Baked Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze and Candy Bar Crumbles

Day 59

Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts, fresh from the oven, are my favorite. Just seeing the big red “Hot Now” light makes me pull over my car and walk inside, zombie-like, demanding one dozen discs straight from heaven, all for me. So, let’s face it, trying to duplicate such perfection is futile. As long as we all agree, you’ll have fun making your own doughnuts at home.

Copyright, Doug Kapustin Photography, 2014

There are various recipes we all know, ranging in levels of difficulty from frying canned biscuits to transforming yeast dough. They are all tasty, for sure. 

The recipe that I’ve chosen is for baked doughnuts. It is quick and simple, and it perfectly compliments a breakfast coffee or serves nicely as a simple after dinner treat. 

Before this blog entry, I tested several recipes and found that using Ina Garten’s batter for the doughnuts and creating my own glaze was ideal. For the doughnut pan, I found a perfect non-stick one at Target. I suggest buying two pans so that you can bake 12 at a time to make the process faster. 

I hope you like this alternative to store-bought doughnuts! 

Baked Doughnuts with Chocolate Glaze and Candy Bar Crumbles

Ingredients
For the doughnut batter: 
Baking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½  cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1¼ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the glaze and topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. instant coffee
6 mini-Butterfinger bars, crushed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 doughnut pans well.

In a food processor, blend 6 mini-Butterfinger bars until completely crumbled.  Set aside for later.

Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the baking pans, filling each one a little more than three-quarters full. Bake for 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then tap the doughnuts out onto a sheet pan.

For the topping, combine one cup of heavy cream, one teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, and 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips in a saucepan. Heat on low until melted and smooth. 

Take each cooled doughnut and dip the rounded side into melted chocolate, coating thoroughly. Place on sheet pan, chocolate-side up, and sprinkle Butterfinger crumbles on top. 

Serve immediately or store in airtight container for up to 24 hours.