The lightest, flakiest gluten free chocolate biscuit donuts are ready in a snap when you start with a simple gluten free biscuit dough. Make the dough weeks ahead of time!
If you've been reading this blog for a bit, you already know that I always have a batch of the perfect recipe for Extra Flaky Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits from page 227 of GFOAS Bakes Bread in my freezer or refrigerator at all times. I use the dough for those gluten free biscuits in everything sweet and savory, day after day (check out the Gluten Free Biscuit Recipe Index here on the blog and you'll see).
Well, Valentine's Day is tomorrow and even though my celebration doesn't usually extend beyond helping my 3 kids fill out mini drug store Valentines for their friends, this is the time of year that chocolate is, well, more important.
Enter the lightest, flakiest (and easiest!) glazed chocolate gluten free biscuit donuts in the whole wide world (too much?). Of course, if biscuit donuts aren't your thing, there are at least 9 other gluten free donut recipes here on the blog.
Please know this, though: the glaze is a must (the donuts themselves are rich and chocolatey, but only lightly sweet; and the glaze keeps them fresh while uncovered at room temperature for at least a day)—and it must be thick. Otherwise, it runs right off the donut. What a shame that would be!
The decadent but simple chocolate gluten free biscuit dough can be made way, way, way ahead of time, too. Since it's not a yeasted donut dough, it can be made and frozen for at least 2 months. Just wrap it tightly. You can defrost it slightly in the refrigerator for a bit if it's difficult to cut into shapes, but I usually have no trouble working with it right from the freezer. The layers you create by folding and turning it a few times (all explained in the instructions below) will pay off big time when you fry these babies. See for yourself!
If you really want to gild the lily, replace about 2 tablespoons of the confectioners' sugar in the glaze with unsweetened cocoa powder and make the glaze a chocolate one. The donuts are so rich and chocolatey that I restrained myself. But if you can't, I understand. No judgments here.
Looking for a plain version of these easy gluten free biscuit donuts? Well, we did those first of course!
Glazed Chocolate Gluten Free Biscuit Donuts
Ingredients
For the biscuit donuts
1 3/4 cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter), plus more for sprinkling
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 cup (40 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (Dutch-processed will work, too)
7 tablespoons (42 g) nonfat dry milk, ground into a finer powder
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, cut into large chunks and chilled
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 fluid ounces) buttermilk, chilled (not nonfat)
Oil, for frying (I used a combination of equal parts canola oil and Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening)
For the glaze
2 cups (230 g) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk (any kind), plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful if necessary
Instructions
First, make the biscuit dough. In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, nonfat dry milk, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the chopped butter, and toss to coat. Place each piece of butter between your floured thumb and forefinger to flatten. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Mix with a large spoon or spatula until the dough begins to come together.
Prepare the biscuit dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and dust the top of the dough with a bit more flour. Roll out with a rolling pin into a thick rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise, dust again lightly with flour, and roll out again into a thick rectangle. Once more, fold the rectangle in half lengthwise, and fold again widthwise to create a much smaller, thicker rectangle. Dust lightly with flour, and one final time roll the dough into a rectangle that is about 3/4-inch thick.
Cut out shapes. Using a well-floured 2 1/2-inch round donut-cutter (or a combination well-floured 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter and a well-floured 1 1/4-inch cutter for the center), cut out 8 donut shapes from the biscuit dough. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Take the 8 small cut-outs from the center of each donut shape, and roll each lightly into a round between your palms. Using a 1 1/4-inch round cutter, cut out more small rounds from the remaining biscuit dough, and roll those each into a round between your palms. You don’t want to apply too much pressure or you’ll compress the layers. Place the small rounds on the baking sheet as well, and place the baking sheet in the freezer to chill while you prepare the frying oil.
Fry the donuts. In a medium-size, heavy-bottom pot or fryer, place about 3-inches of frying oil. Clip a deep-fry/candy thermometer to the side of the pot or fryer, and place the oil over medium heat. Bring the oil temperature to 325°F. Remove the biscuit dough shapes from the freezer, and fry in small batches until well-puffed and firm to the touch (3 to 5 minutes for the donuts and about 2 minutes for the holes). Do not crowd the oil at all. The dough will first turn lighter in color in the frying oil, and then darker. You must judge doneness by color and firmness as browning won’t be obvious. Remove each batch from the fryer and place on paper towel-lined plates to drain and cool completely.
Make the glaze while the donut holes are cooling. In a medium-size bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix well, until a thick paste forms. Add more milk by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a thick but pourable glaze. Add milk very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze. If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it. Immerse each cooled donut and donut hole in the glaze and lift out with the tines of a fork or chocolate dipping tool, allow excess glaze to drizzle off, and place on a wire rack to allow any excess glaze to drip off. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature before serving. The glaze will keep the donuts fresh, uncovered on the kitchen counter, for at least a day.
Adapted from my recipe for Extra-Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits on page 227 of GFOAS Bakes Bread; concept from Table for Two Blog.
Cher V says
These look just heavenly!
Lisa says
Can I substitute the dry milk with a small amount of liquid milk?
Lucy says
Absolutely beautiful Nicole!
I’m printing this out right now for hubby and me: gonna have to bake something non-chocolate for the girls.
Decisions… decisions :)
Jennifer S. says
I am no longer afraid of the fryer – yahoo! :) these look so great. Do we have a bismark recipe? they are my downfall.
Nicole Hunn says
Oh thank goodness, Jennifer! I don’t have a published bismark recipe, no, but just fill the Glazed Donuts in GFOAS Bakes Bread with pastry cream, and top with a chocolate glaze. :)
Mare Masterson says
Can you believe that I have not even made the biscuits yet?!? Work is really getting in the way of my GF baking!
Nicole Hunn says
If you have a 3-day weekend, Mare, this is the project for you!
Mare Masterson says
No three day weekend for me. This firm does not give us President’s Day off.
Tina says
Can’t we bake them? I bought the nifty donut pans!
Nicole Hunn says
Donut pans are for cake donuts, Tina. These are shaped, biscuit donuts.
Donia Robinson says
A croissant and doughnut combined is a cronut. What is a biscuit and doughnut combo called? Biscnut? Doughcuit? Please advise.
(Threw in that last sentence just for you…)
Nicole Hunn says
Ahahahahahaah please advise!!
Lauren Morra says
Glorious, simply glorious looking!
Nicole Hunn says
Thanks, Lauren!
Anneke says
Nicole, these look delicious! I just might give them a try for tomorrow. Can you confirm the cutter size for the holes? The recipe says 1/4 inch, but that seems really tiny and doesn’t match the look of the picture. It seems more like it should be a 1 inch, or a 1 1/4 inch. Thanks, as always!
Nicole Hunn says
Good catch, Anneke! It was a typo, and I’ve fixed it now. Should read “1 1/4 inches”!
Carmen Vidal Bruno says
I’d love to try these Nicole, do you have a recommendation about how to replace the sugar for maybe honey?
Nicole Hunn says
You can’t replace the sugar with honey, Carmen, as honey is a liquid and it would unbalance the recipe quite a lot. Honey is still sugar!
Carmen Vidal Bruno says
Thank you Nicole, we have cane sugar sensitives in my family. maybe coconut sugar would work. thank you kindly
Deborah says
Does anyone have any suggestions for making this dairy free? It looks divine, but I can’t get past the dry milk. I would try coconut milk with lemon juice for the buttermilk, but don’t know about the dry milk. I have printed several of the other recipes that use this biscuit dough as a base but haven’t found a solution yet. Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Deborah, For the nonfat dry milk, my top recommendation would be dried coconut milk. I know others have used it successfully, but most brands I have seen online seem to have trace amounts of cow’s milk (strange, I know). If you’re okay with that, that’s the way I’d go. Otherwise, you can try blanched almond flour 1:1 by weight, but I haven’t tried that so you’ll definitely be in for some experimenting!
Deborah says
I made them with coconut milk and lemon juice instead of buttermilk. Worked like a charm! They are all gone, so I guess they were good. I ordered dried coconut milk, will try that next time. Thanks for the suggestions. I really appreciate them!!
Judi says
Approximately how much oil for frying? Is the donut submerged?
Nicole Hunn says
Judi, I can’t really say how much you’ll need as it depends upon size of your fryer/pot. That’s why I say “3 inches.” Since the donuts are 3/4-inch high and the oil is 3-inches, yes, they’re submerged until they float.