20-Minute Donut Holes from Scratch

Donut balls. That's what Boyfriend calls them. Doughnut balls? (Also, can we all please agree on a spelling for donut?) I think it's ridiculous, Boyfriend says its more accurate. This is pretty much us to a T.

Whatever they are, they're delicious. And learning not to be afraid of deep frying was perhaps one of my greatest/worst discoveries. Not quite the 15 minutes that the title claims, but I would say 20 minutes – and that’s good enough for me. Technically they're cheater donuts because they're made from biscuit dough, but that kind of cheat is A-OK by me.

I split these in half and rolled one group in cinnamon sugar and the other in powdered sugar after removing them from the oil. To my surprise, even though it was easier to coat them in cinnamon sugar, it was so much better with powdered sugar on top. When a warm doughnut is rolled in powdered sugar, it turns into an ooey, gooey, marvelous glaze - no assembly necessary.

After a good sampling with the home audience, I gave some to Boyfriend with a ridiculously cheesy handmade note (Doughnut know what I'd do without you). Who enjoyed them to say the least.

This recipe is lightly adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. melted butter
2 c. vegetable oil, for frying

+ sugar, powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar for rolling/shaking in

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients. Add in milk, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter and stir until combined.
2. Heat oil for a few minutes in a deep saucepan (be sure it's at least 1-1/2 to 2 inches deep) over medium heat until above 200 F (if you have a candy thermometer)
3. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and fry in oil until golden brown, then rotate and brown the other side.
4. Remove and dry briefly on a paper towel. Roll donut holes in topping or place in a bag with topping and shake.

There's nothing like a homemade doughnut quick at your finger tips.

A clean up tip:

• Let oil cool while you enjoy the donuts. Unlike bacon grease, vegetable or canola oil won't solidify at room temperature. Poor leftover oil into an empty soda can or water bottle and place (carefully) in the trash can.

Baked Cinnamon Sugar & Chocolate Glazed Cake Donuts

Because I’ve got donuts on my mind and in my heart. Indeed, the way to win my affections is most definitely through a donut. I really really like the maple glazed ones at Dunkin. And in the fall, nothing beats the pumpkin one. And really who can turn down the cake or glazed ones on any given day. And don’t even get me started on Munchkins. I could eat the whole box myself.

And then I bought a donut pan. And my world was forever changed. Homemade donuts (with no chemicals and which definitely haven’t been frozen) were within a timely reach.

For my first batch, I made a vanilla cake donut and glazed half with chocolate and dunked the other half in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar donuts were by far the favorite, though I thought the chocolate glazed ones got better after a day or two.

To answer my dad’s question, “can you even bake a donut?” The answer is yes, yes indeed you can.

Recipe adapted from Baker Bettie

Ingredients:

for the donuts
5 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
11/2 cups all-purpose flour

for the cinnamon sugar topping
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cinnamon

for the chocolate glaze

1/3 cup chopped semisweet chocolate

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar. Add in egg, followed by milk and vanilla.
2. Mix in the dry ingredients. Pour batter into a ziploc bag and pipe into greased donut pan.
3. Let donuts cool on a wire rack. 
4. For cinnamon sugar donuts, dip in butter then in cinnamon sugar
5. For chocolate glazed donuts, microwave chocolate, butter and corn syrup on 50% power for 1 minute. Stop half way through to mix. Add hot water and mix until smooth. Dip tops of donuts into chocolate glaze.