These rich, ink-black doughnuts are made with the elusive black cocoa powder. Never heard of it? It’s the same type of cocoa used in Oreo cookies and dyes the brioche dough into a gorgeous matte black.

For me, doughnuts were always a dessert I delegated to bakeries and never attempted to make at home. But I love doughnuts - and many kinds of them. I love the stale chocolate glazed donuts at Dunkin, the sweet and flakey glaze of Krispy Kreme’s classic, and the fresh, grocery store bakery kind.

But after making my own brioche doughnuts at home, and learning not only how easy it was but how out-of-this-world good they are, I’ll never look at store-bought donuts the same way. The Black Cocoa Brioche Doughnuts will have the same effect on you.

For one, they look amazing because they’re different. They’re a matte jet black, with cane sugar crystals texturing the dough, and a rich chocolate custard oozing out. These pillowed fried beauties require some patience, but the minute you bite into the aerated brioche and deeply chocolatey custard, you’ll thank yourself for pulling through.

NOTES

• This recipe will yield about 15-17 doughnuts using a 2-inch circular doughnut cutter. I use the smallest size out of this Magnolia set. Since the proofed and cut dough will be 2 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch in height, be sure to maintain your oil temperature at 350-360 F and only cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute. The doughnuts are black, so it is best to stick to the recommended time since you won’t have the “golden brown” look to rely on.

• To make these doughnuts efficiently, I suggest making the chocolate custard filling while waiting for the brioche to rise. Also, heat your oil using a deep-fry thermometer during the second round of dough-proofing so you can fry them off readily and avoid over-proofing.

Black cocoa bRIOCHE DOUGHNUTS

For the dough:

• 100 ml whole milk

• 7 g instant dried yeast

• 258 g all-purpose flour

• 30 g granulated sugar

• 25g charcoal or black cocoa

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 60 g egg (about 1 1/2 eggs), at room temperature

• 50 g unsalted butter, soft at room temperature

• 1 L vegetable oil, for frying

• Cane sugar, for coating

Warm milk in a small saucepan over low heat until it reaches 120-130 F (lukewarm to the touch). Stir in the yeast until it is dissolved, then set aside to proof for 5 minutes.

While the yeast proofs, combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt) in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Pour the milk-yeast mixture in the bowl and mix on medium-low (I use 4 on my KitchenAid) until roughly combined. Then, add in the eggs, and mix for an additional 1-2 minutes until well combined. Set the mixer to medium (I use 6 on my KitchenAid) and let the dough knead for 5 minutes, until a rounded, smooth ball has formed around the base of the hook.

At this point, you want to start adding in the softened butter, 1 tbsp. at a time. Once all the butter has been incorporated, set the mixer speed to medium-high and lock in the head (I use 8 on my KitchenAid). Knead for another 5 minutes, until a dough ball is velvety and fully formed around the base. The stand mixer may start rocking as the dough is kneading.

Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough ball in it. There is no need to further handle the dough after it has kneaded in the stand mixer. Let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about an hour to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Once risen, punch it back down to deflate it. At this point, you can proceed to make the doughnuts, or place the dough in the refrigerator overnight to use later.

When you’re ready to fry the doughnuts, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to get it to a 1/2 inch thickness. Make sure the flattened dough is even from the top. Then, use the circular cutter to cut out doughnuts and place them on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. Cover the cut out dough circle with a light kitchen towel and place in a warm place to further proof for 20 minutes. Do not exceed this time or you will have over-proofed doughnuts.

While the dough circles are going through their last round of proofing, begin to heat the oil in a medium, heavy-set pot over medium heat. Use a deep fry thermometer to make sure the oil stays consistently between 350 and 360 F. Once the doughnuts have proofed, work in batches to fry them 1 minute per side (or until golden brown), and then transfer them to a wire rack to drip off excess oil. Then, roll them in sugar (while they’re still warm so the cane crystals stick), and fill with the chocolate custard.

Chocolate Custard Filling

• 250ml whole milk

• 1 large egg

• 2 large egg yolks

• 100 g light brown sugar

• 15 g cocoa powder

• 15 g corn starch

• 40 g dark chocolate chips

Place the milk into a saucepan and let it come to a light rolling boil. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together the eggs, yolks, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, and corn starch until smooth, glossy, and increased in size.

Pour the hot milk into the stand mixer and whisk on high, for 6-8 minutes, to allow the egg mixture to acclimatize to the heat. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan, over medium-low heat, and whisk constantly until the custard has thickened and leaves a “ribbon trail.”

Remove the mixture from heat and add in the dark chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and combined.

Allow the custard to slightly cool, then cover the surface with a plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. When ready to fill the doughnuts, place the custard into a piping bag with the star tip and make an opening in the donut. Pipe as much custard as you can, making sure that some is oozing out.