Copycat Dunkin' Chocolate Munchkins

Every Dunkin’ fan knows that a chocolate munchkin is the ideal coffee companion—but you don’t need to run to a Dunkin’ to enjoy them. Glazed and crispy on the outside, tender and chocolatey in the middle, these munchkin copycats taste so good they might just beat the OGs. Here are some tips on how to make them.

Nailing the copycat flavor:
Chocolate-glazed munchkins are simply fried cake donuts that are tossed in a confectioners’ sugar glaze. But if you taste one and really think about it several times—and I did—you’ll find that, while the munchkins are very dark in color, their chocolate flavor is actually pretty light. To mimic this, I chose a dark Dutch-process cocoa powder to flavor these copycats. Dutch-processed cocoa has a mild chocolate flavor, almost reminiscent of an Oreo cookie, and a very dark color, which makes it perfect here. I also threw in a little melted chocolate to boost the flavor just a tad and keep the munchkins from being dry in the center—because no one wants a dry donut hole.

Frying the munchkins:
Frying is the key to achieving the crisp crust and fun craggly texture of a typical munchkin. Since the balls of donut dough are already almost black when they hit the oil, it can be challenging to know when they’re cooked through. Undercook them, and they’ll still be doughy in the middle; overcook, and they’ll be super-dry. To avoid this, I recommend frying off a single munchkin by itself, timing it carefully, and then cutting it open to make sure it’s cooked the way you want it. Once you’ve double-checked that time, you can fry the others based solely on the time that you’ve established. As long as you keep a close eye on the oil temperature—use a deep-fry thermometer so you can constantly monitor—they should all come out the same.

The glaze:
The perfect glaze here is a medium pouring consistency: thin enough to drizzle off a spoon, but not so thin that it doesn’t coat the munchkins. In testing, 227 g. confectioners’ sugar and 4 Tbsp. milk gave me the perfect consistency every time, but if you try to glaze a munchkin and the consistency seems off, feel free to add more milk or confectioners’ sugar as needed.

Make ahead and storage:
These munchkins are best fresh, but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The glaze might absorb slightly into the donut holes as they sit, but they’ll still taste delicious.

Did you try making these? Let us know how it went in the comments!