Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts

These chocolate old fashioned donuts are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and finished with a sweet vanilla glaze. These homemade donuts have deep chocolate flavor and are the perfect breakfast indulgence.

Making homemade donuts (or"doughnuts") is a real treat. There's nothing like a fresh donut, hot out of the fryer, when the glaze has just set and the donut is still warm. These chocolate old fashioned donuts are soft and tender, cakey, chocolaty, with a crispy exterior, and a sweet glaze for the finishing touch.

If you've never made donuts from scratch before, my detailed step-by-step instructions will walk you through how to make them. This donut recipe is easy enough for beginners, so I encourage you to go for it. The payoff at the end is fresh donuts (and donut holes!) that you made yourself!

If you want to make the dough ahead of time, just follow the "Make ahead" instructions in the Expert Tips section below.

For more indulgent breakfast recipes, try these Cinnabon copycat cinnamon rolls or buttermilk maple biscuits.

Jump to:

• ⭐️ Why These Old Fashioned Donuts are the Best
• 🍩 Ingredients Needed
• 🍽 Equipment Needed
• 🔪 How to Make Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts
• 🍴 Storage Instructions
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips
• 💬 Frequently Asked Questions
• ☕️ More Breakfast Recipes
• Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts Recipe

⭐️ Why These Old Fashioned Donuts are the Best

• Rich, cakey, chocolaty, and slightly tangy
• Crispy and crunchy exterior
• No yeast needed
• Easy enough for beginners
• Fun weekend project
• Freezer-friendly

🍩 Ingredients Needed

For the chocolate donuts:

• All-purpose flour - You can substitute up to ⅓ cup of whole-wheat flour here, but your donuts will not be as moist
• Cocoa powder - You can use Dutch-process or regular unsweetened cocoa powder here
• Cornstarch - Makes your donuts extra-crispy
• Baking powder - Acts as a leavener for the donuts
• Espresso powder - Deepens the flavor of chocolate in these donuts
• Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter helps you control the amount of salt in your donuts. Make sure your butter is room temperature (softened).
• Egg yolks - Adds richness and flavor
• Sour cream - Gives the donuts a slightly tangy flavor and makes them very moist. Be sure to use room temperature sour cream. This will ensure the right structure for your donuts.
• Vegetable oil - Use your everyday vegetable oil for this recipe

For the glaze:

• Whole milk - You can also use half & half and cut it with a small amount of water
• Confectioner's sugar - Makes for a smooth glaze because it contains cornstarch
• Vanilla extract - Adds warm flavor

🍽 Equipment Needed

• Stand mixer or electric hand-mixer
• Deep-fry thermometer
• Large pot
• Rolling pin
• Slotted spoon or deep-fry skimmer
• Donut cutter or biscuit cutters
• Wire rack (cooling rack)

🔪 How to Make Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts

Make the chocolate donuts:

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder until well mixed.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using an electric hand-mixer, beat sugar and softened butter for around 1 minute. Mixture will look sandy. Beat in egg yolks for around 2 minutes, until mixture lightens and volume increases.

In three additions, add flour mixture, alternating with the sour cream, beating after each addition until flour is well incorporated.

Transfer dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap securely. Lightly roll out dough to a disc that is roughly 2" thick. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Make the vanilla glaze:

While dough is chilling, make your glaze: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the milk, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla until smooth and no lumps remain. Set aside.

Cut and Fry the donuts:

Attach deep-fry thermometer to a large pot or deep saucepan, and add oil. Heat oil to 350° F. (try to keep temperature between 350° and 360°).

On a well-floured surface, use a well-floured rolling pin to roll out dough to ½-inch thickness. Lightly flour donut cutter and cut approximately 16 donuts and donut holes. Repeat this step with scraps until no more dough remains.

Place wire rack on top of a baking sheet lined with newspaper or aluminum foil (to catch the oil and glaze).

Fry donuts 3 at a time, about 2 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. (They will sink at first, and then the baking powder will do its thing and they will rise to the surface.) Use a slotted spoon or deep-fry skimmer to transfer donuts to wire rack.

While donuts are warm, dip them into the glaze, flipping to cover both sides of donuts, and return them to wire rack. Let donuts rest for about 15 minutes to allow glaze to set.

Fry donut holes in batches for about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to wire rack, and dip in glaze while they are still warm.

🍴 Storage Instructions

Although homemade donuts are best when fresh, you can store completely cooled donuts at room temperature for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. To do this, wrap donuts in foil and place in a freezer storage bag. To thaw, place in fridge overnight.

👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Monitor your oil temperature and keep it in the range of 350-360 degrees F. This keeps the donuts from becoming too greasy (oil is too cool) or burning and/or cooking unevenly (oil is too hot).
• If you don't have a donut cutter, biscuit cutters will work as well (if you have different sizes). Or, the wide end of a pastry tip will work to cut the hole out of the donut.
• Be liberal when flouring your work area, donut cutters, and rolling pin.
• Use an offset spatula to pick up your donuts from the baking sheet.
• Make ahead: Make your donut dough up to 24 hours ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to roll, cut, and fry!
• Use room temperature sour cream. This will ensure the right structure for your donuts. If you have time, let your sour cream sit out at room temperature for an hour before making your donuts. Or you could use the microwave to bring it to room temperature as well.
• Don't skip the espresso powder! Using espresso powder in chocolate pastries or baked goods is a secret that a lot of pastry chefs use to heighten the flavor of chocolate. I promise that your donuts won't taste like coffee, but it will intensify the chocolate flavor. If you are caffeine sensitive, opt for decaf espresso powder. Instant coffee would work as well, as a substitution.

💬 Frequently Asked Questions

☕️ More Breakfast Recipes

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