Merry Christmas everyone!!!! It’s the most wonderful time of the year…. lalala…!
How I long for cozy days curled up on my sofa, with a warm cup of spiced chai in my hands, and one of these gorgeous pillowy cinnamon delights… I’m telling you the scent of these is totally CHRISTMAS… like those Glade scented candles but NATURAL and BETTER!!
It’s just really nice to have a few days off from everything.. not to worry about routine or plans… not to rush about in crazed traffic with even crazier people behind the wheel (AHEM!… totally ME!)… and I mostly look forward to sitting at home… yes, I am boring…. 😉
So coming back to these circles of goodness… I LOVE dougnuts, and it’s been years since I0ve had one … I never allow myself that indulgence because I know just how deep fried they are… and I’m not fussy and freaky about it either… I’ll happily have a Dunkin Donut if you give me one, no questions asked… But I just found that if I was to make them at home, I should really try a baked alternative and Joy The Baker had exactly that… she’s got loads of donuts on her blog.. and this was one I was excited to try out… I used 2 types of glaze… the brown butter one and the classic sugar cinnamon one… both winners! So go for it!!
I like combining spices when it comes to an apple based recipe.. It gives the apples depth and warmth…
So even though these might cook a bit intimidating or time consuming.. the only thing that took me a little time was filling the mini doughnut molds… next time I’ll fill up a piping bag and pipe them in, much better I think..Please do the same
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (but we’ll only use 2 tablespoons of browned butter for the recipe)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh apple
- For the Glaze:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk
- cinnamon topping:
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar3
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a doughnut pan and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt all of the butter (including the butter needed for the glaze). Butter will begin to crackle and pop as it melts. That’s the water melting out of the butter. Once the water has evaporated the butter will quiet down and begin to brown. Keep an eye on it, it browns quickly. The butter will begin to smell nutty. Remove from heat and immediately transfer browned butter (brown bits and all) to a small bowl.
- In a small bowl whisk together egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Measure out 2 tablespoons of browned butter and whisk into the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients. Add the grated apple. Stir together until no flour bits remain and all of the ingredients are well combined. Try not to overmix the batter. That might create rubbery doughnuts.
- Use a small spoon to dollop batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out and fill each doughnut in the pan three-quarters full with batter.
- Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them and try not to over-bake them. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, in a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of browned butter, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons milk. Whisk to combine. Add more milk to make the glaze more spreadable.
- Once the doughnuts are completely cool, use a butter knife to spread each doughnut with glaze. Allow to rest for 15 minutes in the fridge to harden the glaze. These doughnuts are best serve the day they’re made.
- Cinnamon topping:
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Dip the donuts in the melted butter, then dunk into the cinnamon sugar mixture coating all sides. Donuts are best served immediately. Leftovers keep well covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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