Gluten-Free Chocolate Donuts

I love donuts. They’re an all around amazing treat for a number of reasons. The possibilities are endless in flavor, size, shape, and toppings. The only downside is choosing which donut you want. How do you choose just one? Do you stick with a favorite, or is it your goal to make your way through the case? I’m a Maple Bar kind of girl myself, but I do venture out into funky cake donuts and fritters from time to time. And maybe it’s just me (probably not), but there’s something magical and sweet about your neighborhood donut shop. These are dedicated people, really. They wake up before dawn, mix up all of that dough, decorate their donuts into works of art, and then wait patiently for you to thoughtfully select each donut to complete your dozen.

Now, I’m not a third-generation donut baker, in fact, I’ve never made a donut before 2018, but I’m a damn good home baker, a Susie Home Baker if you will. Naturally, I knew I could pull of a pretty tasty batch of homemade donuts. And gluten-free ones at that, because why not?

In case you were wondering, no, this tale does not end a tragedy. That’s good news for you, however, because you too can be a successful home donut baker! Yay! The process is simple because we are baking our donuts, not deep frying them. I know I know, they’re not fried okay! But stick around and give this recipe a try anyway.

First, you’ll need to invest in a donut mold. You have a couple of options in either a tin donut mold or a silicone mold. Personally, I think silicone is the way to go. It’s much easier to get the donuts out since you can press against the bottom and pop them out once they’ve cooled. Here is my go to donut mold.  Alright, let’s get started!

Ingredients for Batter

• 2 cups Gluten-Free flour, Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup buttermilk (not the powder!)
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp. Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. rum extract
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt)
3. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs, unsalted melted butter, Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and rum extracts)
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix well. Consistency of mixture should be slightly thick.
5. Spoon batter into gallon ziploc bag or large piping bag. If using Ziploc bag, cut an inch corner of bag off.
6. Lightly spritz the donut mold with spray oil, I used coconut spray oil.
7. Pipe batter into donut mold, filling a little more than half way.
8. Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
9. Makes about 9-12 donuts, depending on much you fill.

Ingredients and Directions for Icing

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 4 tbsp. milk
• Once donuts have cooled, melt in microwave until mixture starts to bubble. Carefully dip the top of each donut into icing. *Optional, sprinkle on desired toppings such as nuts, coconut flake, sprinkles, etc.

And there you have it! I hope you enjoy this recipe. Let me know how they turn out, and be sure to share a picture!