Chocolate Brownie Donuts: Three Ways to Glaze

     I've always been a foodie at heart. I remember asking for a blender for my twelfth birthday and the excitement that followed opening it, as well as my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer for graduation and a few other kitchen accessories in between, so it should be of no surprise that on my most recent birthday I received a donut pan. I've seen a few recipes on Pinterest for homemade donuts, and was definitely intrigued after trying out a few in some gourmet donut shops, so this week I put my donut pan to good use and made some of my own.

    Looking through various donut recipes I wasn't sure about the type of donut I wanted to make or how difficult they could be. Assuming (correctly, I might add) that anything chocolate would be  delicious I decided to try out this recipe for Chocolate Brownie Donuts. I am without words. My first attempt at donuts was beyond what my taste buds could handle - in a good way - and was welcomed with high praise from my family (and also exclamations of "why did you cut the recipe in half!?" but twelve donuts just seemed like a lot at the time!). I did try out a peanut butter glaze as the recipe suggested however I felt like experimenting so I added two other kinds into the mix - chocolate coconut and white chocolate peppermint - which brings us back to the title, chocolate brownie donuts: three ways to glaze.

Peanut Butter Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup icing sugar, 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter, 

2 tbsp 2% milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk all the ingredients together and depending on your preferred consistency add more icing sugar, peanut butter, or milk. Dip the cooled donuts in and sprinkle with chopped nuts (I used almonds - mild in flavour but still with a good amount of crunch). 

Chocolate Coconut Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 2 tbsp coconut oil, 

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Melt together the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave, stirring frequently. Add more chocolate or oil, as before, depending on your preferred consistency. Dunk in the cooled donuts and sprinkle with the toasted coconut until well coated.

White Chocolate Peppermint Glaze: 2-4 donuts

1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Melt together the white chocolate chips, vegetable oil and peppermint in the microwave, stirring frequently. Add more chocolate or oil, again, depending on your preferred consistency. Dip in cooled donuts and sprinkle with chopped chocolate pieces or crushed peppermint candies.

Surprise, surprise, the coconut was the favourite donut but that's not to say the peanut butter or white chocolate peppermint weren't equally delicious. These donuts are going into my hall of fame of baked goods for pure decadence. They are best served with a cold glass of milk, but I enjoyed them with what else but a hot cup of tea - and I dare you not to finish them all in one day!

Tip: When filling the donut pan, I found it easiest to fill a ziplock bag with the batter, cut the tip off and pipe them in to ensure they were filled evenly. You could also skip the sprinkling of nuts on the Peanut Butter Glaze by using crunchy peanut butter instead!