Soundtrack: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Audio Book
Yep. We've gone and done it.
Here is the homemade equivalent of food-nirvana. Make these and I defy you to not to eat a dozen in one sitting.
This recipe comes to us courtesy of Jake's mom. She makes them every year at Christmastime and they don't usually last too long.
Yep. They are that good.
This next ingredient is important that you don't substitute. You'll need 2 tablespoons of shortening. Yep, good old-fashioned Crisco. No replacements.
Go on, buy yourself a tub if you don't already have one. It won't go bad until after the apocalypse. I think the only things that keep longer are canned beans and twinkies.
Finally some color! After adding 1 teaspoon of salt, throw in 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.
If you are a rebel like me, you'll add another dash or two of cinnamon. I'm not usually a huge fan of cinnamon, but these suckers are better with more!
2 eggs.
1 tablespoon milk.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
2 cups flour.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda. (again, if you put a touch more than that, it will make these things fluffy as a cloud.)
And for top billing: Apple Sauce.
I can't reiterate how weird it is that I'm obsessed with these doughnuts. I don't like cinnamon and I REALLY don't like apple sauce. Reason for the apple sauce is that when I was a kid and refused to take the chewable children's Tylenol I needed for things like fevers, my mom would grind it up and put it in apple sauce. Decades later, I can't eat apple sauce by itself without shuddering.
Blech.
But it makes for some killer doughnuts, so add 1/2 cup of it to your other ingredients and fire up the mixer.
When it's all mixed up, it should have a consistency thicker than cake batter and thinner than cookie dough. It should be pretty heavy and very sticky.
Now you need some vegetable oil. You'll need to be fairly liberal with it. Sometimes I even do these doughnuts in my wok because it's so big. Be sure that you use a pan that responds well to heat. I would recommend against cast iron here.
Make sure you have enough oil to allow the doughnuts to float. What is shown here is the MINIMUM amount you should use. (It was all I had left.)
I usually turn my oil on about 10 minutes before I'm going to start frying anything. I turn it on medium heat.
Take anywhere from 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the dough and drop it in the hot oil. This is your little tester guy. (You can sing "Little Surfer Girl" to him with the alternate lyrics of "Little Tester Guy" if you want him to reach his full flavor-potential.)
Don't do anymore than 1 teaspoon because they really puff up when they start cooking. You'll end up with a doughnut the size of your fist, and that just takes forever to cook.
When the oil is bubbling around Little Tester Guy, feel free to give him some friends. See how cute and golden he is compared to his friends? He's been in there for about 3-4 minutes.
As you cook your doughnuts, your oil gets steadily hotter. If the oil bubbles too much when you drop the dough in, or if they start browning too fast, feel free to turn it down. It should always be pleasantly bubbly as you drop the doughnuts in.
See the tongs to the left of the pan? I cannot recommend making these without some form of tongs. The hot oil is just a little too dangerous.
These can get pretty dark before they're completely done on the inside. Don't be afraid to let them get brown.
When they are finished, put them on a plate with a paper towel lining so they can cool.
Sorry for the blurriness of this picture. Holding one doughnut while taste-testing another and taking a picture all at the same time gives you prize-winning art like this:
You can do a number of things to enhance the already awesome taste that you've just created.
You can do a powdered sugar frosting. (Butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and a touch of milk)
Or just powdered sugar by itself.
But my personal favorite is cinnamon and sugar.
Take about a cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (and a pinch of nutmeg if you're feeling crazy) and combine them in a bowl. Then roll your doughnuts around in the mixture. I like to do this while they're still a little bit warm, so the sugar really sticks to the doughnut.
Delicious. That's all that can be said.
These are best when warm. Right out of the pan is great, but even after they've been hanging out in the fridge for a day or two (if they last that long) I would recommend popping them in the microwave for a little while.
Make these for your family, your friends, and even your enemies. You will be loved.
Deeply.
Here's the recipe:
Apple Sauce Doughnuts
1/3 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup apple sauce
Several cups of vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
nutmeg if desired
Combine all the ingredients into an electric mixer. Mix for 5-7 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat. Drop a test doughnut in. The oil is ready when it bubbles around the dough. Use tongs to flip your doughnuts and remove them from oil. Put them on a paper towel on a plate to cool and drain.
Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together and roll the doughnuts in the sugar mixture.
Enjoy!
~Jake and Renee
Yep. We've gone and done it.
Here is the homemade equivalent of food-nirvana. Make these and I defy you to not to eat a dozen in one sitting.
This recipe comes to us courtesy of Jake's mom. She makes them every year at Christmastime and they don't usually last too long.
Yep. They are that good.
This is my mixer. It was one of the best wedding presents we received. I would highly HIGHLY recommend using a mixer for this recipe if you have one. It helps the doughnuts achieve a fluffy texture with which hand-mixing can't compete.
Put 1/3 cup sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder in the bowl. I like my doughnuts really fluffy so I usually make sure that I have just a touch over 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder. Just barely.
This next ingredient is important that you don't substitute. You'll need 2 tablespoons of shortening. Yep, good old-fashioned Crisco. No replacements.
Go on, buy yourself a tub if you don't already have one. It won't go bad until after the apocalypse. I think the only things that keep longer are canned beans and twinkies.
Finally some color! After adding 1 teaspoon of salt, throw in 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.
If you are a rebel like me, you'll add another dash or two of cinnamon. I'm not usually a huge fan of cinnamon, but these suckers are better with more!
2 eggs.
1 tablespoon milk.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
2 cups flour.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda. (again, if you put a touch more than that, it will make these things fluffy as a cloud.)
And for top billing: Apple Sauce.
I can't reiterate how weird it is that I'm obsessed with these doughnuts. I don't like cinnamon and I REALLY don't like apple sauce. Reason for the apple sauce is that when I was a kid and refused to take the chewable children's Tylenol I needed for things like fevers, my mom would grind it up and put it in apple sauce. Decades later, I can't eat apple sauce by itself without shuddering.
Blech.
But it makes for some killer doughnuts, so add 1/2 cup of it to your other ingredients and fire up the mixer.
When it's all mixed up, it should have a consistency thicker than cake batter and thinner than cookie dough. It should be pretty heavy and very sticky.
Now you need some vegetable oil. You'll need to be fairly liberal with it. Sometimes I even do these doughnuts in my wok because it's so big. Be sure that you use a pan that responds well to heat. I would recommend against cast iron here.
Make sure you have enough oil to allow the doughnuts to float. What is shown here is the MINIMUM amount you should use. (It was all I had left.)
I usually turn my oil on about 10 minutes before I'm going to start frying anything. I turn it on medium heat.
Take anywhere from 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the dough and drop it in the hot oil. This is your little tester guy. (You can sing "Little Surfer Girl" to him with the alternate lyrics of "Little Tester Guy" if you want him to reach his full flavor-potential.)
Don't do anymore than 1 teaspoon because they really puff up when they start cooking. You'll end up with a doughnut the size of your fist, and that just takes forever to cook.
When the oil is bubbling around Little Tester Guy, feel free to give him some friends. See how cute and golden he is compared to his friends? He's been in there for about 3-4 minutes.
As you cook your doughnuts, your oil gets steadily hotter. If the oil bubbles too much when you drop the dough in, or if they start browning too fast, feel free to turn it down. It should always be pleasantly bubbly as you drop the doughnuts in.
See the tongs to the left of the pan? I cannot recommend making these without some form of tongs. The hot oil is just a little too dangerous.
These can get pretty dark before they're completely done on the inside. Don't be afraid to let them get brown.
When they are finished, put them on a plate with a paper towel lining so they can cool.
Sorry for the blurriness of this picture. Holding one doughnut while taste-testing another and taking a picture all at the same time gives you prize-winning art like this:
You can do a number of things to enhance the already awesome taste that you've just created.
You can do a powdered sugar frosting. (Butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and a touch of milk)
Or just powdered sugar by itself.
But my personal favorite is cinnamon and sugar.
Take about a cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (and a pinch of nutmeg if you're feeling crazy) and combine them in a bowl. Then roll your doughnuts around in the mixture. I like to do this while they're still a little bit warm, so the sugar really sticks to the doughnut.
Delicious. That's all that can be said.
These are best when warm. Right out of the pan is great, but even after they've been hanging out in the fridge for a day or two (if they last that long) I would recommend popping them in the microwave for a little while.
Make these for your family, your friends, and even your enemies. You will be loved.
Deeply.
Here's the recipe:
Apple Sauce Doughnuts
1/3 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup apple sauce
Several cups of vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
nutmeg if desired
Combine all the ingredients into an electric mixer. Mix for 5-7 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat. Drop a test doughnut in. The oil is ready when it bubbles around the dough. Use tongs to flip your doughnuts and remove them from oil. Put them on a paper towel on a plate to cool and drain.
Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together and roll the doughnuts in the sugar mixture.
Enjoy!
~Jake and Renee
These might just be worth the pain. Silly Celiac. Yep. Just decided that they are and that I'm making them on Saturday.
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