They're easily made at home from scratch and they taste just like your favorite donut hole from your favorite donut shop! These Copycat Glazed Chocolate Munchkins are the perfect snackable little donut hole!
Oh, hey! You guys still with me here? If it feels like it's been forever, it has. Like 4 colds, 2 visits from out-of-town family, one beach trip, and a birthday party with a Pony dressed up like a unicorn, forever! So I had to come back with something good. Like Glazed Chocolate Munchkins, good!
Glazed Chocolate Munchkins have a very special place in my heart because they were my after Church treat every Sunday growing up and they were a staple of my childhood. But since moving to the West Coast, and especially Portland where people take their donuts as seriously as their coffee and their craft beer, donut holes kind of fell off the radar for me. In the land of Voodoo Donuts and Blue Star Donuts, and since the Pacific NW definitely doesn't run on Dunkin', these iconic little bites of deliciousness have been absent from my girls' childhood - which is why I had to recreate them at home!
What is a Donut Hole?
So for those who may not know, a donut hole traditionally was the hole of a classic donut. Waste not want not, obviously. But when 4 donut holes are the equivalent to one full donut, in my brain (especially my kid brain) 4 is better than 1! 😉
Ingredients Needed
- Flour - We use All Purpose Flour but you could also use a gluten free flour, too!
- Cocoa Powder - We use a Dutch-process cocoa powder because it's less acidic and bitter than natural cocoa powder. Dutch-processed is also neutral which affects how it reacts to baking soda (hint, it doesn't so you would need to use baking powder), while natural cocoa powder his a higher acidity (pH) level, which means it will react to the baking soda. You can use either in this recipe though, because the recipe has both baking soda and baking powder, again, we just prefer the taste of Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Baker's Chocolate - Because we're using a more neutral cocoa powder, we use an unsweetened Baker's chocolate, although you could use a semi-sweet, too.
- Sugar - White granulated is best for this recipe, but a granulated cane sugar would also work fine, too.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder - Both are used in this recipe to help create the right cakey texture.
- Buttermilk - No buttermilk? No problem, we've also made this with whole and 2% milk, or you can make your own buttermilk in a pinch, too!
- Salt - Just a touch
- Butter - We've used salted and unsalted for this recipe. If using unsalted, we just add a pinch more salt.
- Vanilla Extract - Have you made your own, yet?
- Egg - To bind the batter.
- For the Glaze: Confectioner's Sugar, Milk, Vanilla, and just a little water.
How to Make Chocolate Munchkins
Making these little guys is easier than you might think!
- Melt of some butter and bakers chocolate, then a mix together to make a dough.
- Mix of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add egg and vanilla extract to butter and baker's chocolate, mix well, and then add to the dry ingredients to create a dough.
- Roll out your little "holes" and then fry in oil.
- Coat in a super simple but delicious glaze
(Plus a little extra glaze drizzle for good measure)
And done!
They're cakey. They're moist. They a have a slight crunch on the outside from being fried. And that glaze. That undeniable sweet glaze. These Copycat Glazed Chocolate Donut Holes brought me back to Sunday mornings with my dad and special trips to Dunkin' Donuts.
They are a favorite sweet breakfast treat in our house! Between these Chocolate Munchkins and our Banana Maple Munchkins, donut holes have become our girls' favorite kind of donut!
My husband tasted one of these and his immediate response was "Oh my god these are good." His second response was "These need to leave the house." Which is my test of how good a recipe really is. If it's my husband can't be left alone with them without the risk of eating them all, then I know these Glazed Chocolate Munchkins are pretty darn good copycat of the OG!
Other Sweet Brunch Treats
- Banana Maple Munchkins
- Easy Homemade Apple Fritters
- Butterscotch Snickerdoodle Bread
- Strawberries and Cream Scones
- Healthy Banana and Strawberry Oat Pancakes
- Sourdough Walnut Cinnamon Rolls
- Banana Waffles
- Classic Banana Walnut Bread
- Maple Apple Nut Bread
Enjoy, friends! As always, if you make this or any of my other recipes? Be sure to let me know on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Glazed Chocolate Munchkins (Donut Holes)
Ingredients
- I cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 1/2 oz baker's chocolate, unsweetened
- 1/4 cup buttermilk https://www.servedfromscratch.com/5-minute-homemade-buttermilk/
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg whisked
Glaze
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Water if needed
Instructions
- In a double boiler, melt butter and baker's chocolate. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add buttermilk and vanilla to melted chocolate. Add whisked egg.
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until combined. With your hands, mix until dough is all well combined and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic and cool in fridge for 30 minutes.
- Once cooled, roll dough into 1 -2 tablespoon balls.
- Heat a deep skillet or sauce pan with 3 inches of vegetable oil until oil reaches 350 degrees (candy thermometers or digital infrared thermometer). Add 4 - 5 balls into the oil and fry until cooked (they'll looked a little puffed), approximately 2-4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove from oil and place on paper towel lined plate. Finish with all balls.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and rack.
Prepare the Glaze
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla until the consistency of heavy cream. If needed, add a little water and mix to reach that consistency.
- Dip each donut hole in the glaze. With a fork, remove and shake off excess glaze. Transfer donuts to rack until all donut holes are glazed. Let rest until glaze is set.
- Enjoy!
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
can the baker's chocolate be substituted by 3 level tablespoons unsweetened cocoa and 1 tablespoon butter for every 1-ounce unsweetened baking chocolate.? thanks in advance.
Hi! I haven't tried that substitution yet, but it should work!
thank you
Hi these looks delicious! Can these be baked in an oven or in a donut hole machine? Thank you!
Is the baker’s chocolate sweetened or unsweetened ?
Hi Tammy! Thanks so much for pointing that out - unsweetened! 😀
I am completely weak around chocolate munchkins! They're always the one I go for first in the box. These look perfect and I'm sure they're even better than store bought. I have some buttermilk in the fridge from some biscuits I made earlier in the week, so I think these donut holes are going to be the perfect weekend treat!
I had no idea it was so easy to make donut holes! Way easier than making donuts and reserving the "hole." LOL! I could eat the whole batch of these with my coffee if I'm not careful. A must try!
Those munchkins are so cute. Just pop one or two in your mouth and it makes a fantastic snack. Your recipe is easy to make and they'd be great to have on hand when the kiddos come home from school or even when our grandsons come over to visit.
Absolutely love these! I haven't had donut holes since moving to the US, but these remind me of "Timbits" from Tim Hortons back in Canada. So they're super nostalgic. So so great with your morning cup of joe, or for an afternoon pick me up. Never did I think to make them from scratch.
Oh do these look good! I love the idea of having them warm and fresh from the oven when the kids wake up. I never imagined they'd be so easy to make.
Lovvvve me some donut holes! This gorgeous recipe is so easy and the results are finger licking good! Thanks for always bringing the AWESOME into my kitchen, Tracy!
I agree that we totally run off of donuts here in Portland! These chocolate munchkins looks absolutely delicious and definitely worth making it through a long church service for! Awesome recipe!