Chocolate donuts dipped in chocolate ganache with toasted marshmallows, and crushed graham cracker crumbs sprinkled on top. These s’mores donuts are baked, not fried, making them so simple to make!

Baked S’mores Donuts

Sooooo, I’m in a lot of trouble.

Ever since I made these baked s’mores donuts two weeks ago, I’ve been craving them every single morning. Somehow, they seem just a little more interesting than my typical cereal/granola bar ordeal. SOMEHOW.

If you’ve never tried making baked donuts at home, you’re in for a real treat; they’re extremely simple. I made these using a mini donut pan which I bought for $10, worth every penny. And fret not, if you don’t have a mini donut pan, you can use a regular donut pan in its place! (If you have no donut pan, I have nothing to say other than what are you waiting on?! Get one ASAP!)

Ingredients for Baked S’mores Donuts

These baked s’mores donuts don’t require a ton of ingredients; here’s what you’ll need to make them:

• All-purpose flour: Only 1 cup (120 g) of all-purpose flour is needed!
• Cocoa powder: I recommend using a Dutch-processed cocoa for that deep, chocolatey flavor although your regular unsweetened cocoa powder will work just fine! To achieve dark (almost black) donuts like I did, use 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of black cocoa.
• Baking powder & baking soda: For a little leavening action.
• Nutmeg: Chocolate and nutmeg are one of those odd flavor combos that just work really well together. Feel free to leave it out if you aren’t a fan of nutmeg though!
• Espresso powder: This is different than instant coffee! Espresso powder further brings out the chocolate flavor; don’t worry… your donuts won’t taste like coffee, I promise!
• Salt: Baked goods made without salt taste a little plain, so don’t skip it.
• Butter: The one and only.
• Buttermilk: Which helps keep these donuts super moist.
• Vanilla: Leaving it out will result in donuts that taste a little bland.
• Egg: One large (room temperature) egg is all you need.
• Sugar: This recipe uses both granulated and dark brown sugar for the ideal chewy/moist texture.
• Dark chocolate: I love using 70% cacao dark chocolate; but you could also opt for a semisweet chocolate for this recipe. When it comes to making ganache, make sure to use a high quality chocolate that has few ingredients.
• Heavy cream: For the chocolate ganache
• Graham crackers & mini marshmallows: These are s’mores donuts after all…

How to Make Baked S’mores Donuts

There are three main components to these delicious baked s’mores donuts.

1. Chocolate Cake Donut

The chocolate cake donut batter is whisked together by hand in minutes. That’s right, no mixer required. You’ll mix the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, and sugars in one bowl and the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, espresso powder, salt, and cocoa powder in another bowl. Then you’ll pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just incorporated.

A Note on Cocoa Powder

Just a quick note regarding the cocoa powder, I used 3 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa and 1 tablespoon of black cocoa (for a total of 1/4 cup of cocoa). Dutch-processed cocoa gives the donuts a darker color and a more complex flavor; however, you can totally use natural (read: regular) cocoa powder if that’s all you have!

I have to admit it’s a little tricky transferring the donut batter into the donut pan without making a huge mess. But I do have a little trick that will save you from losing both your patience and your mind. Once the batter is mixed together, simply spoon it into a large ziplock bag or pastry bag and pipe it into the donut cavities. I know it sounds weird, but it’s the easiest way to get the donut batter neatly into the donut pan. Plus, hello, easy cleanup.

The bake time is also super quick: only about 10 minutes tops. Once the donuts are out of the oven, let them cool for 2 minutes, invert the pan to release the donuts, then re-grease the donut pan and bake the remaining donut batter.

2. Chocolate Ganache Glaze

While the donuts are cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache glaze. You’ll start with some dark chocolate that’s been roughly chopped into smaller pieces; you don’t have to chop the chocolate perfectly; just make sure the pieces aren’t too large so they’ll melt easily. Then, you’ll warm up the heavy cream.

I typically use the stovetop to heat the heavy cream, but you can use a microwave too. (If you’re using the microwave, put it in for 45 seconds-1 minute, but keep a close eye on it!) Once it’s heated, you’ll pour it right over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for about a minute so the warm heavy cream can work its magic & melt the chocolate. Finally, you’ll whisk it until it starts to come together. It helps to start slowly whisking in the middle of the bowl and whisking in one direction the whole time. Once the ganache starts coming together, you add the butter, which helps give the ganache a rich, shiny sheen and a flavor boost!

3. Toppings

The final touch on these baked s’mores donuts is the graham cracker crumbs and mini marshmallows! For the graham crackers, you can either pulse them in a food processor or place a few crackers in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

When it comes to the marshmallows, if you want to be extra fancy (which I promise you do), you can toast the marshmallows. After popping the marshmallows on the donuts, I gave them a quick little toast using my new favorite kitchen tool. (If you haven’t invested in a blow torch yet, you’re legitimately missing out.)

Baked S’mores Donuts Recipe Troubleshooting & FAQ

CAN I HALVE THIS BAKED S’MORES DONUTS RECIPE?
Absolutely! Although, it will require you to divide an egg since only 1 is used. The best way to divide an egg is to work out the gram weight for your eggs (usually about 50 grams per large egg), then whisk it up and divide it by weight (which usually comes out to about 2 tablespoons).

CAN I USE LIGHT BROWN SUGAR INSTEAD OF DARK BROWN SUGAR?
Yup! Your donuts will be a tad less complex in flavor, and you’ll miss out on a little moisture, but the donuts will still be totally yum!

CAN I USE A SILICONE DONUT PAN FOR THIS BAKED S’MORES DONUTS RECIPE?
Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. Metal conducts heat evenly and efficiently. On the other hand, silicone can insulate heat, so you could end up with donuts that are a little thinner/flatter.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THE DONUTS ARE DONE BAKING?
It can be tricky to tell when chocolate baked goods are done baking because you can’t rely on looking for a golden brown color. To test if your donuts are done baking, poke your finger at the top of a donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done!

HELP! MY DONUTS ARE DRY! WHAT DID I DO WRONG?
These donuts are anything but dry! If yours turn out as such, you likely either added too much flour or you overbaked it! But, of course, it could also be a combination of the two!

HOW DO I STORE THESE BAKED S’MORES DONUTS?
The donuts are best on the day that they’re made but can be stored in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

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