How to Make Your Own Doughnuts

Do you like donuts?  I sure do!  The following recipe is one my favorites.  It came from the book The Doughnut Cookbook. This recipe is for the chocolate doughnuts, but there are bunches of other recipes in the book.  To make the doughnuts, you will need:

• Nonstick baking spray
• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup whole milk (2% milk mixed with a little heavy cream works, too)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla or baker's extract

To make the doughnuts, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, or to 350 degrees on convection setting.  Spray the rounds of your doughnut pan with nonstick baking spray.

In a medium to large size bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder (still optional), baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a liquid measuring cup, stir the buttermilk and whole milk together.  Set the milk mixture aside.

In the empty bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on a medium speed for about two minutes.  Use a spatula to scrape down anything on the sides of the bowl.  Add the egg and vanilla/ baker's extract to the egg and sugar mixture.  Beat everything for one minute.

With the stand mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three dumps, adding the milk mixture after the first flour addition, and before the last.  After adding an ingredient, beat until just blended.

Pour about two tablespoons batter into each round of the doughnut pan that you prepared in the first step.  Put the pan(s) in the oven to bake, rotating them 180 degrees halfway through, for ten minutes.  If you stick a toothpick in them, and it comes out clean, they are done.  Allow them to cool for five minutes in the pan, then turn them out onto a cooling rack to completely cool off.

To make the glaze you will need:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla or baker's extract

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.  Dip the doughnut's top halves in, one at a time, until every doughnut is glazed.  Another method is to use a spoon and drizzle glaze over the doughnuts while they are on a cooling rack.  Once the doughnuts are glazed, you can put sprinkles on them, if you want.  They are just as tasty without!  Eat the doughnuts once the glaze is dry, or if you don't eat them all, they will stay fresh for about a week in an airtight container at room temperature.  Have fun making and eating these doughnuts!

What is your favorite flavor of doughnut?  I'd love to know!

Baby Girl