Chocolate Donuts

Chocolate Donuts

If you’re a Chocolate fan like me then you’re going to LOVE these Chocolate Donuts! They are such a fun treat to make on the weekends or for a special occasion. Donuts are universally loved but aren’t always made with the healthiest ingredients. I decided to change that.

I want to enjoy some of my favorite foods and still live a healthy lifestyle. With just a few simple ingredient swaps, you can absolutely have both. A good donut doesn’t have to be fried. In fact, since I started baking donuts I’ve learned a few tricks to make them healthier and still delicious.

Balance Is Key

What makes a good donut? In my opinion, a good donut is soft and fluffy, not too sweet and it’s all about the glaze or frosting. So by swapping a few healthier ingredients into the base of the donut, you can still splurge a little on the icing. I don’t want a “healthier” donut if it isn’t going to taste good.

By still incorporating your favorite treats while maintaining a mostly healthy diet, you aren’t going to feel super deprived. Any extreme diet that cuts out categories of food is not for me. I enjoy cooking and baking and have learned to eat certain foods in moderation. If it can work for me, it can work for you. It just takes practice. 

More Chocolate Please!

Let’s talk Chocolate! When making these Chocolate Donuts I wanted to make sure I nailed the icing. When I think of the really good chocolate donuts I’ve had I noticed they didn’t have an overly sweet icing. Anyone else remember that pack of mini chocolate donuts you can grab at any gas station? This icing reminds me of those. So good!

This may also be why I enjoy a dark chocolate over a semi-sweet or milk chocolate. Once you get used to the more bitter types of chocolate the others can taste really sweet. I try to stick to dark chocolate because it does have some health benefits, is lower in sugar and high in antioxidants.

When baking, find a really good cocoa that you like. I’ve always loved the Hershey’s Cocoa because it has a really rich flavor and reminds me of the Hershey’s chocolate bar or a really delicious hot cocoa. I do like to use Organic Cocoa when I can but any will work just fine.

I made sure to double up on the chocolate in this Chocolate Donuts Recipe so there is cocoa in the donut itself and in the chocolate icing. The best way to enhance a certain flavor is to layer it throughout your recipe. This ensures your donuts will be delcious!

Recipe Swaps

I personally try and switch out white refined sugar (Granulated table sugar) for coconut sugar whenever I can. Yes sugar is absolutely still sugar but choosing a lower glycemic one can be helpful since it doesn’t spike your blood sugar in the same way. I still have refined sugar sometimes but not for the most part.

Another swap I love to use when baking is switching from regular All-purpose white flour to an all-purpose whole wheat flour or even a gluten-free blend sometimes.

I don’t do gluten free because I need to or have an allergy, but because I feel better overall avoiding gluten for the most part. Especially when sticking to more of anti-inflammatory lifestyle which I have been lately.

One last swap I love to use is omitting the oil/butter when possible and using applesauce instead. Some recipes you really need the butter or oil to make it turn out just right. But I find that donuts, muffins, or scones etc can easily have these ingredients swapped out and it won’t alter the final product too much.

When omitting the oil or butter I like to replace it with an unsweetened apple sauce. This swap has never let me down. We use it in our waffles, pancakes, muffins, and now our donuts. It makes them soft, fluffy, and adds the perfect amount of moisture.

After all baking is fun! Dessert is fun! It should be enjoyed. But like I mentioned before, a few healthy swaps can make them a little better for you. Why not give it a try? This is how you can have balance and still enjoy the things you want.

Recipe Tips:

-To ensure you have the correct amount of flour, always measure your flour by spooning it into a measuring cup instead of packing it. You want that loose spooned flour full to the top and then using the flat side of a butter knife, smooth off the excess.

-Turn donuts upside down to cool. When baking donuts in the donut pan the tops will not be as pretty as the bottom side that baked in the pan. Flipping them over and glazing the even side makes them more appealing.

-Let donuts COMPLETELY cool before dipping in icing. This ensures the glaze will stay on the donut and not soak in or melt right off.

-Line a cookie sheet or just lay a piece of parchment paper underneath your cooling rack when glazing your donuts. This allows any excess icing to drip off and helps with easy cleanup.

-Donuts are best served same day. If you need to keep them another day you can either not glaze them until just before you eat them or ice them and place in a paper bag or some type of tray with a cover.

-You don’t want anything like plastic wrap or foil touching the tops because it will remove your icing. If your room is too warm, its best to keep them in the fridge. I don’t recommend keeping them more than a day if iced. Donuts that aren’t iced may keep up to a week.

    

    

Social Media

I really hope you enjoy these Chocolate Donuts as much as I do. If you make these please share on social media and tag me or use the hashtag #MotivateEducateRepeat. Be sure to follow me on Instagram (@motivate.educate.repeat) HERE to stay informed about my latest recipes. I also share other tips on living a healthy lifestyle.

If you are looking for another great donut recipe that is a little healthier, check out my Vanilla Bean Donut Recipe HERE.