Triple Chocolate Baked Donuts You Can Make Yourself (17 cents/serving)

Donut shop mornings can be blissful, but also expensive. Save some coin and bake your own triple chocolate donuts. Super delicious and loaded with chocolate, these baked donuts are a fun treat to make.

You’ve seen it scrolling through your feed. That box of donuts with their colorful sprinkles and sweet glazes just beckoning you.

I mean, really? Who can look at a box of fresh donuts and not feel a flutter of excitement?

It’s just in our DNA.

That said, there are times when loading up at the donut shop is just not possible. And those times are the times when you bake your own.

Baked Donuts for the Win!

Yes, really. Baked donuts, while not the same as fried, are still utterly irresistible. Especially when you load up on the chocolate glaze, sprinkles, and chocolate chips!

You all know that we adore Gramma John’s Buttermilk Donuts, but the effort and oil required to make those relegates them to special occasions.

I took Gramma’s recipe and did some tweaking. The result? Chocolate cake with mini chocolate chips and a chocolate glaze:

Superyum

Why bake donuts?

There are several great reasons for baking donuts instead of frying them, as good as they are.

• Fried foods, while delicious, are often unhealthy for folks with certain medical conditions. Baking, while not making donuts a “health food”, bring it up a notch.
• Frying requires a great quantity of oil, that unless you plan on frying often and reusing your oil, can be costly.
• Frying is cumbersome and time-intensive, whereas with baking, you can bake as many donuts as once as you have donut pans.

Do baked donuts taste the same as fried?

A freshly fried donut is a wonder to behold, but it takes a lot of work to get there if you’re making it at home.

While baked donuts don’t have that distinctive crisp, fatty taste of fried donuts, they are still delicious. The cake flavor in the cake donut is emphasized in a baked donut.

Plus, if you load on the glaze and sprinkles, you’ve got the best part of the donut anyway!

How do you bake donuts from scratch?

Baking donuts is similar to baking muffins.

1. Prepare the batter.
2. Grease the pans.
3. Pipe the batter into the pans. (You can spoon the batter if you prefer, but piping gives you that rounded donut shape.
4. Bake the donuts. Cool on a rack.
5. Glaze and top your donuts.

Do you need special equipment to make baked donuts?

The thing that differentiates this recipe from a cupcake is the shape of the baked good. A donut isn’t a donut unless it’s round with a hole in the middle.

In order to make these baked donuts, it’s best to have a donut pan, or four. Here’s what you’ll want to have on hand for this recipe:

• donut pans – This recipe makes 24 donuts, so having at least two 6-donut pans is a must. Having four would be nice, but not necessary. You can bake the donuts in two batches if you need to.
• stainless steel mixing bowl
• whisk with a sealed barrel
• wooden spoon
• sifter
• measuring beakers and measuring cups
• cooling rack
• piping bag or ziptop plastic bag

How much does it cost to make your own donuts?

We always assume that making it at home will cost less money than buying it elsewhere. This is often, but not always the case. Let’s see how much that donut really costs, shall we?

These Triple Chocolate Donuts are made from some basic ingredients, ingredients that when bought at regular, non-sale prices break down as follows:

• milk:  $0.19 ($3.09/gallon)
• granulated sugar: $0.22 ($1.97/4#)
• eggs: $0.50 ($2.99/12)
• oil: $0.16 ($1.99/48 oz)
• vanilla extract: $0.67 ($7.99/2 oz)
• unbleached, all-purpose flour: $0.45 ($2.69/5#)
• cocoa powder: $0.64 ($1.93/8 oz)
• baking powder: $0.09 ($1.49/8.1 oz)
• baking soda: $0.01 ($0.99/16 oz)
• salt: $0.02 ($2.99/26 oz)
• mini chocolate chips: $0.72 ($3.50/10 oz)
• powdered sugar: $0.37 ($2.99/2#)

The total comes to $4.04 for 2 dozen donuts, making them about 17 cents a piece.

In comparison, check out these donut prices;

• grocery store bakery donuts in waxy chocolate – $4.99/dozen or 42 cents each
• Krispy Kreme glazed chocolate cake donuts – $13.99/dozen or $1.17 each

While these aren’t as melt-in-your mouth amazing as traditionally fried donuts, they’re super tasty and they are a lot cheaper than the donut shop. 

Plus, the people you feed will think you’re a rockstar. You made donuts?

Why, yes, yes, I did.

If you prepare this recipe, be sure to take a picture and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Triple Chocolate Donuts

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate donuts, donuts, triple chocolate donuts

Servings: 24 donuts

Calories: 225kcal

Author: Jessica Fisher

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 egg
• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup powdered sugar for glaze
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for glaze
• 2-3 tbsp hot water for glaze
• toppings for donuts : additional chocolate chips or sprinkles for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease donut pans with nonstick-cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract.
• In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients just until mixed. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pans or pipe the batter in with a pastry bag.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.
• In a small mixing bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Stir in enough hot water to make a thin glaze. Dip the donut tops into the glaze and allow to set until firm.

Notes

If you pipe the batter into the pans, you should be able to get 24 donuts. If you spoon it in, you will like have fewer, about 18. Nutritional values are approximate and are based on 1 donut. Store leftovers promptly and use within 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg

This post was originally published October 8, 2013 as part of the DIY Convenience series. It has been updated for content and clarity.