The sun is shining and the weather is almost in the 60’s. I’ve been taking a walk nearly every day and anticipating the start of the farmer’s market next month. My favorite time of the year. So this week I wanted to get in one last rich, wintery food. And I was craving a good old fashioned donut. A general store here makes the best old fashioned donuts, fried, and glazed. So I decided to make my own chocolate old fashioned donut recipe to take them to the next level. And because everything is better with chocolate.

Chocolate Donut Dreams

The week started with visions of chocolate donut recipes. I knew it was time to make something chocolatey and dark, and I wrote down many ideas: dark chocolate cookies, tarts, and double chocolate cupcakes. Ultimately I decided to make chocolate churros with the same chocolate choux recipe I made last year for my peanut chocolate eclairs. It went great. Starting with a flour dough made with cocoa powder and coffee instead of water. I set up my stand mixer on the counter and watched it hum away, mixing the hot dough. Then I added my eggs and created a beautiful, silky choux batter.

When I put it in my piping bag I could tell it was perfect. For a choux bun. For some reason it didn’t occur to me that churros have a lower moisture content because they’re fried. And the whole point is that they’re supposed to be crispy. But I forged ahead and decided to pipe my dark brown choux batter into creative squiggle shapes on parchment paper. I chilled them and fried them, but quickly realized that the dough was puffy and over-browned. Let’s just say they also reminded me of one time when I spent a week dog sitting. I made orange sugar to roll them in to make them more presentable. But it tasted like an empty eclair, not a churro.

Chocolate Old Fashioned Donut Making

So, I went back to the drawing board. I decided to just reheat my churros for a rich breakfast pastry the next day. But I still felt determined to create a rich, crispy chocolate donut recipe. I thought about yeasted donuts but worried that the cocoa would impede the rising process. So I did some thinking and started craving my favorite old fashioned donut recipe from the general store near my hometown. Funnily enough, it’s become an upscale cafe and tourist store with great sandwiches, but it used to be a small candy store. My mom lived down the street in high school. My dad used to walk there to buy penny candy as a kid.

Now they’re known for their rich, crispy old fashioned donuts with glaze. My mom actually bought me a bunch of them for my 28th birthday. And last year I created an experimental recipe for chocolate old fashioned donut cookies. It was a mostly traditional chocolate old fashioned donut recipe but I didn’t cut a hole out of the centers. I fried them and rolled them slightly thinner than normal. Then, I glazed them in maple and garnished with sea salt. They were delicious, but flat, homely, and not cookie-like. So, I scrapped the recipe. But I wondered what it would be like if I cut them thicker. And cut holes out of the middle.

Orange Sugar + Sour Cream Dough

After my failed churros, the last thing I wanted to do was fry something. Especially with the temperature warming up. I had to sport a t-shirt and shorts during my afternoon in the kitchen Wednesday. But I was excited and determined to create the ultimate chocolate old fashioned donut recipe. I started by thinking of flavor combos. And I decided to add some nutmeg and cinnamon to the flour mixture. Then, I started the cake-like batter with softened butter infused with fresh orange zest. I also used some of my orange sugar from my churros to further impart the citrus flavor.

Next I whipped up my butter and sugar and added two egg yolks, vanilla, and sour cream. You can even use orange extract if you want. But I had a silky base for a cake or donut dough, enriched with sour cream. Next I measured my dry ingredients – the flour, black cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and spices. I folded the dry ingredients into my cake batter a little at a time until I had a dark brown cohesive mass of thick cookie-like dough. I started to feel tired, so I was happy to place the dough in the fridge to chill for a few hours while I cleaned up. And then I chilled, too.

Rolling Out the Chilled Donut Dough

After a quick lunch and catching up on some TV, I took my chocolate old fashioned donut dough out of the fridge. It firmed up a little bit, but was still a little tacky. So, to troubleshoot, I added a little more flour on my work surface and tried to keep the dough cold. The key is to use a very generous amount of flour to keep it from sticking. But fear not, if it does, just get a bench scraper or spatula and try again. It’s a forgiving dough, and process. The one thing I regret this time is not cutting my donuts thicker. I think the thicker the better for these donuts, but I ultimately rolled the dough about 1/2” thick.

I also used a 3” ring cutter instead of a 4” just so I could have more donuts. But I want to make these bigger next time. I’d recommend rolling them out to 1” thick, or even 1 1/2”. I cut out circles of dough from my rectangular sheet and placed them on a piece of parchment paper. Then, I punched the hole out of the middle with another small ring cutter. My counter was covered in chocolate dough and flour, so I cleaned up again and placed my chocolate old fashioned donut rings in the fridge to firm up again. I used my cast iron skillet to fry and filled it about halfway with oil.

Frying Chocolate Donuts

While the oil heated I prepped a baking sheet with paper towels (and tin foil underneath to catch extra grease). I also found my spider tool and a chopstick just in case I needed something to help flip them. Once the oil was heated, I took a scrap of my last little bit of dough and fried it for a bit too long. It burned a little, so I decided to turn the temperature down slightly and cook them 30 seconds less on each side. Which turned out to be perfect. Confidently and quickly I lowered three donuts at a time into the hot oil and used a kitchen timer to make sure they cooked 90 seconds on each side. I actually did about 80 seconds, allowing for 10 seconds to flip.

The afternoon flew by, and I listened to music while I cooked. Three at a time the hot chocolate donuts puffed up a little and achieved that signature crack and crisp of a chocolate old fashioned donut. I let them rest slightly on the paper towels and whipped up a quick powdered sugar glaze with orange juice instead of water. Then I added melted butter to thin it out, which you can use as an opportunity to add brown butter if you want. I think most of my recipes these days have brown butter. Once I had a thick but pourable glaze, rich with citrus, I added a sprinkle of salt and a little lemon juice to enhance the orange. And the texture was perfect.

Orange Zest + Sea Salt on Top

All that was left was to glaze my donuts and let them rest. So I dug out a wire cookie rack to cool them on, and set up my paper towel baking sheet under it to catch drips of the glaze. After I glazed the first chocolate old fashioned donut, placing it carefully face-down in the goo, I flipped it upright and set it delicately on the wire rack. And before it cooled I grated orange zest on top and sprinkled on some Maldon sea salt. They both add so much flavor and contrast to the rich chocolate old fashioned donut flavor on top and make them a little more modern. I also love chocolate and orange together and couldn’t resist thinking of my favorite chocolate orange oatmeal brown butter cookies.

I finished the day with a sprinkle of orange zest on all my donuts. The glaze was hardened to a crisp and the donuts were cooled. So, after a little more cleaning to really earn it, I tried one. The taste is rich and chocolatey with a deep black cocoa flavor. But it’s lightened by the nutmeg and cinnamon, which reminds me of the old fashioned donuts from the general store. Nutmeg is one of my favorite flavors. The texture is crisp but cakey, which reminds me of my other favorite donut, the chocolate sea salt potato donuts from The Holy Donut. I used to buy one almost every day when I lived in Portland.

Finishing Off My Chocolate Orange Donuts

But these have a distinct and fresh, craveable flavor with orange zest and pops of sea salt. I love the combination of salt and chocolate, and the orange adds so much flavor. If you make these, try rolling the dough a little thicker. Then, just fry them for a few extra seconds on each side, and enjoy your thick, rich chocolate old fashioned donuts. They taste like they’re fresh from a county fair, or a general store, and they’re pretty easy to throw together if you’re comfortable frying things. You could also try lemon or lime zest if you’re feeling adventurous.

Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out my Etsy for 100’s or art prints and recipe cards. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off.

Print Pin

Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts with Orange and Sea Salt

A classic chocolate sour cream donut base, fried, and topped with orange glaze

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate donuts, donuts

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp AP flour and more for dusting
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter softened
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 6 cups neutral frying oil
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
• In another bowl, work together 4 tbsp of softened butter with the zest of 1 orange. Then, add your white and brown sugar.
• Beat with a hand mixer or vigorously mix with a spatula until the butter and sugar mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add your egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Then, add your sour cream and incorporate until fully mixed.
• Slowly add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, adding 1/3 of the mix at a time. Fold with a spatula to avoid over-mixing.
• Bring your dough together into a cohesive mass and transfer to a flour-dusted pan or piece of parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours until firm.
• Dust your work surface with a generous amount of flour. Remove your dough from the fridge and place flour-side down on the floured surface.
• Dust the top of your dough with more flour and pat into a rectangle (about 12 x 18” and 3/4” to 1” thick).
• Once your dough is rolled out, cut out donut shapes with a 4" ring cutter. Then, use a smaller 1-2" ring cutter to remove a hole from the center.
• Transfer each donut and donut hole to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Save scraps of dough and form into a cohesive dough, rolling back out to 1” thick and cut more donuts until you have no dough left.
• Place all of your doughnut doughs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge until ready to fry.
• In a large, deep pan (like a deep cast iron skillet) or a stock pot, heat your frying oil over medium/high heat until it reaches 350°F. Make sure your pan is not filled more than halfway.
• Fry donuts in batches of 3 or 4. Cook for 90 seconds on a side, then flip and cook for another 90 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
• Once all the donuts and holes are fried, let them cool slightly. In the meantime, make your glaze by adding powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl.
• With your remaining 2 tbsp of butter, heat in a microwave-safe dish until melted or cook until golden brown for brown butter. Add to the powdered sugar.
• Add your fresh orange juice and a sprinkle of salt. Whisk into a thick but pourable glaze (the texture of thin pancake batter).
• One at a time, dip your warm donuts into the glaze and let excess drip back into the bowl. Then, place donuts glaze-side up on a wire rack to cool.
• Garnish each donut, before the glaze sets, with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and fresh orange zest.

Notes

• You can cut these thicker if you want! Try 1″ to 1 1/2″ for a more plump and rich donut.
• The butter in the glaze is for texture and flavor, but try using brown butter if you want for an extra richness. 
• If your dough sticks to your work surface, add more flour and use a bench scraper.