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Hello, all! Â Your Monday is about to get a lot better. Â I have more chocolate donuts for you! Â I realized this weekend that I haven’t had a donut in a while, and that my friends, is a complete travesty. Â The basis for this chocolate donut is similar to my Chocolate Cake Donuts with Strawberry Buttercream. Â Except different, because I used all purpose flour instead of cake flour, added chocolate chips because man I was in the MOOD for some chocolate, then I whipped up some salted caramel to drizzle over the top. Â Oh happy yum.
I didn’t get too involved with pictures for the donut ingredients, but there are a few. Â You will notice much more in the way of salted caramel photos. Â I think it’s important to see what it looks like during the process if you are a first time salted-carameler. Â Let me tell you that salted caramel is not difficult to make at all. Â You will not need to use a candy thermometer here, yay!
Just like my orange donuts and the chocolate cake donuts you’ll be pleasantly surprised that baked donuts come together in 20 minutes or less. If you are having a sad moment right now because you aren’t the proud owner of a donut pan, you can find the one that I love here.  We don’t want any sad donut moments here.  So, get your pan and 20 minutes of time, and let’s get started!
So, here we are whisking away all of our dry ingredients for our donuts. Â We want everything incorporated and what we don’t want is a bunch of cocoa powder lumps before we get the dry and wet ingredients all together.
Now, mix up your butter and sugars and get it into the dry ingredients with the mixer still running. Â Leave that mixer going and break your eggs in one at a time, let it mix a little after each. Â Then, in with your milk and just let it go until everything is combined.
Tada! Delicious chocolatey donut batter. Â Now fold in your chocolate chips, spoon the batter (I use a tablespoon) into your donut pans about 2/3 full. Â In 8-10 minutes, you have chocolate chocolate chip donuts that are just begging for some salted caramel.
Speaking of salted caramel….there are no pictures here of the donuts coming out of the oven. Â Sorry! Â I was working on the caramel, and it needs to be watched at all times so it doesn’t get out of control and burn. Â You will put your sugar and water into a medium saucepan over med-high heat, and give it a stir. Â Then, let it cook for a few minutes until it takes on a pretty amber hue.
Next, just toss in your cut up butter and stir it around until it’s melted. Â Be careful because the mixture will start to rise in the pan when you add your butter. Â It seems loud and scary, but it’s not and you don’t need to lower the heat.
If your butter is melted, leave the pan on the heat and add the warmed cream to your caramel. Â Again, it will rise and bubble rapidly so watch your hands!
After you add the cream allow the mixture to boil for a minute or two. Â You will stir and notice that it’s starting to get thick, and then you’ll be like woohoo I made caramel!! Â After it’s boiled for a minute, you can take it off the heat. Â Add your salt and vanilla. Â Please please let it cool….it is so very scorching hot. Â Pour it into a dish if you would like to let it cool. Â It will become very thick and sticky (which is what we want) and you can warm it up again if you need to before using.
I allowed my caramel to cool down completely in a bowl, then I heated it up again slightly when I was ready to drizzle it onto the donuts. Â Drizzle your heart out, these are your fun creation, they do not have to be perfect. Â They will taste amazing. Â Whatever you do, don’t dip the donuts directly into the caramel. Â Unless you want to eat them all crumbled up directly out of said bowl of caramel, because they will fall apart.
I laid all of my donuts out on parchment paper, then drizzled caramel across the tops of them all at once, instead of doing one at a time. Â Less time drizzling, more time enjoying donuts.
Recipe for you below!
Chocolate Chip Donuts with Salted Caramel Drizzle
Ingredients
- DONUTS:
- 1 1/2 Cups all purpose
- 1/3 Cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 Cup Brown sugar
- 3/4 Cup heavy cream
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
- SALTED CARAMEL:
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 Cup cold water
- 1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 Tbsp salted butter
- 1 Tsp sea salt
- 1/2 Tsp vanilla
Instructions
- DONUTS:
- In a large bowl sift or whisk together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In another small bowl whisk together both of the sugars with the beaten egg, melted butter and vanilla.
- Using a mixer add wet ingredients to dry, alternating with the cream just until all ingredients are incorporated, do not over mix.
- Grease 2 donut pans (12 regular sized donuts) and fill with batter 2/3 full.
- Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until toothpick inserted towards middle of donut comes out clean.
- Allow donuts to cool 3-5 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack or heatproof surface to cool completely.
- SALTED CARAMEL:
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and cold water, stirring to combine.
- Allow this to cook while stirring, until mixture is a deep amber color.
- While sugar and water are cooking, warm the cream in a small saucepan over low heat.
- When your sugar/water (caramel) is ready, stir in butter until completely melted.
- Once butter is melted, drizzle warm cream into the caramel slowly.
- Allow caramel mixture to boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt.
- Allow to cool completely before using.
- Caramel can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
