Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Chocolate Ganache Baked Chocolate Espresso Doughnuts


For more years than I care to disclose we lived in our last house without a washer and dryer (long story but since I wasn't the one doing the laundry I didn't feel deprived). We used to have a snowblower but when we moved we left it behind for the new homeowner (did someone think there would be never be any snow falling on the driveways in our new house some thirty miles away?). As much as I try to look at the upside of removing snow with a shovel, on really cold days these benefits don't seem to matter. In actuality, shoveling the snow on Sunday wasn't really such a hardship and the exercise felt good. In other words the whining was kept to a minimum. However, I was not looking forward to shoveling again on Tuesday morning when the temperatures had plummeted. As I came down the stairs wearing my snow shoveling clothes and carrying my North Face hat and boots, I looked out the front door to see just how much snow we were graced with. After guessing it was a little less than three inches, I gasped. The good kind of gasp, the kind of audible sound you make when you are surprised in the best of ways. The cause of this good gasp was discovering the driveways had been plowed and the sidewalk had been shoveled. Seems the person who shall remain nameless arranged to have a snow service for significant snowfalls this winter and had kept it a secret. If there is such a thing as a good secret, this would be one of them.


What could be better than starting your morning with coffee and doughnuts? Had you ever thought about getting your caffeine rush from a homemade chocolate espresso doughnut topped with some chocolate ganache and chopped pistachios? Think about this for a second. In just one bite you can savor the body, bouquet of a good cup of coffee and the smooth, velvety flavor of chocolate and have it all finish with the saltiness of the sultan of all nuts, the pistachio. And its no secret there have been numerous studies touting the health benefits of coffee, chocolate and nuts. Only a red wine chaser to the chocolate ganache baked chocolate espresso doughnut would make it a healthier way to begin your day. Heck, even Starbucks is now serving wine (albeit not during breakfast hours).


The recent postings of Maple-glazed mini pumpkin doughnuts and the Golden 'Egg' Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts combined with this new posting for the Chocolate Ganache Baked Chocolate Espresso Doughnuts are beginning to make me wonder if I have had a 'secret' obsession with mini-doughnuts. Or maybe I am just coming late to the appreciating the deliciousness of doughnuts party and it is now beginning to border on an obsession. Whether or not I am developing a preoccupation for this confection having an interesting history (for those of you who love learning the origins of foods there is a good article posted on Smithsonian.com), I love making these small bites of yumminess.


When making these doughnuts I decided tweak the recipe a bit but, in general, kept the quantities of the major ingredients listed. Note: I used both cake flour and all-purpose flour for these doughnuts, but you can use only all-purpose flour.

This was a bit of a mistake as the yield for this recipe was nine mini-doughnuts. So in the recipe listed below I have doubled the ingredients. If you only want to make nine doughnuts (and tease your family or co-workers), feel free to cut the recipe in half. 


Not only because they contain espresso powder and are made with chocolate, I also love these doughnuts because they don't require pulling out a mixer and they aren't cooked in oil.

These doughnuts bake in less than 15 minutes in a preheated 325 degree (F) oven. Even when using a non-stick doughnut pan, remember to spray your pan with a cooking spray.

For the ganache I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, whipping cream, unsalted butter and a pinch of sea salt. Note: The ganache recipe wasn't reduced. You can refrigerate and reheat the leftovers if you are only making nine doughnuts.


Once the doughnuts have cooled, they are are ready to be dipped in the warm ganache.


The chopped pistachios take these doughnuts to a different level, one currently occupied by the cronut. I happen to believe that different is almost always a good thing. I also happen to agree with Oscar Wilde's view of the world "Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!"

Borrowing words from a fellow foodblogger, these doughnuts are 'seriously delish'. If you have already lived this long and have not yet been swayed to buy a mini-doughnut pan, I really, really hope these Chocolate Ganache Baked Chocolate Espresso Doughnuts are enough to push you into getting one. Try to imagine the gasp your family, friends or co-workers will make when you put these doughnuts on the table. Even with the thought of experiencing an endorphin rush from hearing the sounds of jubilation as these doughnuts make an appearance, maybe you still don't compelled to go out and buy a mini-doughnut pan. Because it means having driving to the store in the weather that is way too cold. Or maybe snow and ice are everywhere and you would rather be anywhere than out on the roads. Not a problem. You can always order one online. In the spirit of being a good friend, consider this a kind of helping to remove all of the obstacles for you. Consider it giving you a slight nudge or hard push.

Recipe
Chocolate Ganache Baked Chocolate Espresso Doughnuts (adaptation of Shutterbean's doughnut and Jessica Merchant's chocolate ganache recipes)
(makes approximately 18 mini-doughnuts)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 Tablespoons espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
Substitution Note: Can use 2 cups of all-purpose instead of 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of cake flour)

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup chopped pistachio nuts

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Spray a mini-doughnut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour(s), baking soda, espresso powder, unsweetened cocoa, and kosher salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil and vanilla until blended and smooth.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, whisking until well blended and all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Spoon doughnut batter into a pastry bag (or into a large resealable plastic bag) and squeeze batter into the prepared doughnut pan (about 2/3 full). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until doughnuts spring back when lightly pressed.
6. Allow doughnuts to cool in pan for at least 3 minutes, then turn carefully out onto a rack to cool.
7. For the ganache, heat the whipping cream in small pan over medium heat just as it begins to bubble at the edges. Pour heated whipping cream over chocolate chips. Let stand for 30-45 seconds. Stir constantly until the chocolate melts and the ganache starts to become smooth. Add in the unsalted butter and pinch of sea salt, stirring until ganache is smooth and shiny.
8. Dip the top of each cooled doughnut into the ganache. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. 


"It may take time, but if you put your mind to something, you can make it happen. You are more powerful than you realize."