Semi Homemade Brownie Donuts

I'm feeling both accomplished and self congratulatory when I tell you that I've recently had a genius thought. I've developed my own semi-homemade lazy person's guide to making brownie donuts.

Let me set the scene for ya. 

Last Thursday (my late night at work), I ran to the market for a few last minute ingredients for dinner (baked sweet potato flautas-yum) and happened to grab a box of extra fudge brownie mix. As if the thought of Thursday night "no-reason" brownies isn't enough to make you happy, I thought that I should bake them in a donut pan that I already own. 

In the past, I've made from scratch vanilla bean donuts-my takeaway was though delicious, they were time consuming and vanilla beans are expensive ($20 for 3 measly beans). So I haven't busted my donut pan out in well over a year and a half. I was reacquainted with my pan while packing it up for our move a few weeks ago and was struck with the thought that I should make another batch of donuts in the near future. 

So, I've had donuts in the back of my mind, and a sweet tooth for just about 27 years and on Thursday, the stars aligned and I baked up some brownies shaped like donuts!

PS. Here is the donut pan that I have and love for under $10! 

Keep reading for the method that brought about these wonderful little creations! 

1. I mixed up my brownie batter following the instructions on the back of the box, opting for the "Fudgy Brownie" recipe.
2. I lightly sprayed my donut pan with cooking spray to ensure no removal issues when I was ready to eat these babies. 
3. I used the brownie box to hold a gallon sized Ziploc bag and poured my batter into the bag, thus creating a disposable pastry bag. 
4. I snipped off one corner of the bag and carefully piped batter into each donut well. 
5. I then used a small spoon to smooth the batter into the well, ensuring it stayed about even with the walls of the pan. 
6. The box suggested 35-38 mins at 325 for a small brownie pan so I baked mine for about 20 mins at 325 in my toaster oven (temps/time will vary based on your oven/toaster oven). I always err on the shorter baking side and then leave my goods in longer if needed. 
7. I tested the brownies with a toothpick and when it came out clean, I knew they were ready to cool and eat! 
8. Lastly, if you buy the Duncan Hines Double Fudge brownie mix, they provide a nice little packet of God knows what fudge drizzle that you can use to ice your donuts.