Chocolate donuts are a popular North American invention made with fried bread and chocolate toppings or fillings. They are often egg-based and sweet, with various methods of incorporating chocolate flavor. Donuts are traditionally fried and shaped into rings, but variations include bars and filled donuts. They are a popular breakfast food and often sold in dedicated donut shops and bakeries.
A chocolate donut is a fried bread-based confection that is made with, topped with, or filled with chocolate. Donuts and donut-style desserts are popular in many countries around the world. The chocolate varieties are generally considered something of a North American invention, however, and are most popular in the United States. There are many different varieties of chocolate donuts, but all are generally recognizable in appearance and taste.
The more traditional chocolate donut is little more than fried bread that is covered in chocolate glaze or icing. Plain donuts are usually egg-based doughs that have been fried in hot oil or animal fat. They are usually shaped into a ring, usually about 4 inches (about 10 cm) in diameter and have a palpable hole through the center.
Donut dough is almost always very sweet. Some varieties of chocolate donuts add to this sweetness by incorporating the chocolate directly into the dough. Chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and even artificial chocolate flavoring are all common means of creating chocolate donut flavors. Most of the time, these confections have a distinctly dark brown color, and in many respects resemble small chocolate cakes.
Making donuts by hand is one of the more traditional methods. Homemade donuts are usually made by rolling the dough into thick strings which then have to be connected end to end. Sometimes the very thick dough is rolled into a round, then a hole shape is cut out of the center with a cookie cutter or other circular object. Commercial suits typically use donut molds to ensure a consistent shape and to save time in the oven.
Once the dough is shaped, it is usually dropped into vats of hot oil or shortening for deep frying. The heat from the oil cooks the dough, crisping the outside and imparting a distinctive fried flavor. Cooks who enjoy the taste of donuts but are a little more health conscious may also choose to bake their donuts, often with an egg wash to achieve a similar glossy look. Baked donuts can approximate deep-fried taste, but rarely rival it.
The icing or glaze is added once the donuts are done cooking. For plain donuts, the chocolate glaze lends a distinctive flavor and is what makes them go from “plain” to “chocolate”. Flavored dough donuts can also be glazed for a double dose of flavor, although glazing with regular icing or powdered sugar is also common. While the glaze is being applied, many cooks will also add sprinkles, chopped nuts or coconut flakes for added texture and potential flavors.
Chocolate chip donuts and bar donuts are common variations, but usually require a different cooking process. Both are still traditionally fried, but neither bears the distinctive ring shape. Filled donuts are often round, but instead of a hole, they have a chocolate center. Bars are essentially long rectangles that can be filled. More often, however, they’re simply topped with chocolate-flavored icing.
Most filled donuts start out as a simple round. Chocolate is injected into their centers after baking. The dough usually expands in oil, leaving air pockets that can fill chocolate ganache, icing or cream. It’s also sometimes possible to make these donut-based desserts by forming the dough around the filling before baking, although this generally requires special tools or molds.
A chocolate donut is generally considered a chocolate dessert, but it’s also a popular breakfast food, particularly in the United States. Dedicated donut shops and bakeries often start selling the packs first time in the morning. They are popular accompaniments to coffee or lattes and are a favorite morning treat for so many kids.
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