donut recipe

Despite my efforts to eat healthier I still gave in to that voice in my head that suggested I make donuts... I fought the urge for days until I finally gave in. I rummaged through all the different recipes online until I came across this one for old fashioned cake donuts. I halved the recipe to make a tasty dessert/breakfast for Nathan and myself. And yes... some are topped with bacon. (I believe bacon is standard on everything these days, no?)

Add butter, egg, milk, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar into your mixing bowl and stir until combined. Then add the flour. Once everything is nicely mixed together cover the dough and place in the fridge for a few hours.

Once your dough is chilled prep your kitchen for frying. Melt some shortening in a skillet (making sure the oil is about an inch deep) and keep it at medium high heat. Lay out some paper towels or brown paper bags for draining and set up some wire racks for icing. Preparation is key because you have to work quickly when frying.

Make sure the oil is hot enough by dropping in a bit of dough. If it sinks to the bottom the oil is too cold and you'll end up with soggy oily donuts. If it bubbles wildly and turns dark brown very quickly it's too hot. You don't want the oil too hot because the outside of your donut will be burnt to a crisp while the center is uncooked. Yuck. It can be a bit tricky so its better to waste some dough by testing then to end up with a whole bunch of improperly cooked donuts.

All right, so your oil is ready. Make tablespoon sized lumps of dough then carefully drop them into the hot oil. Don't crowd the pan. If you try to cook too many at once you can lower the temperature of the oil and the donuts will stick to each other. Flip them around often.

When your first batch is done let them cool and then test one. TEST ONE. Seriously. I thought my first batch was perfectly cooked when it was still raw dough in the middle. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the temp/time right. Once you think you've got it down fry the rest of your dough.

Yay! Icing time! Here is where you can get really creative. I chose a cinnamon sugar coating, a plain glaze, and a maple syrup glaze with bacon bits. Glaze is super easy to make. Just mix some milk (whole milk, skim milk... whatever) with powdered sugar until you get the right consistency and thats it! You can add flavors and colors too. Let the donuts sit until the glaze has set and you're done!

These will last a few days sealed in an airtight container. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and try not to feel too guilty.