Well, I guess I could buy them the day before, but I always manage to convince myself that I don't need them when I'm at the store. Somehow my self control seems to disappear on Saturdays and my desire for donuts blooms into full blown necessity - especially on lazy Saturdays, which don't happen too often around here. It seems like there's always a million chores and errands begging for attention on the typical Saturday, so donut making is a luxury I rarely indulge. This Saturday, however, blossomed chore-free and full of promise, mainly because I had Good Friday off and got all those pesky chores done already.
Thanks to Pinterest, I have plenty of tasty donut recipes to choose from, and so far every one I've tried has turned out great. I haven't tried making any yeast donuts yet, mainly because I don't want to wait for them to rise, but there are lots of good quick donut recipes out there. Because this is one of those rare lazy Saturdays and my belly is full and happy, I'm giving you a bonus and posting three tried and true donut recipes that whip up in no time and taste divine. Plus, they all make donut hole sized goodies, which I never feel quite as guilty about popping into my mouth.
Apple Fritters
1 heaping cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
dash salt
1 – 2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs butter, melted
1 egg
1/3 cup milk + plus more if needed
1 – 1 1/2 cups chopped apple
oil for frying
milk and powdered sugar glaze for dipping (About 1 cup pwd. sugar + 1 Tbs milk or more)
Mix all dry ingredients together; slowly add the wet ingredients minus the apple. Carefully mix until well combined but not overly beat, gently fold in apple pieces. The batter should be the consistency of a light cake mix.
Once the oil is ready (when a test drop of dough floats to the top of the oil, a drop of water sizzles, or a piece of white bread browns in 60 seconds) then using a cookie scooper or soup spoon, place a 4-5 balls of dough into the oil. Be careful not to overcrowd and watch carefully for the underside to turn golden brown, then gently flip over and continue frying until done. I cooked mine about 35 seconds per side, but they were the size of golf balls – adjust cooking times based on size of fritters and temperature of your oil, ideally around 365° F. It is always a good idea to test one to ensure it comes out like you are expecting. Let cool on paper towels then glaze.
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp
allspice1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
For Coating:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350F and spray mini muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine flour, baking powder ,salt, and spices in a bowl
and whisk until combined.
In another bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla,
pumpkin, and milk. Pour in flour mixture
and mix until just combined. Fill mini
muffin tins until almost full and bake 10-12 minutes.
Melt butter in small bowl. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a separate small
bowl. After poppers cool for a few
minutes, LIGHTLY coat them in butter and roll
them in the sugar mixture.
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking
powder
1/4 tsp salt1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs melted butter
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Granulated sugar, cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar, for coating
Preheat oil to 360 over medium heat in a 10 inch non-stick fry-pan or deep fryer.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together milk, buttermilk, sugar and melted
butter.
Using a fork, stir in dry ingredients and mix just until combined (think
of making biscuit dough, you just want to incorporate the ingredients).
Measure out tablespoonfuls of dough, and, using OILED hands(trust me on this), gently roll into a ball (gently rolling to keep them fluffy, think of rolling something really fragile. Again this is like a biscuit dough you don't want to overwork it). Gently place dough ball into oil and fry until golden brown on bottom then flip and cook reverse side until golden brown. Carefully remove and drain onto a paper towel lined plate. Roll in sugar.
