Monday, March 16, 2015

St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Mini Donuts


My friends' annual St. Patrick's Day Dinner was held last Saturday, March 14th, which was also Pie Day.  So while most of the baking bloggers out there were furiously making, eating and Instagramming pie,  I was in my kitchen making donuts.  I was just not ready to have Pie Day trump St. Patty's Day.  Or have pies trump donuts.  Or maybe i'm just a donut loving rebel like that.

Correction; a bright green, sprinkle topped, baked - not fried - chocolate mini donut loving rebel.

They're super easy to make.  Super delicious to eat.  And the only special equipment you need for these bad boys is a mini donut pan.  So it really is worth the cost, trust me.

And making mini (as opposed to normal-sized) donuts means you can guiltlessly eat half a dozen of them because they're just so itty bitty!  You better eat them fast, too.  Because they will disappear.



Mini Chocolate Donuts
Makes aprox 30 donuts.   Bake for 7 minutes at 325*
Adapted from Joy the Baker.

Ingredients:
1 c. flour 
1/4 c.  unsweetened cocoa powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/4 tsp table salt 
1 pinch of nutmeg
1/2 c.  light brown sugar, packed 
1/2 c. buttermilk 
1 large egg 
4 tblsp unsalted butter, melted until just browned 

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and brown sugar and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl , folding all ingredients together with a spatula until well combined.   
5. Transfer batter into a pastry bag or zip lock bag with a corner snipped off and pipe batter into the wells of a buttered mini donut pan.  Fill no more than 2/3 of the way.  (Trust, if you over batter you will have mini Bundt cakes instead of mini donuts!)
6. Bake in oven for aprox. 7minutes or until the donuts rise and are springy to touch. 
7. Let donuts cool a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Tip:  In case you didn’t listen to me, and you over filled your donut pan too much and your mini donut/bundt cakes have no hole, use a toothpick or end of a small spoon to hollow one out.


Glaze
Adapted from SprinkleBakes.


Ingredients
2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp.  vanilla
3-5 tablespoons whole milk
3-4 drops green food coloring 

Directions
1. Sift powdered sugar in a large bowl.
2. Make a well in the center  of the sugar with your finger.
3. Pour the vanilla extract, food coloring  and 1 tablespoon of milk into the well. 
4. Stir together with a whisk.
5. Add more milk, 1/2 a tablespoon at a time, as needed.  The glaze should come together, shiny and smooth with no clumps.  Don't add too much milk.  I used about 3.5 table spoons total, but this will vary for you.   
6.  Add additional food coloring if needed.  (Use gel food coloring if possible, I used Winton's "Leaf Green".)
7. Dip the tops of your donuts into the glaze, making sure to coat the top completely.  If the donut hole is covered or clogged, poke through with a spoon.
8.  Set donut on a rack to set the icing.  
9. When you are done dipping all your donuts, repeat the process one more time.  Two coats makes the icing more opaque and the color will look much better.  
10.  Add any sprinkles to the donuts while the donut glaze is still wet. 
11. Let donuts set completely, about 30 minutes. 




I have never used sprinkles so sparingly before!  I added a few very strategically placed white sprinkles and just one little shamrock.

Donut worry though,  I will be back to covering everything in sprinkles again next week.


Have a great St. Patrick's Day friends!  Eat plenty of carbs, drink responsibly, wear green and always, always double dip your mini donuts.



But make sure you get your fill of green things, shamrocks and Irish kisses.  'Cuz I am ready for some pastel bunnies up in here!

xoxo,
Anna


P.S. For more St. Patrick's Day inspired treats, check out my Lucky White Chocolate Chip Cookies or my  Wet Chocolate Irish Coffee Cupcakes .