Double Chocolate Donuts

Double Chocolate Donuts are an indulgent treat, made with cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and topped with chocolate glaze and chocolate sprinkles, using minimal prep time and ready in less than 45 minutes!

We love making this baked donut recipe on the weekend, especially when you can eat them for breakfast! For more ideas, check out these Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts and Gluten Free Pumpkin Streusel Muffins!

Double Chocolate Donuts is one of my favorite recipes and the perfect answer to a chocolate craving. They’re baked donuts with cocoa powder and chocolate chips, then topped with chocolate glaze and chocolate sprinkles.

You can use any topping you want here, like a basic glaze or powdered sugar, because the donuts themselves are really rich. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. This is the most important ingredient, because it makes a chocolate donut what it is. You can use regular cocoa powder or dark chocolate cocoa powder, depending on your preference. The dark chocolate may be a little more bitter, but it’s actually my usual preference. 

Granulated Sugar. I use a mix of brown and white sugar because I like the flavor the brown sugar gives. You can use all white sugar, or all brown sugar, if that’s what you have. 

Powdered Sugar. You need this to be light and fluffy for the glaze.

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. I almost always use cup-for-cup gluten free all purpose flour. Flavor can vary greatly with different flour blends, so I usually stick to King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill. But that’s a personal preference. 

Espresso Powder. There’s not enough here to keep you awake (unless you eat the whole batch in one sitting), but it does help bring out the chocolate notes. You won’t taste coffee, just a deeper chocolate flavor. 

Semisweet Chocolate Chips. I use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate, whatever you’d like. You can even use white chocolate.

Baking Soda & Baking Powder. I use a combination of both, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder. You want the donuts to have some rise to them, and I find the combination works well with gluten free flour blends.

Heavy Cream. The higher fat helps keep the donuts moist. You can use half and half, regular milk or alternative milk if that’s what you have. 

Salt. This adds flavor and helps balance the sweetness of the donuts. I only use 1/2 teaspoon salt in the whole recipe.

Eggs. A binding agent that helps hold everything together, and adds some fat to keep the texture moist. 

Butter. This adds both flavor and texture to the donuts. Use unsalted butter, so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.

For a lower fat version, swap with applesauce. For a dairy free version, swap with vegetable oil.

Vanilla. Vanilla adds flavor to help balance out the chocolate notes. You can swap this for peppermint extract, almond extract, or orange extract for some variations.

I use 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, but if I was swapping this out I’d use 1 teaspoon of the alternative. 

Jacqui’s Tip! Top with different types of sprinkles, a pinch salt (flakey kind), mini marshmallows, or mini chocolate chips. 

How to Make Double Chocolate Donuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a donut pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients (except chocolate chips). Sift dry ingredients together.
2. Add the wet ingredients, and mix together until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Add donut batter to a piping bag with the corner cut off. Pipe the dough into the donut pan. 
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until donuts are cooked though. 
5. Let the donuts cool completely before making the glaze. Dip each donut in the glaze, place on parchment paper and add sprinkles

How to Make Chocolate Donut Glaze 

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3-5 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Whisk together cocoa powder and powdered sugar, then sift them together.
2. Add vanilla extract, then whisk in heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach a texture that’s slightly thinner than frosting. Add more or less cream as necessary.
3. Dip each donut into the glaze, using a spatula to spread the glaze. Top with sprinkles.

How to Make Dairy Free Chocolate Donuts

You can make this baked donut recipe dairy free with a few easy substitutions. 

1. Replace the butter with vegetable oil or applesauce. 
2. Replace the half and half with an alternative milk, like unsweetened almond milk or soy milk. 
3. Use dairy-free chocolate chips instead of regular. 
4. For the glaze, use a milk alternative instead of cream. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Chocolate Donuts Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If you haven’t glazed the donuts, then they can stay at room temperature. 

Freeze in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw completely before eating for best quality.

Cooking Tips

• These are baked donuts, so expect the donut batter to be thin enough for piping. You would need a yeast donut recipe for frying.
• For chocolate donuts you can use half and half in place of heavy cream. 
• If you want to use chocolate chips to make the glaze, you can do this in a double-boiler over medium heat. Chocolate can burn quickly, so it’s better to stick to medium heat or even low heat, stirring frequently.
• I usually use a stand mixer to make these, but you can also use an electric hand mixer. Just avoid over-mixing. 
• If you don’t have a donut pan, pipe them into circles on a parchment paper or cooking spray lined baking sheet. 
• Be careful not to over-bake, or you’ll end up with dry donuts. 
• Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the donut batter for something more like a spicy hot chocolate flavor. 
• Serve warm donuts with your favorite cup of coffee in the morning! You can also put these in the toaster oven for a few minutes to have warm donuts every morning.

If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!

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