Remember my chocolate pumpkin bat donuts from last year (yup, that was 2022!)? Well, these are a new kind of baked donut, using a similar base. They are a healthier variation of that classic candy bar, but in donut form! You’ve got a fluffy and delicious coconut, almond, and chocolate donut, with a rich and decadent chocolate coconut glaze, and topped with loads of sliced almonds. Can I get a YUM?!
If you’re like me, then every halloween you are searching for the almond joys. And if you’re even more like me, You LOVE the almond in the middle because it pairs well with the coconut and chocolate, and it can make you feel like you’re actually being healthy. So I know not a lot of people are with me anymore because a lot of people don’t like the almond. But if you do, then stick around because these donuts have a nice even balance of all three components to an almond joy.
Remember what I said about feeling healthy? These donuts will satisfy that craving for sugar, but still stay a little on the healthier side. There’s no butter, it’s replaced with coconut oil for flavor and texture reasons. We are also using maple syrup as our sweetener to avoid processed sugars. Plus, almond butter and coconut milk are both good for you! Tasty, easy, decadent, and healthy(ish)?!?! It almost seems to good to be true.
Describe These Donuts to Me
Texture: When I think almond joy, I think or the sweet and gooey coconut filling, the crunch of the almond at the center, and of course the chocolate coating all over the outside. For these donuts, we kept the flavors, but switched up the textures. Instead of the coconut being gooey and fudgy, it’s the chocolate. The coconut is still definitely there, but it’s more of the secondary flavor. These donuts don’t have whole almonds in them like the candy, but instead almond butter and extract. Different textures, but the same flavors.
Taste: Speaking of flavors, let’s talk about it! You’ve got the same three flavors, chocolate, coconut, and almond. The core flavor is chocolate, but you’ve got bites of shredded coconut all throughout, and almond in the very back of your mouth.
Ease: These are actually pretty simple! It’s a one bowl recipe for the donuts, that can be done in about 10-15 minutes. They’ve got a quick bake time and don’t take long to cool. The glaze is quick and easy, with just a handful of ingredients.
The Donut
Let’s talk about the donut portion of these donuts. They have the fudgiest texture ever. With a moist and fluffy crumb, these donuts are absolutely perfect. They have an even balance of flavor between bittersweet chocolate, sweet coconut, and nutty almond. The great thing about this recipe is that it is made in one bowl, and requires no mixer. They are super quick, extra fudgy, and have the familiar taste of that classic candy bar.
The Glaze
When I first tested out this recipe idea I really had no idea what I was going to do for the glaze. I hadn’t made a whole lot of different kinds of glazes so I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted, but I knew I wanted chocolate and coconut. But when I say this glaze is amazing, I mean it. I was just throwing a bunch of ingredients in a bowl and hoping for the best, and I accidentally made an addicting coconut and chocolate glaze. And it’s simple too! Just whisk some confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, and salt together, then throw in some coconut milk and coconut oil. Dunk your donuts, and top with loads of almonds. Boom. The glaze is rich, sweet, creamy, and the coconut flavor is completely natural.
Let me just add really quicly that these donuts are MESSY. The donuts themselves are soft, with a moist crumb, but the glaze is super gooey. Like SUPER GOOEY. I’m talking so-gooey-you-can’t-pick-up-one-without-getting-chocolateified kind of gooey. Although they are delicious, have a napkin in hand!
How do we Get Our Flavors?
Let’s start with getting the coconut flavor. I use coconut milk, coconut oil, sweetened shredded coconut, and the tiniest drop of coconut extract. All the coconut you could imagine. And it’s definitly there, but the flavor isn’t overpowering. Next we’ve got the almond. This ones a little more simple. We’ve got almond butter and almond extract. Almond butter gives it a buttery saltier taste, and the extract gives it a more sweet taste. Both are great here. And lastly we have chocolate. We’re sticking to the classics here, cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips. For the glaze and topping, we use coconut milk, coconut oil, and cocoa powder, and don’t forget to top with shredded almonds! All natural, all delicious.
Almond Joy Baked Donuts
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the molds of a 12 count donut pan with melted butter using a pastry brush. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, coconut milk, maple syrup, mayonnaise, almond butter, vanilla, almond extract, and coconut extract. There may be lumps of almond butter or mayonnaise, that’s ok! Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until smooth and combined. Add the sweetened shredded coconut and whisk to combine. Add the coconut oil and chocolate chips and whisk to combine.
- Fill the donut molds with the batter until almost completely full. I find using a piping bag makes this step a lot easier, but you can also just spoon it in.
- Bake the donuts for 12-13 minutes or until they bounce back when lightly poked. Allow the donuts to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the confectioners sugar and cocoa powder. Add the coconut milk and coconut oil and whisk until smooth and combined. Add a pinch of salt.
- Dunk the cooled donuts in the glaze and top with sliced almonds. Donuts stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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