SPRINKLES.
How can you NOT love them? They're fun and colorful and making everything more exciting. I haven't even decided whether they actually taste good, but that's why I don't eat them plain. Instead, I eat them on chocolate-glazed doughnuts, and then they're delicious.
And these - can we just take a second and gaze at these cute, mini, sprinkle-laden doughnuts? Because if you have any kid in you, I think these will make you smile. I love them so much that I almost feel like I shouldn't eat them - yeah, right. But they're also cute with a bite taken out of them... And then it doesn't really matter how cute they are anymore, because they're about to disappear.
Now let's talk doughnuts. I don't know about you, but I have mixed feelings about them. Apparently I like them - evidence here and here - but I'm pretty picky about the kinds I like and the kinds I don't like. Tender little cake doughnuts? LIKE! But regular doughnut-store doughnuts? Not really my thing. These doughnuts, though, I LOVE.
Aside from the fact that these are insanely cute, here's a few reasons why you should love them too:
1. They're like little doughnut pillows - SO soft and tender! (That's thanks to some sour cream - or greek yogurt - and just a smidge of melted butter.)
2. They're just the right amount of sweet. We're not going too heavy-handed on the sugar here, because that just doesn't sound good in the morning.
3. They're convenient. You can whip them up in a matter or minutes, and all you need is the good ol' bowl and whisk.
4. Baked - not fried. Check!
5. Chocolate glaze + colorful sprinkles = holy moly YUM.
Psst. What are you doing tonight? Because I think you should grab a mini doughnut pan - or even a mini muffin pan! - and make these. A fair warning, though: these are seriously mini. I'm still trying to figure out if they're breakfast, or just like a pre-breakfast snack. (Joking - kind of.)
P.S. Did you notice the little recipe box on the right side of the page? (Scroll up) It's new! Click on it to see an updated recipe-by-category index. It's pretty awesome, IMHO. :)
Confession #103: Chocolate-Glazed Baked Mini Doughnuts
Soft and tender Baked Mini Doughnuts are topped with an incredibly good Chocolate Glaze. These fun, sprinkle-covered treats will have you coming back for more!
- Yield: 12 mini donuts
Ingredients
Baked Doughnuts
- 2 ⅛ ounces all-purpose flour (½ cup, spoon-and-sweep)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- small pinch of nutmeg*
- ½ ounce butter (1 tablespoon), melted
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 ½ ounces chocolate baking chips, chopped (¼ cup)**
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 ounce butter, cubed (2 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
- nonpareil sprinkles (or sprinkles of choice, for decoration)
Instructions
To make the Mini Donuts:
- Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a 12-cavity Mini Doughnut Pan*** (or a mini muffin pan) with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar until combined (the mixture will be lumpy and sugary). Add the egg and whisk in until smooth. Add the sour cream or greek yogurt and vanilla and whisk in until smooth again.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet and fold in until JUST combined (a few small streaks of flour in the batter is okay).
- Put the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (like Wilton #12) or a ziploc-type bag with a small piece of one corner cut off. Pipe the batter into the prepared doughnut pan, filling each mold about ⅔ of the way full. If needed, smooth the tops out with your piping tip or your finger.
- Bake doughnuts in the preheated oven for 6-7 minutes, until the tops spring back to the touch. Transfer doughnuts to a wire rack to cool while preparing chocolate glaze.
To make the Chocolate Glaze
- Place the chopped chocolate in a small, microwave-safe bowl.
- In a separate, microwave-safe bowl, combine the milk and cubed butter and microwave for about 15 seconds, just until the butter has melted and the mixture is starting to boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate and let sit for one minute. Then, stir gently to melt the chocolate and make a smooth glaze. If, after continuous stirring, the chocolate hasn't melted, microwave for another 5 seconds, and then stir until smooth (you might need to do this twice, but make sure you stir after every 5 seconds). Once the chocolate mixture is smooth, add the confectioner's sugar and stir in until smooth once again.
- Dip the top of each doughnut into the chocolate glaze, twirling the doughnut slightly in your hand to make sure all of the glaze settles on the top of the doughnut. Smooth out any imperfections with your fingertip (make sure the glaze isn't too hot to touch!). Once you've glazed all of the doughnuts, add some sprinkles on top. If the glaze starts to become less smooth and won't adhere to the doughnuts as well, microwave it for another 5 seconds and stir until smooth again.
- Doughnuts are good warm or cold. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge once the glaze has set.
Notes
*I don't like a strong taste of nutmeg, so I used a very slight pinch in these donuts. If you want, be a bit more heavy-handed with your pinch, but don't use more than that; it will overwhelm the flavor.
**You can also use an equivalent amount of chopped chocolate (instead of chopped chocolate chips). Also, if your chocolate chips are small, you probably don't need to chop them.
***The cavities in my doughnut pan are slightly less than 2" wide.
Inspired By: Pinch of Yum
What are your feelings on doughnuts? Do you like yeast doughnuts or cake doughnuts, both, or neither? And what do you think - is it "doughnuts" or "donuts"? <--drives me nuts
Jayne
Gorgeous! Love that these donuts are bakes too!
alexandra
Thank you! And yes - they seem like a much more acceptable indulgence since they're baked. ;)
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes
Yummm these look delicious! I am so craving chocolate...or well sugar overall!
alexandra
Oh my gosh I crave chocolate all the time. :) Thank you!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Love the sprinkles, these are too cute!