Homemade Donuts

January 25, 2014February 14, 2014 by nance In Food, Pictures 3 Comments

Some people just never learn. I decided to bake yesterday morning with the boys. I know. But this time around wasn’t quite as bad as the last. And we actually had something to show for it when all was said and done. Donuts!

Inspired by our friends, Jack & La Verne, every January we skip eating out and only buy groceries and other basic necessities. It’s a way to detox from December and all the buying, buying, buying. It’s a good practice and we learn something new from it each year – about our spending habits and consumerism. But I’ve got to say…it’s hard by the final week of the month. There is no getting take-out when it’s been a long day or I’m just feeling lazy. No taking the boys out for a treat on Fridays. No meeting up with friends for coffee or dinner or drinks.

Gryffin understands what we are doing this year and he’s been missing one thing in particular. DONUTS. But since I got a donut pan last Fall, we can do something about it! My friend, Rachel, posted a link to a recipe for cinnamon sugar donuts a while back and I’ve had it pulled up on my phone ever since. So the boys and I hatched our plans early in the week and we pined away for donuts all week.

Look at us, so calm and casual. Just baking, like we do ALL the time.

This shot cracks me up. As I was trying to get a close up shot of the donuts fresh out of the oven, Isaiah kept putting his head down so he could be in the picture. That’s his head, sideways, in the top right of the frame.

This guy did not leave my side all morning. Not once.

We took the donuts over to share with some friends. They were definitely a hit.

If you’ve got a donut pan, you should give these a try this weekend. If not, you can buy one on Amazon. My only complaint is that I couldn’t get the outsides crispy like my favorite donut shop here in West Seattle. This is the third recipe I’ve tried and I’ve never even come close. I guess I’ll just have to keep making donuts until I get it right.

Here’s the recipe, adapted slightly from shutterbean, who got it from barefoot contessa, who got it from who knows where?

Makes 6

1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Preheat the oven to 350

Combine the dry ingredients.
Whisk together the wet ingredients.
Make a well in the flour mixture, pour in the wet ingredients & stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into greased donut wells. Bake for 13-17 minutes.

Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack.
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We doubled the recipe to make 12 donuts. We made 6 with cinnamon sugar and 6 with a chocolate glaze.

For the cinnamon sugar:
Combine 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl
Melt a couple tablespoons of butter and brush it onto donuts
Dip in the cinnamon sugar

For the chocolate glaze:
Whisk together in a wide shallow bowl:
3/4 c powdered sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 Tbsp milk
Dip in the tops of your donuts and enjoy.
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Hope you enjoy these as much as we did. If you try them, let me know what you think. Or if you’ve got an idea for how to make the edges more crispy, do tell.