Triple Chocolate Donuts With Cereal Topping Recipe

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Classic fried donuts certainly have their place in this world, but so do cakey baked donuts — and, as an added bonus, baked ones are significantly easier to make. Just ask recipe developer Patterson Watkins; she graced us with this triple chocolate donut recipe that the whole family can appreciate. These baked confections have an added breakfast flair with chocolate cereal as topping, an inclusion that adds a nice crunch to contrast the rich, soft donuts and offers a much-needed break from the usual sprinkles. 

"I felt it would be fun and texturally flirty to use cereal instead," Watkins explains. "I was impressed by how they turned out, not just with the chocolate-flavor boost and palate play — these are impressive-looking donuts."

And, before you start fretting at the thought of making homemade donuts, Watkins assures you that this is a pretty simple, easy-to-follow recipe. Even little ones can participate in the entire process from prepping to baking and decorating. Those without kiddos at home can still get in on the chocolatey fun. Don't be surprised if the breakfast cereal topping has you reminiscing about your Saturday morning cartoons from your childhood.

Seeing as these are triple chocolate donuts, the chocolate will come into play threefold: in the donut batter, donut glaze, and topping. Hence, you'll need unsweetened cocoa powder for the batter and glaze as well as dark chocolate chips and assorted chocolate cereal for the topping. We'll touch more on what types of cereal work best below. 

For the batter, you'll also need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, whole milk, vanilla yogurt, unsalted butter, and eggs. For the glaze, you'll need powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

On a large baking sheet, put the donut molds on top and generously spritz them with cooking spray.

To start the batter, in a large bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Whisk to combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the milk, yogurt, melted butter, and eggs.

Whisk the wet ingredients together.

Pour the wet mixture from the medium bowl into the large bowl. Whisk to combine with the dry ingredients.

Pipe or spoon the batter into the donut molds, filling each well three-quarters of the way.

Place the baking sheet with the filled donut molds in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Once cool enough to handle, unmold the donuts and set them aside on a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, start the glaze. In a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla extract.

Whisk to combine. If the glaze is too thick, add another tablespoon of milk to thin it.

Once the donuts have cooled completely, dip the tops of the donuts into the glaze and return to the wire rack to set and harden, about 10 minutes.

Moving on to the topping, melt the chocolate chips over a double broiler or in the microwave at 20-second intervals until fully melted.

Drizzle a donut with melted chocolate using a fork or a piping bag. Immediately sprinkle the donut with cereal before the chocolate cools. Repeat with the remaining donuts.

Set aside the donuts until the chocolate has hardened before serving.

• Peppermint Hot Chocolate Recipe
• Monte Cristo Sandwich Recipe
• Easy At-Home Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe
• 3-Ingredient Egg Bites Recipe
• Our Buzz-Worthy Coffee Granita Recipe
• Rhubarb And Cardamom Oat Muffins Recipe

If you've ever perused the cereal aisle at the grocery store, then you know that there's absolutely no shortage of chocolatey cereal options. That said, not all breakfast cereals are created equally, and more specifically, not all of them would make as great a donut topping as Cocoa Pebbles and Cocoa Krispies. Those are some of Watkins' favorite chocolate cereals that perfectly topped off her baked chocolate donuts. "I liked that these were a smaller format cereal, meaning that I could maximize the coverage and maximize the crunch," she explains. She also notes cereals like Chocolate Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, or even Reese's Puffs would all work here, but since they're larger cereals, you won't get as much coverage on the donut, though they'll still taste good all the same.

For those who want to explore beyond the chocolate cereal realm, fruity varieties like Fruity Pebbles or cereals that contain mini marshmallows would work. Also, if you don't want to buy an entire box of cereal just to decorate your donuts, be on the lookout for single-serving-sized cups of the cereal you're after, which will yield just enough for the donuts without any leftovers.

It's no secret that many, many donuts out there are deep-fried. But can you deep-fry these chocolate donuts instead of baking? Alas, the answer is no, and it all comes down to these being cake donuts instead of yeast donuts. Cake donuts contain baking powder and baking soda, which give them a fluffy, slightly dense texture. On the other hand, yeast donuts are airy and pillowy due to the yeast. Nearly any yeast donut and even some cake donuts can be fried, but deep-frying simply isn't a viable option for this recipe. "It all depends on their preparation," Watkins says.

The good news is that you can air fry these donuts, should you have an air fryer that is big enough to accommodate the donut molds. You'll prepare the donut batter exactly as written in the recipe, all the way up to filling the molds. Then, place the molds in an air fryer set to 350 F and cook for 6 to 10 minutes, or until the donuts are fully cooked through. From there, follow the instructions as written for cooling, glazing, and decorating the donuts. 

• Delicate, Decadent Chocolate Macarons Recipe
• Coconut Baked Donuts Recipe
• Chocolate-Covered Ice Cream Bites Recipe
• Custard-Filled Boston Cream Donut Recipe
• Best Chocolate Mousse Recipe
• Fudgy Brownie Cake Pop Recipe