Chocolate Baked Doughnuts

**Chocolate Baked Doughnuts** is the fifth recipe featured in Double Fudge Brownie Murder.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

## Ingredients

* Doughnuts
	+ 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ***(I used Hershey's)***
	+ 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
	+ 3/4 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
	+ 1 teaspoon baking powder
	+ 1 teaspoon baking soda
	+ 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
	+ 1/2 teaspoon salt
	+ 2 large eggs
	+ 1/2 cup milk
	+ 1/3 cup sour cream
	+ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
	+ 1/2 cup ***(1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)*** salted butter, melted
	+ 1 cup ***(a 6-ounce bag)*** semi-sweet chocolate chips.
* Sugar/Cocoa/Cinnamon Coating
	+ 2 Tablespoons white ***(granulated)*** sugar
	+ 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
	+ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ***(optional)***
* Chocolate Icing
	+ 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ***(6-ounce package)***
	+ 2 Tablespoons salted butter
	+ 2 Tablespoons cream

## Directions

* Doughnuts
	+ Spray the wells in a 12-cup doughnut pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. ***(I used two 6-cup dough-nut pans.)***
	+ In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the cocoa powder and all-purpose flour together at low speed.
	+ Place the sugar in the bowl and mix it in on low speed.
	+ Add the baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix well.
	+ Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
	+ Add the milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
	+ With the mixer running, drizzle in the melted butter and continue to mix until the doughnut dough is smooth.
	+ Take the bowl out of the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Give the doughnut dough another stir by hand.
	+ Use the rubber spatula to mix in the chocolate chips by hand.
	+ Spoon the dough into the indentations in the doughnut pan, filling them a bit over 3/4 full.
	+ Bake the doughnuts at 350 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle baked part of one of the doughnuts comes out clean.
	+ Take the doughnuts out of the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack. Cool them for 1 to 2 minutes.
	+ Loosen the edges of the doughnuts by running a table knife around the circles. Then use potholders to pick up the pan and tip them out onto the wire rack.
* Sugar/Cocoa/Cinnamon Coating
	+ Quickly fill a bag with the white sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon ***(if you decided to use it)***. You must coat your doughnuts while they are still warm so that the coating will stick.
	+ Shake the bag to mix the ingredients and then place the warm doughnuts, one at a time, in the bag and shake them in the sugar/cocoa/cinnamon mixture. Then take them out and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
	+ Alternatively, you can coat your doughnuts with chocolate icing, but you must let them cool completely. If you try to frost warm doughnuts, the icing will slide off. ***(I know. I tried it!)***
* Chocolate Icing
	+ In a microwave-safe bowl that's large enough to hold a doughnut, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips, salted butter, and cream.
	+ Heat the contents on HIGH for 1 minute.
	+ Leave the bowl in the microwave for one minute and then stir the contents with a heat-resistant rubber spatula to see if the chips are melted. If they're not, heat in at 30- second increments until you can stir the icing smooth.
	+ Quickly dip the tops of the doughnuts in the bowl of chocolate icing. Place them on a sheet of wax paper to cool.
	+ ***(Jo Fluke's Note: If you want to coat the entire doughnut, place it in the bowl and turn it over with a fork. Do this one at a time, transferring each coated doughnut to a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.)***
	+ If you'd like to sprinkle chopped nuts on your dough-nuts, do it now, before the chocolate icing has hardened. You can also put on sprinkles if you wish, or even shredded coconut.
	+ Let the doughnuts sit until the coating has hardened. Then eat and enjoy.
	+ These doughnuts are best eaten on the first day ***(which has never been a problem in my house!)*** If there are any leftovers, put them in a covered container and eat them the next morning for breakfast.

Yield: 12 yummy baked doughnuts.

**Jo Fluke's Note: I got my baked doughnut pans directly from the manufacturer, Wilton. They're easy to find over the holidays, but most kitchen stores don't carry them year-round. Look online if you can't find them by searching for "baked doughnut pans".**