When I was a little kid, my grandfather used to keep store-bought double chocolate donuts in the freezer. He was a chef, and had high standards for food, but there was something magical about a frozen store-bought donut. They had a hard, chocolate shell and tender cakey inside that never seemed to lose its texture. I would crunch on a donut every night after dinner in the summer. This is my recipe inspired by those double chocolate freezer donuts.
My Grandfather’s Chocolate Freezer Donuts
My grandfather was as close as I could imagine to a pirate as a small child. He had a gruff, booming voice, a scruffy beard, and he towered over me at 6’4”. I remember his house and his large kitchen. There was a treasure trunk at the foot of his bed that I could never seem to open with little arms. There were mermaids all over his house and tons of objects from his travels.
I ate these donuts a lot as a kid, because of my grandfather. I was a chubby kid who loved to play sports but hated being around other kids due to my social anxiety. So, when I had a growth spurt in 4th grade, I put the donuts away. I remember starting to exercise and eat less junk food, and I felt on top of the world. I lost probably 10-15 pounds and bought all new clothes for school. But unfortunately the toxic relationship to food stuck with me for a long time. I experienced ups and downs and periods of being overweight, periods of being underweight. Starving myself secretly. Overeating in the middle of the night to compensate. It was really hard.
Self-love and Chocolate Donuts
It wasn’t until recently that I really achieved equilibrium with diet and exercise. Which, I don’t even consider any more because exercise has become such a normal part of my life. I love to walk more than anything else. But I find lifting weights fun. Challenging myself to see how many squats I can do. And my eating has become balanced. I eat mostly what I want, but I eat a little less. And I move a lot. The biggest shift that’s taken place since I was that little kid eating chocolate donuts out of the freezer, however, is mental.
I worked really hard during the pandemic to develop more love for myself, and less judgment. I had been really hard on myself my whole life. Unhappy with my body. Insecure. Afraid of rejection. So, I got really deep into discovering my purpose. For a long time I thought that I should be the best chef. The best artist. The best athlete. The smartest person in the room. The nicest person. But I’m done trying to be perfect. I’m a creative person. Therefore, I shouldn’t expect myself to resemble a professional athlete.
The Joy of Food
I’ve also really worked hard to tear down this idea that skinny bodies are inherently beautiful. We only associate people with less body fat with being healthier, happier, and more attractive. Because of impossible standards in the media. There’s also beauty in kindness, in humor, in leadership, in being a good friend. In intelligence. We also think “beautiful” is better. Why do people have to be beautiful in order to have worth? Or why do people who aren’t seen as beautiful after they age or gain weight get tossed out by society? Why do we tell people they look “good” when they lose weight, when they could have cancer, or an eating disorder?
I’ve thought a lot about this, and the thing that’s helped me is to think of my body like a car. There is a driver of a car, which is my soul. The real me. The car, or the body, is simply the vehicle to get my soul from place to place. I need to fuel it and take care of it if I want it to run for a long time, sure. But am I going to worry if my car looks “ugly” or “weird” in a parking lot next to rows and rows of nearly identical looking cars? No. Who cares if my car has scratches on the door, or a crooked mirror, or a dent?
An Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
So, how does this all relate back to these delicious chocolate donuts? Simply put, I don’t feel “guilty” for eating dessert. I have a massive sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate, and I think it’s one of the best parts of life. A uniquely human experience that we’ll only get to experience a limited amount of times. So, I take as many opportunities as I can to have sugar. It may be bad for my body, but it fills my soul. And I move a lot. I eat vegetables. I don’t eat to excess. These donuts represent my childhood joy.
Frozen Chocolate donuts are perfect for when it’s a little warm out and you’re starting to get a craving for something crunchy and chocolatey after dinner. I set out to recreate the crunch of the shell as well as the tender and rich chocolate cake from my childhood. The recipe starts with a simple, one bowl chocolate cake donut recipe. It uses hot coffee to “bloom” the cocoa powder, which essentially just helps to lift the flavor. The rest is dumping things in the bowl and whisking.
Chocolate Shell Nostalgia
Then, you pour your batter into the rings of a donut pan and bake for only 13 – 15 minutes. It’s a super fast recipe, which is nice when you’re impatient and hungry. The key is to let the donuts cool completely, and even pop them in the freezer before coating in chocolate if you can. Then it’s just a matter of melting your favorite dark or milk chocolate on a slightly higher heat than normal just to make sure the chocolate is thin. You dip your donuts in with a chopstick and swirl them around in the chocolate coating and place them back in the freezer. Then, they’re ready to eat any time.
Taking my first bite of these was really nostalgic, and I smiled a lot thinking of the crunch of those childhood freezer donuts. These also are pretty customizable, so you can sprinkle sea salt on top before the chocolate sets, or coconut, nuts, orange zest, anything you like. Let me know if you make them, and please give yourself a break with the criticism. We are all really hard on ourselves, and it seems extra hard these days. You are doing great and you deserve to relax and eat a chocolate donut if you feel like it.
If you liked this painting and recipe, be sure to check out my Etsy for more recipe cards and prints!
Chocolate-Dipped Chocolate Freezer Donuts
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup hot coffee
- 1/2 stick butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp coffee extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/3 cups AP flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 10-12 oz dark chocolate (70%)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, add cocoa powder.
- Heat coffee and pour over cocoa powder, whisking to combine. While the mixture is warm, add butter to melt.
- Next add your eggs, sour cream, coffee extract, heavy cream, and sugar. Whisk to combine.
- Lastly, add your flour, salt, and baking powder and combine with a spatula.
- Lightly grease or spray a donut pan. Pour batter into each donut mold into 3/4 full.
- Book for 13 – 15 minutes until cake springs back.
- Let donuts cool completely and remove from the pan. Transfer to freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
- In a heatproof bowl, melt dark chocolate until thin and glossy.
- One at a time, take chilled donuts and swirl to coat in chocolate. Use a chop stick to keep your fingers clean.
- Transfer donuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and top with sea salt or other toppings.
- Place in freezer to set for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold.
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