Homemade Baked Reindeer Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Serve up these Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer chocolate donuts for Christmas morning. A homemade chocolate donut recipe decorated to look like a reindeer. The perfect breakfast for the holiday season. Give these Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer donuts a try this week.
Chocolate donuts are such a festive treat that kids will go nuts for them. If you want to try these Rudolph donuts, go for it. It takes minimal effort to decorate the top of the donut to look like a reindeer. Pretzel antlers, red M&M, red nose, candy eyes, and more.
Serve up these donut cake pops for another festive holiday breakfast recipe. Or serve up these gingerbread hot chocolate bombs.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Reindeer Donuts
- The decadent aroma and flavor of our chocolate donuts make them an ideal treat for Christmas Eve or Christmas breakfast, adding a touch of sweetness to the festive morning.
- Movie nights, especially during the Christmas season, can become even more magical with our delightful chocolate donuts, perfect for 30 Days of Christmas Movies.
- Prepared with simple, high-quality ingredients, our chocolate donuts don’t just taste fantastic, they also give you peace of mind knowing exactly what you’re enjoying.
- Our chocolate donuts are kid-friendly, both in taste and preparation, making baking a fun and engaging activity for the little ones.
- For those planning holiday parties, our cute and irresistible chocolate donuts can be the star of your dessert table, adding to the festive charm.
Ingredients For Reindeer Chocolate Donuts
- Flour– Use all-purpose flour for this recipe. Scoop it into the measuring cup and level it off to ensure the right consistency of the dough.
- Cocoa Powder – Classic cocoa powder is utilized to render a rich, chocolaty goodness to our donuts.
- Brown Sugar – This ingredient imparts a delightful sweetness and depth of flavor to the donuts without being too overpowering.
- Baking Powder – This key ingredient is crucial for achieving that perfect, fluffy texture in your baked donuts.
- Salt – A pinch of salt enhances all the other flavors and balances out the sweetness in the donuts.
- Eggs – Eggs contribute to the structure of the donuts and give them a nice lift.
- Coconut Oil – This brings a subtle hint of tropical flavor and ensures your donuts are moist and tender.
- Milk – Any percentage of milk can be used in this recipe, adding to the moisture and tenderness of the donuts.
- Powdered Sugar – Or confectioners sugar is essential for a smooth and sweet glaze, sift first if there are a lot of lumps.
- Heavy Cream – This enriches the glaze, giving it a creamy and luxurious consistency.
- Googly Eye Sprinkles – These fun, edible decorations give our reindeer donuts their playful and charming appearance.
- Pretzels – Used to create the adorable antlers of the donuts, adding a fun twist to the festive treat.
- Peanut M&Ms – Use only the red M&Ms for the reindeer’s iconic shiny red nose, adding a delicious, crunchy element to our donuts.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap the coconut oil with vegetable oil or canola oil.
- You can use chocolate frosting to put on donuts instead of a glaze if you want.
- You can use any type of candy eyeballs for the cookies. Or pipe on frosting to make eyes.
- You can swap and use a Skittle or other red candy for the nose.
- If you don’t want to make homemade donuts you can use a chocolate cake mix to make donuts.
- Use a mini donut pan for mini donuts. Just use mini M&M’s for decorating the reindeer nose.
How To Make Reindeer Chocolate Donuts
- Set your oven to 350 °F. Apply oil or butter to your donut pan.
- Take a large bowl. Put all your dry ingredients in it and mix well. (Photos 1 & 2)
- In another bowl, mix all your wet ingredients. (Photo 3)
- Now, add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ones. Stir until smooth. (Photo 4)
- Fill the greased donut pans with the batter.
- Bake according to the instructions. Let the donuts cool on a cooling rack after baking. (Photo 5)
- While the donuts cool, prepare the glaze by mixing its ingredients until you get a creamy texture. (Photos 6 & 7)
- After the donuts cool down on a wire rack, apply the glaze. Decorate them with broken pretzels placed to look like antlers and eyes. Put an M&M in the middle of each donut. (Photo 8)
Expert Tips
- Before starting the preparation of the batter, ensure all the ingredients are at room temperature. This will result in a smoother batter and evenly baked donuts.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter, as it can make your donuts tough.
- To easily fill your donut pan with the batter, consider using a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off.
- Always let the donuts cool completely before applying the glaze. This prevents the glaze from melting off the donuts.
- If you are having trouble getting your pretzel antlers to stick to the donuts, you can use a little extra glaze or some melted chocolate to help them adhere.
- Decorate your donuts quickly after glazing them, so the decorations will stick. If the glaze dries too much, the decorations may not stick.
- Don’t press down too hard when applying the M&Ms and pretzels, as you might accidentally break the donuts.
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Free Essential Cooking Chart!
Storing Tips
Donuts are stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Like all donuts, these reindeer donuts will dry out pretty quickly.
You can place the donuts in an airtight container and freeze them for 2-3 months if you like. Then, thaw on the counter until thawed. This takes just an hour or so.
Donuts are best when served fresh that day. You will find donuts dry out pretty quickly, so I recommend serving the day of. Or making the night before you plan to serve.
What To Serve With Reindeer Chocolate Donuts
Our Reindeer Chocolate Donuts pair beautifully with a variety of beverages and other treats. For a classic pairing, serve these festive donuts with a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate. The rich, chocolaty flavors of the donuts perfectly complement the bitterness of the coffee and the sweetness of the hot chocolate.
For younger guests or those preferring a cold drink, a glass of milk is an excellent choice. If you’re looking to create a full dessert spread for a holiday party, consider pairing these donuts with other festive treats like gingerbread cookies, peppermint bark, or a hearty slice of yule log cake.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can substitute brown sugar with white sugar in this recipe. However, brown sugar imparts a unique depth of flavor and a hint of molasses that white sugar cannot provide.
Yes, almond milk can be a great dairy-free alternative in this recipe. It will still provide the necessary moisture to the donuts, although the flavor might be slightly different.
Yes, to make these donuts vegan, substitute the eggs with flax eggs or applesauce, use a dairy-free milk alternative like almond or soy milk and opt for vegan chocolate and candy for the decorations.
If you don’t have a donut pan, you can bake the batter in a muffin tin. However, keep in mind that the baking time may vary, so keep a close eye on them to avoid overbaking.
This recipe is specifically designed for baked donuts. If you prefer a fried donut, the batter may need some adjustments to hold up in the hot oil.
Need More Breakfast Recipes? Try These:
- 3 Ingredient Blueberry Bagels
- Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
- Sheet Pan Scrambled Eggs
- Denver Omelet
- Copycat Starbucks Cream Cheese Danish
- Cloud Eggs With Asiago Cheese & Chives
- Loaded Pancakes
- Savory Bacon Cheddar Scones
- Farmer’s Market Ham & Egg Breakfast Casserole
- See all our breakfast ideas!
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Homemade Baked Reindeer Chocolate Glazed Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) flour
- ½ cup (43 g) cocoa powder
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup (54 ½ g) coconut oil melts
- 1 cup (236 ⅗ ml) milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (125 g) powder sugar
- ⅓ heavy cream
- 24 google eye sprinkles
- 12 pretzels
- 12 red peanut m&ms
Instructions
- Set your oven to 350 °F (177 °C) Apply oil or butter to your donut pan.
- Take a large bowl. Put all your dry ingredients in it and mix well.2 cups flour,½ cup cocoa powder,½ cup brown sugar,2 tsp baking powder,1 tsp Salt
- In another bowl, mix all your wet ingredients.2 eggs,¼ cup coconut oil,1 cup milk,2 tsp vanilla,1 cup powder sugar,⅓ heavy cream
- Now, add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ones. Stir until smooth.
- Fill the greased donut pans with the batter.
- Bake according to the instructions. Let the donuts cool on a cooling rack after baking.
- While the donuts cool, prepare the glaze by mixing its ingredients until you get a creamy texture.
- After the donuts cool down on a wire rack, apply the glaze. Decorate them with broken pretzels placed to look like antlers and eyes. Put an M&M in the middle of each donut.24 google eye sprinkles,12 red peanut m&ms,12 pretzels
Notes
- Before starting the preparation of the batter, ensure all the ingredients are at room temperature. This will result in a smoother batter and evenly baked donuts.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter, as it can make your donuts tough.
- To easily fill your donut pan with the batter, consider using a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off.
- Always let the donuts cool completely before applying the glaze. This prevents the glaze from melting off the donuts.
- If you are having trouble getting your pretzel antlers to stick to the donuts, you can use a little extra glaze or some melted chocolate to help them adhere.
- Decorate your donuts quickly after glazing them, so the decorations will stick. If the glaze dries too much, the decorations may not stick.
- Don’t press down too hard when applying the M&Ms and pretzels, as you might accidentally break the donuts.
Nutrition Information
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