Baked Chocolate Espresso Donut Holes are a great way to start the morning- easy to make + easy to eat! No frying required.
What is better than chocolate and espresso? How about glazed chocolate espresso donut holes? Donut holes that are BAKED instead of deep fried. Delicious chocolate cake-like donuts with a hint of espresso flavor. Is your mouth watering yet?
And I am just going to put this out there – when I make this recipe, I double the glazing ingredients and then dip the donut holes not once but TWICE for extra icing! But that’s just me, you do you.
Chocolate espresso donut holes are perfect for a quick grab and go breakfast or a nice accompaniment to a larger brunch. The dough can be made the night before and left in the refrigerator overnight to chill and firm for baking the next day.
The chocolate cake like texture loses a bit of their shape during baking so don’t be alarmed if your donut holes look more like mini chocolate cakes instead of perfectly round little bites. The glazing will cover imperfections like the cracks and bumps that occur during baking.
While the self rising flour is somewhat important for the integrity of the recipe, the granulated white sugar can be easily swapped with a different sugar like coconut sugar or date sugar. I don’t recommend substituting the white sugar with brown sugar, however, as the brown sugar is a little less dense than its white counterpart.
I usually make a few batches of these and tote them to my local golf course when I play on Saturday mornings. It’s a great way to make friends rather quickly.
Other popular sharing recipes include these Glazed Biscuit Donuts, Fruity Pebbles Breakfast Cookies, and/or these No-bake Almond Butter Energy Bites. I am also a big fan of these Apple Cinnamon Baked Donut Holes.
Baked Chocolate Espresso Donut Holes
Baked Chocolate Espresso Donut Holes are a great way to start the morning- easy to make + easy to eat! No frying required.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- I egg yolk
- 1 whole egg
- 2 tablespoon olive oil + extra for oiling hands
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons water + extra for thinning
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso powder, cocoa powder and salt.
- In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, white sugar, egg yolk, whole egg, olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture and stir to blend well.
- Loosely cover the dough bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Oil hands with olive oil and roll the dough into 2-teaspoon-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Place the donut holes in the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. Donut holes with crack slightly and are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- While the donut holes are baking, make the glaze: Melt the butter in the microwave (15-20 seconds).
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, confectioners' sugar, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Thin with water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze drops from the whisk in thick ribbons.
- Place wax paper or a baking sheet under a cooling rack.
- Remove the donut holes from the oven and place the donut holes on the cooling rack.
- Let the donut holes cool about 10 minutes, then one by one, dip them into the icing. Place back on the cooling rack and allow excess icing to drip onto the wax paper.