If you’re like most people, there’s a good chance your favorite Dunkin’ flavor is Choco Butternut. But do you know what butternut actually is? No one’s sure, but we have a good guess: it’s coconut.
Munchkins not only give you more butternut topping in every bite—they’re also easier to make at home than ring donuts. A cake pop mold is crucial to this Choco Butternut hack—it helps shape your batter into neat, round chocolate donuts. Melted butter, desiccated coconut, and a bit of orange food color gets you the iconic butternut coating.
What is a “Butternut”?
Dunkin doesn’t provide an exact explanation of what a butternut is. The orange crumb tastes sugary with hints of toasted coconut, reminiscent of macaroons.
For this butternut hack, we made a crumb out of melted butter, desiccated coconut, and powdered sugar to mimic Dunkin’s. A bit of orange food coloring—both liquid and gel will work here—gives your butternut that signature bright orange pop.
How do you get the munchkin shape?
A cake pop mold achieve the round, donut hole / munchkin shape. You can find one online or in baking supply stores.
Don’t have a cake pop mold? Make cake truffles instead!
Choco Butternut Cake Truffles
Bake your cake in a 9x13-inch sheet pan at 350°F (180°C) for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set cake aside until it’s cool enough to handle. Using your hands, break up the cake into crumbs until it resembles soil.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk. Mix well until a dough forms; not too dry that it can’t stick together but not too wet that you can’t shape with it. Scoop out a tablespoon of cake dough, roll into balls, and coat in butternut.
You can even make donuts from leftover chocolate cake using this method!
Ingredients
Chocolate Munchkin Donuts
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 6 tbsp heavy cream
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 2–3 tbsp milk
- 1 drop blue food coloring, optional, see Notes
Butternut Coating
- 2 cups fine desiccated coconut
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 2 drops bright orange food coloring
Make Chocolate Munchkin Donuts
Prepare for baking: Preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C.
Make chocolate batter: Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until mixture is well-incorporated then set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together heavy cream, milk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract until there are no visible streaks of egg yolk or white. Add the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix just until well-combined and dry streaks of flour are no longer visible.
Bake donuts: Spoon or pipe the batter into a cake pop mold, filling each half-sphere to the top. Once filled, cover and close the mold. Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, carefully remove donuts from the mold and transfer to a wire rack or plate to cool completely.
Make Chocolate Glaze and Butternut Topping
Make chocolate glaze: Mix powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl until well-combined. Add milk and food coloring (if using). Stir until glaze reaches a thick, syrupy consistency.
Prepare butternut coating: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a spoon, stir and press the food coloring in the mixture to spread the color; it will look pale at first but continuous mixing will get you that butternut-orange hue.
Spread mixture onto a baking sheet or tray. Let sit at room temperature until dry and no longer moist, about 20 minutes.
Assemble Butternut Munchkins
Assemble donuts: Working one piece at a time, dip munchkin into the glaze. Toss to fully coat each piece. Using a fork, remove donut and allow excess glaze to drip off. Transfer to the butternut crumbs. Roll each piece until fully coated. Repeat with the rest of your donuts and serve immediately.
Notes
Cocoa powder isn't just one shade—it comes in different colors. Natural cocoa is light reddish-brown, Dutch-process cocoa is deeper brown, and black cocoa looks like an Oreo's dark exterior.
Pro tip if you're using light cocoa: Add a touch of blue food coloring to mimic that dark chocolate munchkin color.
Skip the food coloring if you're using Dutch-process or black cocoa powder—or if brown cocoa-colored munchkins don't bother you!
