Chocolate Hazelnut-Crunch Donuts

.  So these are a first.  A first baked donut, that is.  And they most definitely will not be the last.

I mean c'mon, read that name.  Look at these pictures.  How could they not be good?  Actually, how could they not be fabulously addicting?  I'm still punching myself for not trying baked donuts sooner.

So where to begin?  First, these are insanely easy.  Yes, there are a couple of assembly steps but I promise that not one of them is difficult.  And by the end of the process, all of the elements come together seamlessly.  In perfect baked spiced donut-chocolate frosting-candied hazelnuts harmony.  Drooling yet?

I actually came across this recipe over at the little epicurean.  Her pictures are absolutely gorgeous, so it didn't take much convincing to bookmark this recipe and get to bakin.'  And what came out of this 'maiden voyage' was pure deliciousness.

I must forewarn you that these donuts are not the yeast donuts many of you are used to.  Rather, these are much more dense and cake-like, though scrumptious nonetheless.  The donuts themselves are wonderfully spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, fabulous complements to the cold winter weather.  And the glaze?  Not your traditional frosting but I was quite surprised at how well the chocolate glaze melded with the donuts and oh yes, the candied hazelnuts.  You probably don't need much explanation there.  But I will say that the chocolate glaze and hazelnut combination is extremely reminiscent of the ever-so-popular Nutella.  As if you need more convincing to try these out.

The only complaint I have about this recipe is that it only makes six donuts.  Six?  Hmm, definitely not enough for our house.  The two of us alone did some damage on these babies.  So next time I will most likely be making two batches.  My waistline may have objections though  .

My Notes:

• You can find dried buttermilk powder at most grocery stores, albeit it is a rather old looking container so it may not be easy to spot.  I found a picture of a brand of dried buttermilk powder online, so that was really helpful to me when looking for it [check out the link I included for picture from a blog I found]. 
• Apparently pastry flour is not easy to find, so I had to get my Google on and figure out how to recreate it.  I used directions from JoyofBaking.com that yielded 2 cups of pastry flour  [1-1/3 cups all purpose flour + 1/3 c. cake flour] and then took out the 1/4 cup the recipe calls for (I know, a waste of ingredients, I'm sorry).
• And apparently, again, hazelnuts are not very easy to find either!  So, I kid you not, I sifted through a giant container of mixed nuts to find the hazelnuts I needed.  Now, I don't exactly recommend doing this because it's expensive and annoying.  So if you aren't able to find hazelnuts, I have an out for you.  Target sells the most fabulous Butter Crunch Cashews that are basically the exact same thing you'd be making here.  We had some of these at our house so I chopped up a few and used them to top some of the donuts as well.  They're ridiculously fabulous and pre-made!
• If you use raw hazelnuts with skins on, toast them lightly in a 325F oven for about 7 to 10 minutes.  Rub the toasted hazelnuts between a kitchen towel to remove the skins.  Once cooled, roughly chop them up.

From the little epicurean

Ingredients:

Donuts:

3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. pastry flour

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. dried buttermilk powder

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tbsp. water

Candied Hazelnuts:

1 large egg white

1 c. hazelnuts, blanched, lightly toasted, and roughly chopped

2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Chocolate Glaze:

3/ 4 c. semiseet chocolate chips

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. light corn syrup

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375F.  Lightly grease donut pan.
2. Whisk together all purpose flour, pastry flour, sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and dried  buttermilk powder.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil and water.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until batter is smooth and and there are no traces of dry ingredients.
4. Transfer batter to a large piping bag fitted with a large tip or plastic bag with one corner snipped.  Pipe batter into donut pan, filling each cavity about half full.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.  Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
6. For hazelnuts, heat oven to 325F.  Hand whisk egg white until foamy.  Add in chopped hazelnuts and stir to coat evenly.  Sprinkle sugar, salt and cinnamon over nuts.  Spread nuts evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden (if chunks have formed, break into smaller pieces).  Set aside.
7. For glaze, melt chocolate, butter and light corn syrup in bowl in microwave until smooth.  Let the chocolate cool slightly and then dip tops of donuts into mixture.  Sprinkle with candied hazelnuts.

Yield: 6 donuts