Chocolate Donut Holes (Munchkins) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Christmas

by: Samantha Seneviratne

November13,2014

3.3

3 Ratings

  • Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

There was a time in my life when I was at war with chocolate munchkins. As the story goes, the donut hole was invented when savvy donut makers realized that they could cook and sell the little nubbin they punched out of the center of their classic-shaped pastries. Genius! A sweet little snack. Who could say no? Me. I had to. I was sixteen and working at the counter of a local donut shop.

Don’t get me wrong: I loved a good munchkin. But enjoying one would have been a betrayal–donut treason. The name of my shop was The Whole Donut. Can you guess what was special about The Whole Donut? They sold the "the whole donut" and I was part of the team. Indulging in a competitor’s donut hole would have been wholly disloyal.

Fortunately, I’m still up to my elbows in donuts in my current job, but the hole-y war is over. So I’m making up for lost time with this homemade version.

Sure, making donuts at home is a bit more work than running out to the store, but the extra effort is worth it. These guys are almost obscenely chocolatey thanks to the addition of both cocoa powder and melted unsweetened chocolate. My coffee has finally met its soulmate. —Samantha Seneviratne

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • For the donuts:
  • 2 tablespoonsunsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 ouncesunsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cupall-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cupplus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cupplus 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 3/4 teaspoonbaking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoonbaking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoonkosher salt
  • 1/4 cupbuttermilk
  • 1 tablespoonpure vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • For the glaze:
  • 2 cupsconfectioners' sugar
  • 2 tablespoonsmilk
  • 2 teaspoonspure vanilla extract
  • water, if necessary
Directions
  1. Prepare the dough: In a medium heatproof bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate together over a pot of barely simmering water. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Add the buttermilk and vanilla to the melted butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is combined. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap, wrap it well, and let it rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  4. In a heavy pot with a candy thermometer attached, heat 3 inches of oil to 360° F. Meanwhile, scoop the dough into 1-tablespoon balls. (A mini ice-cream scoop is a great tool for this.) Roll each ball into a neat circle between the palms of your hands.
  5. Use a spider or a slotted spoon to gently lower the dough balls into the oil, 4 at a time. You can add a few more balls depending on the size of your pot, but don’t crowd the pan. Adjust the flame to maintain the temperature between 350° F and 360° F at all times. Cook the dough until puffed and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. (Color isn’t a good indicator of doneness, so feel free to open up the first or second doughnut to make sure it’s cooked through.) Use a slotted spoon to transfer the donuts to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  6. Prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. The glaze should be about the consistency of heavy cream. Add a little bit of water if necessary. Dip each donut into the glaze. Use a fork to cover each doughnut, then lift it out and tap it against the edge of the bowl to remove excess glaze. Transfer the glazed donuts to a rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts. Let the donuts stand until the glaze is no longer wet.

Tags:

  • Cake
  • Pastry
  • American
  • Chocolate
  • Buttermilk
  • Milk/Cream
  • Summer
  • Father's Day
  • Mother's Day
  • Christmas
  • Easter
  • Fourth of July

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Alex

  • donnahobrien

  • Kimberly M Hill

  • Barbara Martin

  • Kris

Popular on Food52

27 Reviews

Alex May 11, 2022

Great recipe! but would recommend measuring out in grams rather than volume, especially if you've been having trouble with dough consistency. The conversions I used are below:
75 g sugar
40 g cocoa powder
120 g flour
30 g chocolate
(FYI this also works with gluten free flour blends! I used Cup4Cup and got great results.)

donnahobrien March 8, 2021

My dough came out dry and crumbly and I know I followed the recipe to a T! HELP!!! ps: love all things Food52!

Kimberly M. September 30, 2019

I do not know what I did but the dough in the refrigerator was wet and impossible to roll into balls. I followed directions very carefully. I'm so disappointed

Lee M. May 27, 2017

Could you make these in the oven? Anyone know how to amend the recipe?

Traci P. December 29, 2016

Fantastic recipe! Possibly the best donuts I've ever eaten!

Rachel Y. November 13, 2016

Is it possible to use a non dairy substitute for the buttermilk? Typically I substitute coconut milk for dairy but wonder if these would still work. Thanks for your thoughts.

Beth June 19, 2017

@Rachel York (I'm late to the party, but I didn't see your question answered below, so I figured I'd try to help you out.) I know soy milk will curdle like buttermilk if you add some lemon juice to it (like cow's does) and I've heard that some nut milks do and possibly oat milk. I don't know if you have allergies, but I can't attest experience-wise to anything but the soy, so here's a link that I found and thought might be helpful regarding plant based milk subs. They don't really cover buttermilk in the article itself, but it's got some good general information on how, when, and why to sub in different plant milks. I definitely recommend taking a look at the comments at the end since there's quite a few people who talk about different types of plant milks not specifically mentioned in the article, including a few buttermilk style subs. https://food52.com/blog/15105-the-best-non-dairy-milks-for-baking

Barbara M. November 13, 2016

I vote for sprinkling a bit of coarse sea salt onto the donuts as the glaze dries.

Kendra August 26, 2016

Just made these. Delicious! Only issue I had was that at 2-3 minutes at 360 the outsides of the donut was crispy which is not what I was going for. Maybe try 1 1/2 minutes?

Kelly P. June 29, 2016

Hi Samantha,

I tried this recipe and when I took the dough out from the refrigerator, it came out very mushy and wet - which made forming the balls quite a hassle. Would extra flour make the dough less sticky next time? (Also wondering if it would make the munchkins thicker/more cake-like). Thank you for your help!

Kelly

Kimberly M. September 30, 2019

I had the same problems

Dana June 29, 2015

The donuts look gorgeous

Kris November 29, 2014

These look great, I want to make them for my next family brunch. But would it be possible to bake them? Should I have to change the recipe?

Samantha S. December 6, 2014

Hi Kris!
Good question. I never tested them baked. I think if you're interested in a baked doughnut recipe, you should start with a recipe developed with the oven in mind. It would be a little safer!

allthingsconsideredyummy November 21, 2014

I'm about to make these but didn't see baking soda in the ingredients list. The instructions call for both soda and powder - are both required? If so, how much of soda? Thanks!

Samantha S. November 21, 2014

Thank you, allthingsconsideredyummy! Clearly my cutting and pasting skills leave something to be desired. You should use 1/4 teaspoon soda in the recipe. Happy baking!

allthingsconsideredyummy November 21, 2014

Amazing! Thank you so much for your super fast response!!

nutcakes November 20, 2014

Well these were fun and easy to whip up. It's a good sized batch as the donuts expand a bit. They are pretty hefty and rich, though. I sort of wanted a milder donut hole. But I enjoyed. I never deep fry anything but because I could use a little pot I didn't have to use that much oil and I kept the oil temp on target so they were pretty greaseless for the end result.

Jennifer W. November 19, 2014

I craved these when I was pregnant! Thanks for sharing can't wait to make them for my boys now.

MattieK November 18, 2014

This might be a sacrilegious question, but I wonder long these keep for?

Samantha S. November 18, 2014

Good question! I'm happy to report that they never lasted long enough for an official storage test. They're best the day they're made and I'd guess they'd be alright for another day or two stored in the air-tight container.

Jessica A. November 17, 2014

What is the best type of oil to use?

Samantha S. November 17, 2014

I used vegetable oil, but any neutral oil with a high smoke point will do.

Jessica F. November 17, 2014

These are so yummy and SO chocolatey. I agree that their level of chocolate flavor is what sets them completely apart from every other chocolate doughnut hole you've ever had.

Samantha S. November 17, 2014

Thanks, Jess!

LanaVuk November 14, 2014

Did you leave out the cocoa powder in the recipe as published ?

Samantha S. November 14, 2014

Yes! Thank you for catching that typo, LanaVuk. I made the change.

Chocolate Donut Holes (Munchkins) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between donut holes and Munchkins? ›

The terms "Munchkins" and "donut holes" refer to the same thing—small, round pieces of fried dough that are removed from the center of a donut. The difference in terminology is more of a regional or brand-specific variation rather than a strict geographical divide between the Northeast and the South.

What are the ingredients in Dunkin Donuts Munchkins? ›

Enriched, Malted Wheat Flour (Malt Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Palm Oil, Sugar, Contains 2% or less of: Soy Flour, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Glucono Delta-Lactone), Dextrose, Salt, ...

What is the ratio of Munchkins to donuts? ›

After their initial introduction to our menu, we developed a special cutting tool specifically for our MUNCHKINS®, to make sure we are able to use every delicious bite possible from our donuts. Approximately 5 cake MUNCHKINS® equal one cake donut, and a little under 5 yeast MUNCHKINS® equate to one yeast donut.

How do they make Munchkins? ›

Making Dunkin Donuts Munchkins is a simple process that starts with heating the sugar and oil mixture until it turns light brown. This mixture is then poured into molds and frozen for several hours. The munchkins are then dipped in a hot sugar solution, and finally, they're coated with cinnamon sugar.

Are Munchkins better than Timbits? ›

The Timbit has more of a chocolatey flavor, while the Munchkin has a sweeter taste. The texture on the Munchkin isn't as rich as the Timbit, but it still doesn't taste bad. Sadly, since these are chocolate glazed doughnuts, I was unable to get my cat to choose, because chocolate isn't good for cats.

Are Munchkin donuts healthy? ›

Cinnamon Munchkin

You want a sweet treat? Try this 60-calorie doughnut hole. It only has 6 grams of carbs and 2 grams of added sugar —that's one-half of a teaspoon! Plus, the dusting of cinnamon may help control the sugar rush a bit, if you're lucky.

How much is a 25 box of Munchkins from Dunkin? ›

The normal menu price is $5.99 for a 25 piece munchkin box. Dunkin' also welcomed their first ever two-filling donut. The cookie dough and brownie batter buttercream filled square is iced with chocolate and sprinkled with crumbly pie topping.

What flavors of Munchkins are there? ›

Our Munchkin Donut Hole Assorted Flavors: Glazed, Glazed Chocolate, Jelly, Powdered Sugar, Cinnamon, Blueberry Glaze.

Are there jelly filled Munchkins? ›

Dunkin Donuts Munchkins Jelly (1 munchkin) contains 9g total carbs, 9g net carbs, 4g fat, 1g protein, and 70 calories.

How many donuts can one person eat? ›

Food Network Magazine's editor in chief, Maile Carpenter, confidently said six, but specified they had to be plain glazed doughnuts so that she would not get sick of them. Think that's impressive? The magazine's executive editor, Rory Evans, raised the bar to 13. Food Network Magazine wants to know your doughnut max.

How many donut holes equals 1 donut? ›

Serving Size. Keep in mind that about four doughnut holes equals about one regular doughnut. A medium, 3 1/4-inch cake doughnut has 226 calories, 12.7 grams of fat and 8.8 grams of sugar.

How many donuts do you need per person? ›

If donuts are the only dessert offered, we recommend 1-2 full-size or 3-4 mini donuts per person. If you are offering a dessert bar with other types of dessert you can cut that number down accordingly.

What is Munchkins mixed with? ›

For example, when a Munchkin is mixed with a Sphinx, it is called either a Minskin or a Bambino. Other mixed breeds include the Skookum (mixed with a LaPerm), the Lambkin (mixed with a Selkirk Rex), the Napoleon or Minuet (mixed with a Persian), and the Kinkalow (mixed with an American Curl).

How does Dunkin make their donut holes? ›

How are they so round? The donut holes were a hit, so the donut brand decided to invest in creating donut cutters just for Munchkins donut holes. Today, Dunkin' Munchkins are cut by an automated cutter to create uniformed balls of dough that are fried up and sold to their fans — young and old.

Are Munchkins the donut holes? ›

The name reportedly stems from the miniature "Munchkin" characters from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The chain had previously unsuccessfully attempted to market them as donut holes before changing their strategy to appeal to younger consumers.

Are Munchkins and donuts the same? ›

Munchkins are those mini donuts that are heavier in weight than beignets and are made plain, or with a glaze topped with sprinkles or without and have a different shape.

Are timbits actually donut holes? ›

Donut holes or timbits are balls of dough sold in major North American restaurant chains such as Tim Hortons. Contrary to popular belief, timbits are not the product of a donut with a hole in the center. They are made from molded balls. These will be fried in hydrogenated vegetable oil.

What do Americans call donut holes? ›

"Munchkins" is a term popularized by the Dunkin' Donuts chain, which is prevalent in the Northeast and other regions.

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