Mint Chocolate Donuts

There is nothing more obscenely delicious than mint chocolate donuts. As we all know, the union of mint - with its cool spicy flavor - and chocolate - with its dark rich flavor - is a marriage made in heaven. Now, I know what you are thinking. You are probably wondering how the donut fits into the heavenly equation?

Think of the donut as the honeymoon in Hawaii. Yes! The donut is kind of like a fluffy, lightly-fried, night on a deserted moonlit beach. Eating mint chocolate donuts then, by extension, would sort of be like making love on the warn smooth sand of said moonlit beach, as a school of dolphins did somersaults in the distance. And then, it would follow that you can think of the gut you get from eating an entire batch of these donuts yourself as your first child. And then some day your little fatty child will ask you how you and mommy met, and you can think back warmly of this Instructable.

Step 1: Ingredients

You will need for the donuts:
4 1/2 cups of bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 envelope dry active yeast
1 cup milk (plus some for later)
2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Enough vegetable oil to fill your container to a depth of at least 2"

For the filling:
5 tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter and/or 1/2 cup solid shortening
1 cup milk
3/4 tsp mint
Green food coloring

For the topping:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup room temperature milk
1 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted powder sugar
4 ounces crushed bittersweet baking chocolate

Step 2: Prep Work

Let a cup of milk cool to room temperature.

Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and let it cool.

Step 3: Mix the Dry

Combine 4 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt until good and mixed.

Step 4: Activate Your Yeast

Stir together 2 tablespoons of your lukewarm milk and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Pour in your dry active yeast and let sit for approximately 10 minute until it starts to bubble and foam.

Step 5: Mix in the Wet

Mix in your activated yeast, followed by the remainder of the milk, followed by two well-beaten eggs and finally the melted butter.

If using a standing mixer, replace the mixer attachment with the dough hook.

Step 6: Beat the Dough

If you have a standing mixer this is really easy.

First make sure you have the dough hook attached and then turn the mixer on to low.

Simply add the remaining half cup of flour by small additions, while alternating with small additions of milk until the dough is smooth and pliable.

If you are not using a standing mixer, you will have to knead it by hand. Repeat the same process with the flour and the milk until the dough is smooth and pliable.

Step 7: Let Rise

Place the dough in a lightly oiled pan and let is site for around two hours until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 8: Wait

Here is your opportunity to wash the dishes you have used thus far, clean the counter and make the filling.

Proceed to the next step.

Step 9: Start the Filling

Start making the filling by bringing a cup of milk and 5 tbsp of flour to a boil in a sauce pan. Be sure to stir constantly so that it is nice and creamy.

Step 10: Continue Making Filling

Blend together 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of shortening (or more butter) and 1 cup of sugar.

Step 11: Finish the Filling

Add your mint flavoring to the filling and two to three drops of green food coloring.

The flour mixture should now be cool. Blend that in as well.

Using an electric mixer, blend it until it is very smooth and creamy.

This should take about 5 to 10 minutes.

Set aside (and refrigerate as you feel necessary).

Step 12: Roll Out the Dough

Once the dough has risen, lightly flour a clean work surface and your rolling pin.

Flatten the dough in the bowl and then roll it onto the floured surface.

Using your rolling pin, spread the dough out until it is around a 1/2" thick.

Step 13: Cut Out Donuts

With a cookie cutter, cut out 3" rounds from the flattened dough and place them onto a lightly floured cookie sheet.

Keep re-balling and rolling out the dough until you can't cut out any more donuts.

When you are done, place them somewhere warm for roughly 20 minutes and allow them to double in size.

Step 14: Prepare to Fry

While you are waiting for the donuts to rise, now is a good time to do some prep work since the next few steps all happen very quickly and in some cases simultaneously. It is important to make all of the following preparations first. I turned the kitchen into a disaster zone trying to do all of this at once, but I imagine it will be slightly easier if you also aren't trying to take pictures at the same time.

First things first, fill a large and tall pot with 2" - 3" of oil. Attach a candy thermometer to the pot and put it on a medium flame so that it can slowly start building up to 350 degrees. The goal is to keep the oil at 350 degrees. That is 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the oil at 350 degrees.

Next, you are going to want to spoon your filling into a pastry bag with a 1/2' metal tip. The metal tip is important for effectively stabbing into the cooked donut.

Sift your powdered sugar and crush your baking chocolate and otherwise have everything ready and lined up to make your chocolate topping.

Place a plate aside that is covered in a paper towel to soak up the excess oil from the donut.

Step 15: Fry!

Once the oil hits 350 degrees, carefully use your spoon to place them into the oil. Flip them often. Continue cooking until the look golden, donut-like and delicious.

Carefully transfer them to the plate lined with paper towel.

Whatever you do, don't let them cool too long before adding the filling! (see next step)

Step 16: Add Filling

Stab the side of a donut with your pastry bag and squeeze in filling until you start to feel resistance as though the pastry bag is being pushed back out of the donut. This is indication that your donut is almost ready to eat.

All there is left to do is make the chocolate topping!

Step 17: Chocolate Topping

In a frying pan combine 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup of milk, 1 tablesppon light corn syrup and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Heat the ingredients over a medium heat until they melt together.

Reduce the flame to low and add your crushed chocolate. Stir until it is smoothly mixed in and then add your sifted powdered sugar. Continue stirring until smooth. 

Turn off the flame and very quickly, before the chocolate has a chance to harden (which it will start to do right away) dip the tops of all of your donuts and set them aside to cool.

They should be ready to eat in about twenty minutes.