Baked Chocolate Almond Donuts Recipe

Is there anything better than a chocolate donut for breakfast? While fans of savory early-morning meals may dare to disagree, it's safe to say that most of us would love nothing more than to start our day with a rich, chocolatey treat. Now, thanks to this baked chocolate almond donut recipe from Jessica Morone, you really can have your donut and eat it too — and without the fuss or messy concern of frying. 

Morone describes these donuts as "easy to make since they are baked and not fried," though there's a lot more to love than just the cooking method. "My favorite thing is that these donuts are really rich and if you love chocolate you will love these," she says, adding, "The almond flour in the dough and the almond extract in the glaze give them a nice almond flavor that isn't too overwhelming." Though many of us tend to treat donuts as a specialty treat reserved for cafe outings, you can (and should) enjoy all of that sweet goodness right in your own kitchen.

You'll need both all-purpose and almond flour to serve as the base for these donuts, along with cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, unsalted butter, whole milk, an egg, vanilla extract, and either white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, which is something of a unique ingredient in this recipe. "The special ingredient in these is the vinegar, which adds acid to the flavor of the donuts so they don't end up tasting too sweet, and also reacts with the baking soda while baking to make them moist," Morone explains.

Of course, no donut is complete without the finishing garnishes, so you'll need semi-sweet chocolate chips, heavy cream, and almond extract for the icing. And, optionally, you can garnish your donuts with sliced toasted almonds for a little bit of a nutty perk.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F. Because these donuts are baked, you'll need a couple of donut baking trays/pans, so go ahead and prep those by spraying them with nonstick cooking spray.

Meanwhile, get the batter going. Add the all-purpose flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Next, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter and add that to a separate bowl along with the milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients — about ⅓ at a time — until you have a smooth, cohesive batter. 

Either use a spoon or piping bag to transfer the donut batter to the prepared donut pans; be sure to fill each well evenly, and keep in mind that you should have enough batter to make 12 donuts. Transfer your pans to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the donuts have gotten nice and puffy and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Add the chocolate chips, heavy cream, and remaining butter to a bowl and microwave in 20-second increments until you have a melted, smooth icing. Be sure to stir the mixture in between zaps. Once you've got a smooth substance, stir in the almond extract.

Dip a donut into the icing, plunging it about halfway, then remove it and place it non-icing side down back onto the wire rack. If you're going to garnish with sliced almonds, do so right away so that the nuts stick to the still-wet icing. Then, repeat the process with each donut until you have 12 iced, garnished pastries. Let the donuts sit for about 20 minutes, which will give the icing enough time to set — as tempting as it may be to dive right in, this step will help you avoid a sticky mess.

Once the chocolate glaze has set, you can enjoy one of your sweet little treats. "These are good to eat anytime, they make for a sweet breakfast or a delicious dessert or snack," Morone suggests, adding, "They are great served with a cup of coffee."

And, unless you have a rather large family, then you might be left with some residual donuts. No worries, luckily, as these donuts "will keep for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge," per Morone.