I’m making a new rule. From here on out, Monday’s and doughnuts go together like Lucy and Ethel. No longer will we suffer at the hand of an abruptly short weekend or an agonizing case of the Monday’s. We deserve chocolate hazelnut doughnuts to help us make it through, and I’m here to bring them. 

This past week Brett and I took the kids to the fair. It was approximately 347 degrees outside, but we couldn’t resist the allure of fried funnel cakes on a similarly hot and sticky day. With a bag full of cash (and hand sanitizer), we embraced the sweat and watched the kids have the time of their lives.

I’ve decided that kids visiting the fair require no normal sustenance. While mom and dad are dehydrated and weak from lack of nourishment, the kids are soaring high on overstimulation. I barely got through the door before I was ready to buy one of those paper cups full of salty french fries, but the kids had zero interest. Within minutes, George had hair and dirt matted to his forehead, and Aimee raced from the rides to the games and back to the rides again, never stopping once to consider the plethora of snacks available at her fingertips. Finally, as we were dragging them out the gate, we grabbed a few corn dogs and called it a night, but when I got home I was really wanting some fair food. Where were the fried Oreos? The stuffed crust pizzas? Those hotdogs wrapped in curly fries? If there’s ever a time when you should be able to unbutton your pants and seriously let loose, it’s at the fair. Unfortunately, parents just don’t get to do their snack thing when the kids are fixated on seeing the sights. 

Because I wasn’t given the chance to overindulge at the fair, I’m diving in deep today with these chocolate hazelnut doughnuts. Although I’m no stranger to a traditional fried doughnut, I love making these baked ones that are easier to prepare in my home. After all, fried food at the fair is amazing, but a house that smells like hot grease… less amazing. 

To make these chocolate hazelnut doughnuts, we start with the batter. The dry ingredients of flour, sugar, and cocoa, are brought together with milk and just the right amount of melted Kerrygold butter to make a thick, fudgy mixture. Prepare your favorite doughnut pan with cooking spray and spoon the batter into a piping bag or large plastic bag with the end snipped off. Pipe the batter into the pan and bake them until they’ve puffed slightly and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

The topping for these chocolate hazelnut doughnuts is a simple shiny glaze that sets up firm and will stick to all of the chopped hazelnuts or chocolate shavings that you to sprinkle on top. While I prefer to nibble on these fresh from the oven, absolutely no one complained when I served them for breakfast on day 2. They were positively destroyed.

Kerrygold is my go-to butter in all circumstances, and I’m thrilled to find that it performs well in these baked chocolate hazelnut doughnuts. The pastries stay moist and flavorful even on day 2 and 3 of consuming, and I have no doubt that choosing a quality butter had something to do with that. Pick some up for yourself next time you’re at the store and let me know what you think. In the meantime, I hope you get the try these chocolate hazelnut doughnuts in your own kitchens! Happy baking!

If you like these chocolate hazelnut doughnuts you should try:

Coffee Donuts: Two Ways

Jelly Donuts

Doughnut Croquembouche

Tiramisu Cream Puffs

 

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