Monday, February 10, 2014

Baked Glazed Chocolate Donut Holes



Oh my. These were the perfect weekend treat. As much as I love donuts (who doesn't?), I've always been terrified to re-create them at home (hot oil? thermometer? No thanks). Not to mention they're not exactly the healthiest treats to indulge in. If you ever take a moment to look at the ingredients used by the East coast donut behemoth (Dunkin Donuts), you'll see all sorts of completely unpronounceable ingredients and partially hydrogenated fats. 

Just an interesting side note on partially hydrogenated fats: they're created from vegetable oils by addition of hydrogen atoms. The addition of hydrogen changes the chemical makeup of the fat so they're solid at room temperature, easier to incorporate into doughs, and have a longer shelf life. These modified forms of fats are also cheaper than animal sourced fat, such as butter. All of this adds up to more $$$ for big food companies (capitalism at its best....not). But what does it add up to for you? Not much, I'm afraid, except for cheaper, worse-for-you food. The worst part about partially hydrogenated fats is that they spawn trans-fats (from a side-reaction during the hydrogenation process). Trans fats have been definitively linked to worsening cholesterol profiles and increased inflammation in your body, put you at risk for heart attacks and other cardiovascular disease. 

Think you're ok because the food label says 0 grams of trans-fats? Think again - the FDA allows foods that contain less than 0.5 g of trans-fats to be labeled 0 grams (see the guidelines here). So, if you eat a few donuts that are labeled 0 g trans-fats per serving, and you could easily be taking in 1.5 grams without even knowing it. The more I think about all the trickery that goes on with food, the more I never want to eat processed foods again! 

But you know what? Life is short, so have a fried donut every once in awhile - just not every day. For all the other days, these donut holes are a delicious, wholesome treat. With no-fuss ingredients (that you likely have in your kitchen at this very moment), these baked chocolate donuts holes are assembled and baked in 15-20 minutes or so. Not only is it healthier to bake at home, it's more cost-effective. It's seriously this easy - let's get started.





Baked Chocolate Glazed Donut Holes



Ingredients

For the donut holes:

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup whole milk (you could use 1% or 2% as well - I've just been enjoying whole milk recently - read more about it on my previous post)

1/8 cup greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%, again, you could probably use a lower-fat version)


1 tsp vanilla extract

1.5 tsp unsalted butter, melted


For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

1/8 cup whole milk (you can use cream for an even thicker glaze; do not go for lower fat milk here, or your glaze may be too runny)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp lemon juice


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Mix the dry ingredients (the first 7 ingredients) in large bowl. Sift cocoa powder and flour to eliminate clumps. Set aside

3. In a small bowl, mix the wet ingredients (the last 5 ingredients)

4. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients

5. Mix until just combined - do not overmix! 

6. Grease a mini muffin pan. Spoon batter into each tin so it is approximately 3/4 full

7. Bake for 10 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean

8. While donuts are baking, prepare the glaze. Thoroughly mix confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in a bowl

9. Once donuts have finished baking, remove them from the muffin pan and cool slightly

10. Dunk each donut hole in glaze and place on a baking rack or dish to try. If you like extra glaze, simply make more and re-glaze each donut hole for additional sweetness! 









I hope you enjoy these! Let me know how they turn out for you! 

~R


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