salt
- Canola Oil
- Egg
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Buttermilk
- Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Heavy Cream or half and half
How to Make the Donuts
Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and the wet ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. When they are both mixed in their separate bowls, combine the 2, making sure to only mix until they are combined, DO NOT overmix.
Spoon the batter into your greased donut pans. This is a thinner batter, so I like to just spoon it in.
Once they are ready, place them in the oven to bake. Now, these are a baked good that goes quickly, so don't walk away and forget about them. I have 8 minutes the perfect baking time.
They might seem a little underbaked, but I promise they are not. They will continue to bake just a touch even after they are removed from the oven.
Let them cool for a few minutes in the pan, and the invert onto your cooling rack.
Glazing the Donuts
Now it is time to start the glaze. Heat your heavy cream in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds. Add it to the chocolate chips and let it sit for about 1 minute. Mix.
If there are still chunks, return to the microwave for 20-second intervals, mixing between. When the glaze is all melted and smooth, it is time to dip.
The glaze, so it is good to dip pretty quickly. If it sets before you get them all dipped, just throw it back in the microwave.
I really like to add sprinkles, but you could also use nuts. If you do add sprinkles or nuts you can take the slightly wet glazed donut and dip it in the sprinkles or nuts in a bowl.
If you use nuts, you could opt for walnuts or hazelnuts, or whichever nut you prefer.
Baking With Whole Wheat Flour
If you’ve had a bad experience with whole wheat flour or have just been hesitant to give it a try, I can help you through the process. Whole wheat flour can be a little tricky to work with, but I have the inside scoop.
It’s important that you use whole wheat pastry flour. Not all flours are equal and that’s because the proteins in the flour have an effect on the whole bake. So be sure you get the right type of flour. A whole wheat pastry flour has a lower amount of protein making the final donuts nice and soft.
It’s important not to overmix or overbake your baked donuts with whole wheat flour, as well. This can lead to a hard, dry result, which is not desired in a donut. Part of the problem is that when you pull your donuts out of the oven, it’s still baking a little bit. To avoid overbaking, I pull the donuts out a little bit early so that they won’t become tough after they have cooled down.
Notes
- If you have a preference for dairy-free milk, you can use it as a substitute for the glaze.
- I always use Saco pantry powdered buttermilk. It's my favorite, and so convenient! You can find it at most grocery stores in the baking aisle, right by the powdered milk.
- You don’t have to use Canola oil if you have a preference for another type of fat, but can use whatever you prefer!
- If you do not have a piping bag, like I used, you can always use a ziplock bag. Pour the batter into a large bag. Snip one of the ends, and squeeze through the end to fill.
- The donut pans do not need to be filled to the top. They will rise as they bake, so I like to fill to about ¾ way up.
Do I have to use whole wheat flour in this recipe?
You do not. This recipe has been tested with all variables. You can also use 100% all-purpose flour if you prefer.
Just know if you use all-purpose flour instead, you will need to bake the donuts for about 3 minutes longer.
How long are these donuts good for?
Because there are no preservatives in this recipe, it will not hold for long. In my house, they never last more than a few hours, but know they only be good for about 24-36 hours. Just be sure to wrap them tightly.
More Whole Wheat Baked Goods
- Honey Oatmeal Bread
- Multigrain Bread
- Dark Chocolate and Cherry Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Rye Cookies
- My favorite partial wheat pie dough
- Cherry Slab Pie
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Glazed Baked Chocolate Donuts
Equipment
- donut pans- I used mini.
- small and medium sized bowls for mixing
Ingredients
Donuts
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour you really can use any type of whole wheat flour you like, but I prefer whole wheat pastry for these donuts.
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour I like to have the blend of all-purpose and the whole wheat. If you prefer, you can do 100% whole wheat. You can even do 100% white flour if that is what you are into.
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder I love to use Hershey's special dark
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- dash salt It only takes just a pinch in this recipe.
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar you can also use brown sugar if you like. I would imagine you could use coconut sugar too. Just make sure the sweetener is a granular.
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
Ganache Glaze
- ½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your muffin pans with pan release or butter and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and granulated sugar.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the egg, canola oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Then combine the wet and dry. Make sure you only mix to combine. You do not want to overmix these!
- Spoon into your donut pans and move to the oven.
- These will bake quickly. I have found 8 minutes is just about perfect. Do not overbake these. They will dry out quickly with the whole wheat flour.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes in the pan.
- Gently tip onto your wire rack and the donuts should fall out. You might have to bang it gently to get all of them to fall out.
- While they are cooling, it is time for the ganache. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, until it is very hot.
- Pour over the chocolate chips and let this sit for about a minute. Then mix gently. If you need to, return the bowl to the microwave and heat for about 20-30 seconds. Mix and repeat if needed.
- Dip each of your donuts one by one into the glaze, then return to the cooling rack.
- That is it! They are done.
- Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
Stephanie says
Can’t wait to try this. I’ve got soft white wheat which I think is what’s used for whole wheat pastry flour.
admin says
Yes it is! I cannot wait to hear what you think of these. They are sweet, but not overly sweet, which is just how I like my baked goods!