Bat Doughnuts

Growing up I was FASCINATED by bats. While other kids thought they were gross, I wanted one for a pet something serious. Let’s be honest, they NAILED my kid criteria for awesome pets:

+1 for furry cuteness
-100 for hamster-related furry cuteness (let’s just say I had a couple of hamsters that clawed each others’ eyes out and ate their young… which I discovered the next morning while trying to feed them… apparently they weren’t both boys…)

+1 for flying abilities
-100 for birds (one time, I had a parakeet… and his beak fell off… I shit you not)

+1 if adorably misunderstood
+1,000 if vaguely associated with Halloween

What can I say, I’ve always had a soft spot for the underdog and all things Halloween… whether actually Halloween or not.

Clearly, by these very scientific criteria, bats were a shoe-in for childhood me.

And also adult me.

So imagine my excitement when my Pappo called me out to our mudroom one fall night. There, in his gloved hands… could it be? Oh yes, it’s what you think it’s going to be: a tiny bat, his furry little body no bigger than a date. Apparently he had appeared at the door and had his little wing shut in it before anyone even realized he was there.

This was it, I thought to myself. This was the moment I’d been waiting my whole childhood for. I would keep him and I would call him squishy. And he would be mine and he would be my squishy. I would leash train him and together we would terrorize the neighborhood… I would teach him to fly to me on command… I would build a roost for him over my bed because, obviously… All our amazing hi-jinx and adventures flashed before my tiny, child eyes.

Right up until my Pappo told me we would be calling the wildlife folks if he didn’t heal enough to be released in a day or two.

What, you’re not letting your daughter keep a wild bat that has the potential to carry rabies? Geez, thanks parents. First you tell me I can’t legally change my name to Crystal Sparkle Rainbow, now you’re telling me I can’t keep a sky puppy? Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez.

So if you’ve ever wanted a sky puppy, night kitty, flying devil rat or whatever you like to call bats, this one’s for you! Adorable Halloween bat goodness all rolled up into a rich, chocolaty doughnut. DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT?!

And just because I love your faces, I’ve created chocolate wing templates are in mini doughnut template and regular doughnut template sizes.

Bat Doughnuts

These Halloween bat doughnuts are every bit as easy as they are sweet. Perfect for a party or All Hallow’s Eve breakfast.

• Author: Claire of The Simple, Sweet Life
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 1-2 dozen doughnuts
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the chocolate doughnuts:

• 2 tbsp. (30 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp. baking cocoa
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup all purpose flour

For decorating:

• 10 oz black candy melts
• 2 oz bright white candy melts
• 3 oz black sanding sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350*F (175*C) and grease your doughnut pans (This recipe makes approximately 12 mini and 8 large doughnuts). In a bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, baking cocoa, and flour). In a large bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients (melted butter, egg, and milk) until just combined. Add the dry ingredients and continue whisking until the batter is completely lump free.
2. Spoon or pipe your batter into your greased doughnut pans and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the doughnuts comes out clean. Once the pan is cool enough to handle (about 5 minutes after coming out of the oven), turn the doughnuts out onto a wire cooling rack to continue cooling.
3. Melt your black candy melts and spoon them into a piping bag. Cover your wing templates with parchment paper and pipe out enough wings for each doughnut to have two. Immediately sprinkle with black sanding sugar.
4. Pour the remaining melted candy melts into a small bowl. Reheat using 5-10 second increments in the microwave if your candy melts are starting to harden. Dip your cooled doughnuts into the candy melts and sprinkle with black sanding sugar. Set aside to harden.
5. Once your doughnuts and winders have hardened, cut two slits into the sides of your doughnuts, just big enough for the wings. Reheat your leftover black candy melts until smooth. Dip the end of each wing into the melted candy melts and push the wings into the slits you’ve created.
6. Melt your white candy melts. Pour the candy melts into a piping bag and pipe your eyes and fangs. Pour your leftover black candy melts into a piping bag and pipe on top of the white eyes to create pupils. Add another dot of white candy melt on top of the black.
7. Let harden completely before packaging.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 doughnut
• Calories: 206
• Sugar: 24.3g
• Sodium: 63mg
• Fat: 8.6g
• Saturated Fat: 7.1g
• Carbohydrates: 31.1g
• Fiber: .7g
• Protein: 1.8g
• Cholesterol: 15mg