Wait! 

Sshhh!

Did you hear that?

OK. No big deal. Be very, very quiet and listen again.

That!

Please tell me that you heard it, too.

Please? ‘kay thanks.

That, my friends is the siren call of a doughnut.  I hear doughnuts calling to me all the time. They start out kind of quiet and subtle–in a kind of nagging did-I-remember-to-turn-off-the iron kind of way. But if ignored, that call becomes more and more insistent until finally all I can hear is a YOU MUST HAVE A DOUGHNUT!!! sort of chanting in my head. In fact, I once on occasion have often tried to drive past a Krispy Creme with that incessant doughnut chanting going on in my head, only to do a quick U-turn and come to a screeching halt in the first available parking spot.

You know what I mean, right?

No? Just me, then? Huh.

Now before you go off and click away from here thinking I’m six-shades-of-crazy, feast your eyes on this:

Now do you hear it? Yeah. I thought that might do it. Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnuts will do that to a person every time–they refuse to be ignored.

I defy you to try to ignore a soft, chocolatey doughnut that has been bathed in a real vanilla bean glaze.

More than that, I double-dog-dare you not to take just a teensy pinch off of one of those doughnuts while waiting for that wonderous glaze to set. Even threats of eternal grounding, loss of privileges, and worst of all–threats of not getting to eat a finished doughnut (!!) won’t be able to keep you from taking just the smallest nibble. I don’t care how much willpower you have–it just can not be done.

Just ask my boys. 

But in the end, does it really matter? Not a bit. All that matters is that there are doughnuts to be had, and you won’t have to disobey any traffic laws to get one. And while you’re snatching your semi-set doughnut up off the cooling rack, you might as well grab a big glass of milk to wash away the guilt, because these sweet things are baked and not fried. Which in My World puts these doughnuts in the Health Food category.

So I’ll grab the glasses, and you grab the milk. Then we’ll meet at the table and we’ll solve all the world’s problems over chocolate doughnuts.

♥♥♥

Baked Chocolate Sour Cream Doughnuts with Vanilla-Buttermilk Glaze

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Makes 12-15 doughnuts

For the Doughnuts:

1 ¾ C. all-purpose flour

¼ C. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

Pinch of ground cinnamon

2 eggs

2/3 C. granulated sugar

¾ C. full-fat sour cream

½ C. canola oil

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

1 ½ C. powdered sugar

1/3 C. buttermilk

Caviar from one vanilla bean

To Prepare the Doughnuts:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray doughnut pans with baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until combined. Make a well in the center and set the bowl aside.
3. Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add the sugar, sour cream, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until ingredients are well incorporated.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk until a smooth batter just comes together.
5. Transfer batter to a zippered storage bag, squeezing out all of the air before sealing.
6. Squish all of the batter toward one of the bottom corners of the bag and twist the excess bag to form a pastry bag. Snip the bottom inch off the corner.
7. Squeeze the batter into the doughnut wells so that they are ½ full. This may be done in stages, depending on the number of doughnut pans you are using.
8. Bake doughnuts in the preheated 325 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until doughnuts are set.
9. Allow doughnuts to cool in the pans for 3 minutes before removing them to cool completely on a wire rack.

To Finish Doughnuts with Glaze:

1. Whisk the buttermilk and powdered sugar together in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Slice lengthwise down the center of a vanilla bean, and scrape out the internal caviar.
3. Add the vanilla bean caviar to the glaze and stir to distribute.
4. Dip both sides of the cooled doughnuts into the glaze and shake off the excess. Place the glazed doughnuts back on the wire racks until glaze is set.
5. Serve immediately.

NOTES:

• One teaspoon of vanilla extract can be substituted for the vanilla bean caviar, although the flavor will not be quite the same. To substitute vanilla extract, remove the same amount of extract used from the buttermilk before adding to the powdered sugar. (1 tsp. extract = subtracting 1 tsp. of the buttermilk used in the glaze.)
• Muffin pans can be used instead of doughnut pans. Spray muffin wells with baking spray and fill 2/3 full of batter. Extend baking time to 15-18 minutes, or until done. Recipe yields 10 to 12 standard muffins.
• Leftover doughnuts can be stored in a paper bag at room temperature for a day or two, or freeze unglazed doughnuts in a freezer bag for up to a month.  Thaw overnight in ‘fridge and glaze.