Can you imagine telling your child that they can have two donuts? At the same meal? With a straight face? And mean it?

I did. And my kids were thrilled. Here in Portland we have what is likely the world’s best donut shop, called Voodoo Donuts and my kids cannot get there often enough. When we have family or friends in town, we go to Voodoo. If we’re downtown after breakfast, we go to Voodoo. If the kids get their choice of dessert downtown, we go to Voodoo. They love it! They take donuts to a whole new level with cereal and candy toppings, voodoo dolls and the best maple bar you’ll ever meet.

Voodoo Donuts

We haven’t been in a while and my kids have been begging for donuts. For a while now I’ve wanted one of those donut pans that can be used to bake donuts but I never got around to buying one, or figuring out how you bake donuts that actually taste good.

Until a few weeks ago when I broke down and pulled the trigger.

I decided that I would score some rockstar mommy points and make donuts for my son’s birthday weekend. We bought a donut pan (love this one). I found a couple different recipes and borrowed inspiration from each until I figured out exactly what I wanted.

The donut pan makes it so easy

So, we made our own voodoo-style donuts and the kids loved them. They got to choose any “topping” from the pantry which meant we were using marshmallows, sprinkles and cereal on our chocolate-chocolate donuts. The giddy giggles coming from the pantry as they gathered their delicious supplies were music to my ears. Don’t you just love hearing your kids laugh with delight?

Making the donuts really couldn’t be easier with just a few simple ingredients. They’re not fried, so they’re healthier in that way but let’s be serious about the sugar. The day my kids had two was not a school day, so I didn’t worry about sending them off to learn with a sugar-high.

Simple ingredients make baked donuts easy

Ready to bake up a treat for your family this weekend? Tell us in the comments below how you decorate them!

Treat the kids to donuts this weekend

Double Chocolate Baked Donuts

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (we used almond milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and coat the donut pan liberally with cooking spray. You’ll want to recoat the pan between batches too (we learned this the hard way).

Stir together dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the egg, vanilla, and milk and mix. Add your oil and continue to whisk just until everything is well mixes without lumps.

Be careful to only fill up each donut cavity just over half of the way full with batter. They really do rise! Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the donuts spring back when lightly touched. Let them cool completely before icing and decorating. Makes 12 donuts.

Chocolate Glazing
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks (we broke up a dark chocolate candy bar)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon corn syrup (look for some without high fructose corn syrup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, adding the butter, corn syrup and vanilla extract when they’re just about melted. Stir until the ingredients are mixed well and chocolate is melted smooth. If you can’t use immediately, turn your flame on the lowest setting and stir frequently. I don’t recommend keeping this on the burner long.

Have you made donuts at home before? Share your recipe in the comments below.

Don’t forget to share this idea with friends with those buttons on the left so that everyone can enjoy donuts this weekend!