These Chocolate Sugared Donuts are light and fluffy cocoa clouds! Coated in a delicious cocoa sugar mixture, these sweet treats are extra unique! Don't let their beautiful appearance fool you; they're so simple to make, no mixer is used at all! The batter comes together with just a whisk in less than one hour! If that wasn't enough, these chocolate donuts are gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be vegan!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 donut pan wells with vegetable oil. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the 1 ⅔ cups of multipurpose gluten free flour, the ⅓ cup cocoa powder, 1 ½ cups light brown sugar and 2 teaspoons baking powder.Sifting is important otherwise you will have clumps of brown sugar.
Once sifted, whisk in the ½ teaspoon kosher salt and combine. Set aside.
Put the 2 tablespoons of butter or vegan baking stick in a small heat safe bowl. Microwave in 11 second increments until melted. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 ½ cups milk, cornstarch water and 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract until combined.
While whisking, slowly pour the cooled melted butter a little at a time into the other liquid ingredients.Make sure the melted butter isn't hot because if you pour hot butter into the cold milk, it will create large chunks. If there are tiny little chunks, that's ok.
Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry and use a whisk to combine. If it gets too thick, switch to using a spatula.
Put all the batter into a piping bag or a zip top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into the greased donut pans and fill to almost the top of each well.You can also spoon the batter into the donut pans.
Smooth the batter with a tiny knife or the back of a small spoon.
Bake the donuts in the center rack of the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. The donuts should be risen and spring back at you when gently touched.Note: If you gently poke the donuts and a dent forms, they're not done baking. You can also insert a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean.
Let the donuts cool in the pans for at least 5 minutes before taking them out. If you try to take them out too soon, they will stick and break apart into a giant mess. Once 5 minutes is up, use a small spatula to loosen them from the pan.
Place the donuts on a cooling rack with a baking sheet or parchment paper underneath. The next part is a bit messy.
For the Topping
Put the ½ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick in a medium heat safe bowl.
Microwave in 11 second increments, stirring after each time, until the butter is melted. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder until combined.
Working quickly, take 1 donut and dip it in the melted butter or vegan baking stick. You don't want it submerged too long but you do want the entire donut coated on all sides.
Immediately put the donut into the cocoa powder and sugar mixture and coat all over.
Place each finished donut on a cooling rack with the baking sheet underneath (to prevent a big mess). Repeat these steps with the rest of the donuts.
Once each donut is coated, dip each donut again (a 2nd time) in just the cocoa powder sugar. Do not re-dip in the melted butter.
Video
Notes
For Vegan: Use a gluten free flour free from dairy, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks and a non dairy milk. All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1 ⅔ packed cups of regular flour (280 grams), packed ⅓ cup cocoa powder (38.6 grams) and 1 ¼ cups of milk.Storing: Once the donuts have cooled completely, individually wrap them each in aluminum foil. Try to create a teepee with the top of the foil so it isn't touching the cocoa sugar as much. Keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. Freezing: Once the donuts have cooled completely, individually wrap them each in aluminum foil and the pop in a zip top bag. Freeze for up to 30 days. To defrost, place wrapped donuts at room temperature until soft. About 2 hours.