Cookie Dough Stuffed Donut Holes

Say hello to your new favorite breakfast companion: cookie dough stuffed donut holes!  No-yeast-required, crammed full of cookie dough, and rolled in sea-salted chocolate sugar… you’re probably going to want to make a second batch.

I might have gone a little bit overboard here.

Honestly, I didn’t think so when I made these perfect golden balls of bliss.  I was certain that I had struck a balance of combined genius and deliciousness, cultivating the perfect sugary excuse for breakfast (whoever decided that donuts ought to be considered a breakfast food is my personal hero).

But when I told my sister about these life-changing donuts (no-yeast donuts, at that!) that I’d made, she looked at me like I’d just told her I’d harnessed lightning from our most recent storm and had a real-life Frankenstein bumping around in my basement.  She didn’t say the words, but I’m pretty sure the thought abomination was bouncing around in her head (Of course, it should be noted that her diet also consists almost entirely of chicken breast and Boca Burgers, and her idea of indulgence is a square inch of a brownie once every full moon).

But I have a feeling that, since you’re here reading this, you probably think a bit more like me than my sister, and you appreciate the true genius of these decadent donut holes.

There’s absolutely no yeast required, so there’s no painful waiting for the dough to rise, or having to make it a day in advance.

I used my easy,  No Yeast Fried Donut Holes Recipe (which I’d mentioned I had plans for in the future… and just wait because there’s even more to come).  The dough comes together in minutes (with just a little bit of muscle required for cutting in the cold butter… or am I the only one who feels like they just got in a good arm workout after that?

Considering the sheer number of cookie dough recipes that I have here, it was only a matter of time before I started deep frying it, and this might be my best cookie dough creation yet.  The warm, chocolate-chipped cookie dough nearly melts in your mouth with each bite.  

But, as much as I love cookie dough, my favorite part of this recipe might actually be the sugar (the sea-salted chocolate sugar) that these donut holes are rolled in.  Cocoa powder is whisked into sugar, and then a dash of finely ground sea-salt is added for an intense, slightly-salted flavor that takes these donut holes to the next level.

Enjoy, and I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend.

Zach and I have had a full weekend so far; we just got back from a short visit to Cleveland where we ate our weight in tacos, purchased (and then proceeded to eat) our weight in candy from a colossal candy warehouse, tried to dip our toes in Lake Erie, and watched the Orioles beat the Indians.  Now we’re off to go strawberry picking, so expect something strawberry to be popping up on the blog soon! 

5 from 2 votes

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Cookie Dough Stuffed Donut Holes

Servings 26

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

• 1 stick butter softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

For No-Yeast Donut Holes

• 1 batch Fried Donut Holes Dough

Sea Salted Chocolate Sugar

• Whisk together
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt finely ground

Instructions

Cookie Dough

1. In mixer, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla extract.
2. Sprinkle in salt and mix.
3. Stir in flour, gradually.
4. Add milk and stir until well combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Roll cookie dough into 1 1/2 tsp-sized balls and place on wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Place in the freezer while you prepare your donut dough.

Donut holes

1. Follow directions in Fried Donut Holes Recipe to step 4 (forming dough into cohesive ball).
2. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about 1/8" thickness.
3. Use a biscuit cutter to cut dough into 2 1/2" circles.
4. Remove your cookie dough from the freezer and wrap dough around donut holes, tightly sealing inside.
5. Fill a medium-sized saucepan 2-inches deep with your oil over medium-high heat. Use a candy thermometer (make sure it isn't touching the bottom of the pot) to monitor your temperature.
6. Heat oil to 350F (you will have to monitor the heat pretty regularly and may need to increase/decrease your stove temperature to keep it consistent).
7. While your oil is heating, prepare your chocolate sugar mix by stirring together sugar, cocoa, and sea salt in a small dish. Set aside.
8. Prepare two plates for your cooked donut holes by lining them generously with paper towels.
9. Gently lower donut holes into oil using a slotted spoon, about 3-4 at a time, and fry for 2-3 minutes (see note)
10. Transfer to paper-towel lined plate, allow to cool for about 1 minute, and then roll in sugar mixture.
11. Allow to cool for at least 5-10 minutes (be careful, the cookie dough will be hot!) before enjoying.

Recipe Notes

*For best results, fry only one donut hole the first time you try this, and gauge how thoroughly it is cooked. After 2 minutes has passed, cut into it to check whether the donut dough is underdone, just right, or overdone, (the cookie dough shouldn't be cooked, it should be gooey) and then fry the rest of your donut holes accordingly.
While these should take about 2 minutes under optimal conditions with a consistent oil temperature of 350F, it's still important to check so that you don't end up with 1½ dozen donuts that are still gooey in the middle!

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Fried Donut Holes No Yeast

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