Cookies and Cream Donuts

5 from 3 votes

These Cookies and Cream Donuts are rich chocolate donuts topped with a silky vanilla frosting and topped with broken chocolate sandwich cookies! If you're a cookies and cream lover, this is the recipe for you! They're also 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, they're gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be dairy free (vegan).

Prep Time25

Cook Time15

Assembly Time20

Total Time1

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: donuts

Calories: 438kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Donuts

1 ¾ cups multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
⅔ cup cocoa powder I did ⅓ cup of natural Unsweetened and ⅓ cup of Dark
1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
4 rounded tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons of water
1 cup milk , at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar
½ cup vegetable oil

For the Vanilla Frosting

½ cup unsalted butter , or vegan baking stick
4.5 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup water room temperature (you may not use it all)

For the Topping

8 gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies , broken apart into chunks

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Chocolate Donuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 donut pan wells with vegetable oil. Set aside.
If you don’t have two pans you’ll have to cook the donuts in multiple batches.
In a large bowl, sift together the 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour, ⅔ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar. Then use a whisk to combine and set aside.
If you don’t sift, you’ll get large clumps of brown sugar which is fine if that doesn’t bother you.
In a medium bowl, using a spoon, mix together the 4 rounded tablespoons cornstarch (52 grams) and 6 tablespoons water until there are no lumps and it is smooth. It will be thick and tacky at first.
Once combined, whisk in the 1 cup milk, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons white vinegar.
Add the wet ingredients and the ½ cup vegetable oil into the dry ingredients. If it gets too thick, switch to using a spatula.
Next scoop the batter into a pastry bag or a (zip top bag and cut a corner off) and pipe into the donut pans, filling them about ¾ of the way full.
Bake the donuts in the center rack of the 350 degree oven for 15 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 and cool completely on a cooling rack.

For the Vanilla Frosting

While the donuts are baking, make the frosting.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the ½ cup unsalted butter until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
With the mixer on very low speed, slowly add in the 4 ½ cups confectioners' sugar and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
While the mixer is on, slowly add in the ¼ cup water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. You may not need to use all the water.
Break the 8 cookies apart with your hands so the texture isn’t overly sandy. Place the crumbs on a flat plate.
Using an icing spatula or a butter knife, frost the tops of the donuts.
Once it is frosted, immediately turn the donut frosting side down into the cookie crumbs. They should stick to the frosting. You can always use your hands to place the cookies onto the donut if you prefer. Serve and enjoy!!!

Notes

For Vegan: Use a gluten free flour free from dairy, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks, a non-dairy milk and vegan chocolate sandwich cookies.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1 ¾ packed cups of regular flour (294 grams), packed ⅓ cup cocoa powder (77.2 grams) and ¾ cup of milk (177.4 ml).

Storing: Store the donuts in an airtight container or individually wrap each donut in aluminum foil for up to 2 days in the fridge. Try to create a teepee with the top of the foil so it isn't touching the top of the frosting as much.

Let each donut come to room temperature prior to serving.

Freezing: Once the frosting on the donuts has hardened a little (you may need to pop them in the fridge), individually wrap each donut in aluminum foil. Pop them in a zip top bag and freeze the donuts for up to 30 days.

To defrost, put the donuts in the fridge the night before or leave them out on the counter for 2 hours prior to eating or until the donuts are room temperature and soft.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition