Tag: Donuts

Quick & Easy Apple Cider Donuts & Pumpkin Donuts

A popular treat around this time of the year is Apple Cider Donuts. If you partake in any type of Fall festival or activity – especially visiting an apple orchard – chances are you will come across them. Not as popular but just as perfect for these crisp autumn days are Pumpkin Donuts. And while I have shared recipes for both donuts before, today’s recipe takes a major short-cut and uses one box of spice cake mix to whip up a batch of both.

To start I made the “base” for each donut. To avoid overbeating and ending up with dense donuts, I opted to mix everything by hand. In a large bowl I stirred the cake mix along with eggs, oil and vanilla extract until just combined. The mixture was quite thick, resembling more of a cookie dough than a batter. I divided it in half, leaving one half in the bowl and placing the other in a medium size bowl. In one I added in apple cider and in the other pumpkin puree. I stirred each until it was the consistency of cake batter and then transferred it to piping bags and filled each donut cavity about halfway. It was easy not to confuse which was which since the pumpkin donuts had an orange hue to them.

After baking I let the pumpkin donuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. As for the apple cider donuts, I coated them in cinnamon sugar while they were still warm. Coating them while warm eliminates the need to brush them with melted butter for the cinnamon sugar to adhere to them. If you want to add cinnamon sugar to your pumpkin donuts as well, follow the same steps.  

Now, if you aren’t a fan of either apple cider donuts or pumpkin donuts or just want to make a full batch of one or the other, you can simply double the amount of apple cider or pumpkin puree you add in. The amount for that is in the recipe below.  

Spice Cake Mix Apple Cider Donuts & Pumpkin Donuts

Ingredients:

1 15.25oz box of spice cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Pumpkin Donuts:

6 tablespoons pumpkin puree

For the Apple Cider Donuts:

6 tablespoons apple cider

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

*If you want to make a full batch of apple cider donuts add in 3/4 cup of apple cider to the batter and similarly, if you want to make a full batch of pumpkin donuts add in 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray 2 donuts pans with baking spray.

In a large bowl stir together the cake mix, eggs, oil and vanilla extract until just combined. Divide the batter in half (it will be thick) and place one half in another bowl.

In one of the bowls add in the pumpkin puree and in the other the apple cider. Stir each of the batters until the ingredients are well incorporated.

Transfer each batter to a piping bag or resealable bag. Snip the end of the bag (or corner if using a resealable bag) and pipe the batters into the prepared pans about half-way.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. You can insert a cake tester into one of the donuts to make sure it comes out clean.

In a shallow bowl stir together the cinnamon and sugar.

Let the pumpkin donuts cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Carefully remove the apple cider donuts from the pan one at a time and coat in the cinnamon sugar topping before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

*If you want to coat the pumpkin donuts with cinnamon sugar as well follow the same steps as the Apple Cider Donuts after removing from the oven.

Store in an airtight container.

Wild Blueberry Donuts

A few years ago homemade baked donuts were all the rage. I definitely think it was due to the availability of donut pans. You no longer needed to roll out dough and cut it to make a donut shape that would then be fried. You could simply pipe batter into a pan and pop it in the oven and within 20 minutes you had delicious homemade donuts. Recipes were popping up everywhere. I definitely jumped on the bandwagon as well. Nowadays I don’t come across as many new recipes and I probably only use my donut pans 2 or 3 times a year. That doesn’t mean I don’t have recipe/flavor ideas swirling around in my head. One of my favorite donuts is a Blueberry Donut from The Doughnut Plant in NYC. This year in honor of National Donut Day I decided to create my own version, Wild Blueberry Donuts.

While using fresh blueberries would have probably given my donuts a nice blue hue I decided to go with dried wild blueberries since their flavor is consistent and they worked so well in my Blueberry Crumb Cookies last year. I didn’t want to have too many donuts, so I decided to make a small batch – only 6. It was the perfect amount. And once they cooled, I added a blueberry glaze that wasn’t too sweet and did give them a nice blue hue!

Happy National Donut Day!

Wild Blueberry Donuts

For the donuts:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup dried wild blueberries

For the glaze:

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 6-cavity donut pan with baking spray and set aside.

Sift together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, salt & nutmeg – into a medium bowl.

In another medium bowl whisk together the butter, sugar, buttermilk and egg until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until just combined. Fold in the dried blueberries.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag (or a resealable bag) and snip off the end. Pipe the batter into the donut pan about three-quarters full.

Bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

For the glaze: Place the blueberries in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds. Just to get them warm, but you don’t want them exploding. Transfer the blueberries to a fine mesh sieve and then mash them over a medium bowl to get the juices out. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar to the blueberry puree, stirring between each addition. Continue adding the sugar until the glaze is pourable but thick. Drizzle the glaze over the donuts or dip the top of the donuts in the glaze. Let set and then enjoy!

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.

Vanilla Chai Baked Donuts

Donuts are one of those treats that are perfect anytime of the day. They are go-to for many as a quick breakfast, but they are just as good as a midday snack or an after-dinner dessert. Now, I am not a coffee drinker at all. The closest I come is a Frappucino from Starbucks, but let’s face it, that’s more sugar than coffee. LOL! I am a tea drinker though, and one of my favorite teas is Chai tea. So, when I saw this recipe for Vanilla Chai Baked Donuts, I knew I had to try it and I wasn’t disappointed.

What is great about this recipe is that it doesn’t require you to use a hand mixer or stand mixer. You mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and the dry in another and then combine the two. Next, you transfer the batter to a piping bag (or resealable bag) and fill your donut pan.

After baking them for about 10 minutes, let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.  And once they are cool enough to handle, brush melted butter on both sides and then dredge them in a chai sugar topping.

Final result… A donut that had a nice vanilla flavor with a coating of warm spices that made it extra delicious.

 

Vanilla Chai Baked Donuts

Ingredients:

For the Donuts:

1/2 cup milk*

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

For the Chai Sugar Topping:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Pinch of black pepper

 

*I used whole milk

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a donut pan with baking spray and set aside. *

In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, butter, sugar, egg, sour cream and vanilla extract until well combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined.

To make filling the donut pan easy, transfer the batter to either a piping bag or a large Ziplock bag and fill the cavities of the donut pan halfway.

Bake for 9 – 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. To test for doneness, when you poke the donut it should bounce back. Cool the donuts for 2 minutes in the pan and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool. If you don’t have a second donut pan, wipe the pan out and re-spray and fill with the remaining batter.

In a medium bowl combine the ingredients for the sugar coating, except the melted butter. Place the wire rack the donuts are on over a large baking sheet or a piece of wax paper. While the donuts are still warm, but, cool enough to handle, brush both sides with the melted butter and then toss in the chai-spice sugar.

*If you have 2 donut pans, prepare both of them.

Recipe from Mike Bakes NYC

Lemon Ricotta Fritters

It’s the first Friday in June and you know what means… Happy National Donut Day! A little history just in case you didn’t know, this food holiday started in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army as a means to raise money during the Great Depression and to honor the WWI Salvation Army volunteers who helped prepare baked goods, including donuts, and coffee for soldiers. I wonder if this could possibly be the oldest “food holiday”, I tried to do some research but came up empty-handed. In honor of the day I am sharing with you a recipe for Lemon Ricotta Fritters.

I began by making the batter. In a large bowl I whisked together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Next, I added in lemon zest, eggs, whole milk ricotta cheese and vanilla extract and continued whisking until the ingredients were well combined.

Meanwhile I heated vegetable oil in my Dutch oven over medium low heat to 350 F. I normally use my cast iron skillet to fry things, but, I already had my Dutch oven out and I like that the higher sides of the pot prevent the oil from splattering. Also, I find that the temperature of the oil remains consistent in the Dutch oven throughout the frying process. It’s important to keep the oil around 350 F, any hotter and you could end up with cooked fritters on the outside with raw dough in the middle. Once the batter was ready I used a cookie scoop to drop small amount of dough into the oil and fried them until they were golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

I then transferred them to a paper towel lined cookie sheet to drain off the excess oil. Now, these were delicious on their own, they are incredibly light with just enough hint of lemon…

But, if you want a little extra sweetness, while they are still warm, dust them with confectioners’ sugar. I prefer to sift the sugar over them as opposed to rolling them in the sugar so it’s not too thick or clumpy.

 

If you love the combination of lemon and ricotta, check out these other lemon ricotta recipes:

Lemon Ricotta Bars

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

 

Lemon Ricotta Fritters

  • Servings: About 40 Fritters
  • Print

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, for frying*

2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

5 large eggs

1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese**

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Confectioners’ sugar for coating

 

*Can sub with canola or corn oil

**I used whole milk ricotta cheese

 

Directions:

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium low heat to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels to drain the fritters as they come out of the oil.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in the lemon zest, eggs, ricotta cheese and vanilla extract and continue whisking until the ingredients are well combined.

Using a cookie scoop drop mounds of the batter into the hot oil. Add about 5 to 6 at a time, make sure not to crowd the pot. Fry until the fritters are golden brown. About 3-4 minutes on each side. Check the temperature of the oil periodically. You don’t want the oil to get too hot because then the fritters will cook on the outside but be raw on the inside. Remove from the oil and drain on the paper towel lined cookie sheet. Repeat until the dough is finished.

While the fritters still warm dust with the confectioners’ sugar. You can either roll them in a bowl of the sugar or use a sifter (or a fine mesh sieve) to dust the sugar over the fritters.

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.

Recipe slightly modified from Domino Sugar

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

I remember that the only time I was able to get Apple Cider Donuts was when I would go apple picking in upstate NY. I used to look forward to that 2-hour car trip, not only for the apples, but because I knew on the 2+ – hour (thanks to the inevitable traffic) car ride home I would be enjoying some freshly made warm donuts. Nowadays, it seems like you can get Apple Cider Donuts just about anywhere. Practically every apple orchard and farm I have visited sells them. Thankfully there are two places not terribly far from me that sell them year-round and both are quite delicious. There are some other places that sell them and they are, well, to be kind, I will say not so delicious.

While the Apple Cider Donuts I have had are deep-fried, I have attempted to make my own baked Apple Cider Donuts at home and until recently haven’t been that successful. The recipes I tried usually involved reducing the apple cider and I am not sure if I wasn’t reducing it enough or what, but, they were always a fail. Recently though I came across a recipe that didn’t involve reducing the apple cider and included olive oil that produced a delicious donut that actually stayed fresh & moist for a few days – thanks to said olive oil. I wouldn’t say that these are a perfect substitution to the delicious ones I get upstate, but, they are pretty close.

If you are looking for something bite-sized so you don’t feel as guilty (granted, they are fried though!), check out these Apple Cider Fritters I posted last year.

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

  • Servings: 18-21 Donuts
  • Print

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg*

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice*

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup apple cider

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar**

2 tablespoons cinnamon**

 

*If you have apple spice, use 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon & 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice and omit the nutmeg & allspice.

**If you have cinnamon sugar you can use that in place of mixing together cinnamon & sugar

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray donut pans with baking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a second large bowl whisk together the sugar, apple cider, olive oil, applesauce, vanilla and eggs. Once well combined, add in the flour mixture and stir to combine.

Transfer the batter to the prepared donut pan, filling each cavity three-quarters full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Let the donuts cool for a few minutes in the pan and then invert onto a wire rack.

In a small bowl whisk together the sugar & cinnamon. Brush each donut with the melted butter and the sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on to the donut.

Store the donuts in an air tight container.

Recipe from Inspired By Charm

Rainbow Cookie Donuts

Happy National Donut Day! In honor of the day I decided to make Rainbow Cookie Donuts.

If you do a Google search for Rainbow Cookie Donuts you normally see a rainbow cookie – the tri-color cookie separated by raspberry jam and then covered in chocolate – shaped like a donut. A bit much if you ask me. I really wanted to make one similar to the one a coworker brought me from a local donut shop by her – Honey Pig Donuts. Instead of the donut being layered the colors were marbled together.

I knew that my go-to Rainbow Cookie recipe wouldn’t be right for these cookies… It’s not light enough and I would end up with a donut that would be quite dense. I was going to try and tweak the recipe to get the right texture, but, then I came across a Rainbow Cookie Cake recipe that would be perfect, once I halved the recipe.

Once I made the batter I divided it in three and tinted each of them. I normally only tint the green and pink layer when I make the cookies, but, since I was making them in donut form I decided to tint the natural color layer with a bit of yellow so each part of the rainbow donut could stand out. Next, I transferred the batter to piping bags and snipped a small portion of the tip off and then piped the batter into donut pans that I sprayed with baking spray. I filled the cavities about 3/4 full and then baked them in a 350 F preheated oven for about 15 minutes.

After the donuts had cooled I melted a few tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam in a small saucepan over medium-low heat to melt it. Once melted I used a brush to brush the tops of the donuts with the melted jam.

While the jam settled I made the chocolate glaze. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat I combined chopped semisweet chocolate with heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt and stirred the mixture until it melted. Once melted and smooth I removed it from the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. I gave it a few more stirs and then dipped the tops of the donuts into the melted chocolate. After dipping them I placed them on a cooling rack that I set on a wax paper lined cookie sheet so the chocolate could set.

And there you have it… Rainbow Cookie Donuts. While I enjoy the cookie version, I really love the lightness of these donut versions. The almond flavor really shines through as opposed to the cookies where the raspberry jam flavor stands out more for me. Truth be told, the donuts are delicious on their own without the melted raspberry and chocolate glaze. I kept the sans raspberry and chocolate glaze version in an airtight container at room temperature for three days and they still tasted delicious and I kept the raspberry chocolate glaze versions in the fridge for a day or two longer and they still tasted good – I let them come to room temperature before enjoying.

Rainbow Cookie Donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts:

1 1/2 (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

7 oz. almond paste, grated

1/2 tablespoon almond extract

1/2 cup while milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

red, green & yellow food coloring

Raspberry Glaze:

4-5 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

Chocolate Glaze:

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Directions:

Spray two donut pans with baking spray and preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and continue beating for a few more minutes until combined. Add in the grated almond paste, almond extract and milk and beat well until combined, making sure the almond paste is completely incorporated.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder and gradually add it to the butter batter while mixing on low. Continue mixing until the two mixtures are well combined.

Divide the batter among three bowl and tint it with the food coloring. Transfer the batter to three piping bags and snip the ends off. You could also use Ziploc bags and snip one of the corners off. Pipe the batter into the cavities of the donut pan haphazardly to create a marbled effect. Fill the cavities about 3/4 full. Tap the pans down before placing the oven to even the batter down. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Let the donuts cool in the pans for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Rinse and spray the pans again before piping in the next batch of batter.

Once the donuts have cooled, melt the raspberry in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, do not let it boil. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the donuts with the raspberry jam.

As the jam settles make the glaze by heating the chocolate, cream, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Give the mixture a few good stirs. Place a cooling rack on a wax-lined cookie sheet and then dip the tops of the donuts into the melted chocolate and place on the cooling rack so the chocolate can cool and set.

Recipe for Donuts adapted from Always Order Dessert

Brioche Donuts with Mango Cream Filling

I’ve been on a bit of a donut kick. It started about 2 months ago when I heard about a new donut shop not far from me… East Main & Main. They make gourmet donuts with flavors like key lime, lemon blueberry, pumpkin and red velvet just to name a few. And then I read about another donut shop, also not far from me, Dough Me A Flavor. Let’s just say I wasn’t impressed with their donuts. The ones I got all tasted the same sans the topping and when I walked in I wasn’t hit with that lovely sweet bakery smell. So, next time I’m in the mood for a not-so-typical donut flavor I’ll be heading back to East Main & Main. Or, I can just fry up another batch of these Brioche Donuts.

Now, I have made donuts before, but, they were baked and not filled. And didn’t involve me using yeast. I’m always apprehensive when I have to work with yeast. Usually my dough doesn’t rise, or it somehow doesn’t rise enough. Thankfully this time all worked well. I made dough and let it rest for about 2 hours…

And it did rise about 2x its size. It was a little sticky so I refrigerated it for about 15 minutes so that it was manageable.

Next, I formed the dough into 9 balls and placed it on a parchment lined baking sheet.

I covered it with plastic wrap and after an hour the dough had almost doubled.

While I waited for the dough to rise again I started on the mango filling. I peeled and sliced a mango and pureed the pulp in a blender until smooth. In a chilled bowl I beat heavy cream with chilled beaters until soft peaks formed. I then folded in the mango puree and then refrigerated the cream until I was ready to fill my donuts so that the cream could firm up since adding the puree will thin it out. If you’re not a fan of mangoes, use this method to make the cream filling with your favorite fruit, or you could fill the donuts with your favorite flavor of jelly

Once the dough was ready, I fried them and then let them cool on paper towels.

And once they were cooled I used the end of a fork to poke a hole in the side of the donuts and then filled them with the mango cream using Wilton Tip 230.

And finally, I sprinkled them with confectioners’ sugar.

These were delicious! And were still good a day or two later after being stored in the refrigerator.

 

Brioche Donuts with Mango Cream Filling

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water, plus 1 tablespoon

1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) superfine (caster) sugar

1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon rum

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, cubed and at room temperature

1 ripe mango

1 cup cold whipping cream

Vegetable oil, for frying

Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

Heat the water in a bowl until it’s warm, but not hot enough that you wouldn’t be able to test it with your finger comfortably. Stir in the sugar and yeast until both are dissolved. Cover and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast mixture, egg, rum and vanilla. Mix together and then add in the flour and salt. Knead on low speed until a shaggy dough begins to form.

Add the butter, one cube at a time and mix on medium speed. Waiting to add the next cube until the previous one has been incorporated into the dough.

Knead for 6 to 8 minutes in the mixer until the dough is smooth and glossy – if doing this by hand it will take about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for an hour or two until it has doubled in size.

Form the dough into 9 small rounds, placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to double in size, about an hour more. If you find that the dough is too sticky to form the rounds place the dough in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

While the dough is resting make the filling. Peel and slice the mango and puree the pulp in a blender until smooth. Using a chilled bowl and beaters (place both in the freezer for about 20 minutes before making the cream) whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the mango puree into the heavy cream until completely incorporated. Place in the fridge until ready to use so that the cream can firm up.

When the dough is ready, fill a pot about 2/3 of the way with the oil and heat on medium low heat. When the oil is ready lift the balls and slide them in the oil and cook for two to three minutes on each side, until golden-brown. Drain on paper towels.

Once the donuts are cool use the end of a fork to poke a hole in the sides of the donuts and then fill them with the heavy cream using a piping bag or bottle.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve. Store remaining donuts in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Recipe from The Desserted Girl

Lavender Ricotta Donuts

Happy National Donut (or Doughnut) Day! For almost 80 years now (77 to be exact) the first Friday in June has been declared Nation Donut Day – started by the Salvation Army as a way to honor the volunteers of World War I who served donuts to soldiers. Not that there needs to be a reason to enjoy these incredibly sweet and delicious treats, but, on this day enjoying them may be a little more enticing as some places will give you a free one! In honor of today I decided to convert a Lavender Ricotta fritter recipe I made a few years back in a cooking class into donuts.

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To make the batter I combined ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla paste, sugar, baking powder and flour in the bowl of my stand mixer and used the whisk attachment to mix the ingredients. I then added in dried lavender and continued mixing the batter until it was thick.

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Next I used a piping bag – I just snipped the end of the bag off – and piped the batter into a prepared donut pan; I sprayed it with baking spray.

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I then baked them for about 15 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven. After removing them from the oven I let them cool in the pan before inverting them on a wire rack to cool completely.

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Final outcome… They definitely tasted good – especially after an extra dusting of powdered sugar on top – but I definitely need to work on my donut making skills. I’ll be the first to admit that they are a bit wonky looking! One other thing, they didn’t have the typical dense texture of a donut, more like the moistness of a cruller thanks to the ricotta cheese.

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If you like the flavor of lavender check out these other recipes I’ve made using the herb: Lavender Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting and Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream. With both of these recipes I was able to get the flavor of lavender into them by soaking the dried flowers in milk overnight and then straining the milk prior to using it in the recipes.

Lavender Ricotta Donuts

Yield: 10 Donuts

Ingredients:

2 cups ricotta cheese

3 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste*

1/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup flour

2 tablespoons dried lavender

Confectioners’ powder, for dusting

*Can also use vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prep donut pan by spraying it with baking spray.

2. Whisk together the ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla bean paste, sugar, baking powder and flour until combined. Add in the dried lavender and continue mixing until the batter is thick.

3. Transfer the batter to a piping bag or Ziploc bag and snip off the end and pipe the batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until a cake tested comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Once cooled use a sifter to sprinkle the donuts with confectioners’ sugar.

Lemon Doughnuts

Who doesn’t love a delicious doughnut? It’s one of the top breakfast items that most people reach for in the morning. Me personally I need protein to get me going in the a.m. so I reserve doughnuts as sweet treats for any time of the day. When I first saw this recipe it was written for mini Bundt cakes, but since I don’t own such a pan I decided to turn the batter into doughnuts instead, and it was definitely a delicious tweak!

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I began by beating the butter on medium-high speed until it was creamy.

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I then added in sugar and continued beating until the mixture was light and fluffy.

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I added in 3 lightly beaten eggs gradually, beating the mixture well after each addition.

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And finally, the lemon oil. If you cannot find lemon oil you can also substitute fresh lemon zest.

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To complete the batter I set the mixer to low speed and gradually added in flour that I sifted with baking powder and salt.

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Next I filled my prepared doughnut pans – I sprayed them with cooking spray – and baked the doughnuts in a 325 F oven for 15 minutes. I still haven’t mastered filling in the doughnut crevices so I did overfill them quite a bit, luckily it doesn’t affect the flavor.

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These doughnuts were absolutely delicious. The lemon flavor is just the right amount and the doughnuts are not overly-sweet. These were definitely a winner that I will be making again… Possibly as cupcakes next time!

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Lemon Doughnuts – Adapted from here

Makes 12 doughnuts

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

13 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon lemon oil (or 1 tablespoon of lemon zest)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray doughnut pans with baking spray.

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a large bowl beat the butter on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon oil.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, blending well after each addition.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared doughnut pans and bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Fall Equinox = Pumpkin Treats

My favorite season has arrived…Fall! There are many reasons why I love this time of the year. There’s the foliage, the apple picking, the concord grapes, all the different types of squashes available at the supermarket, the great hair days (the crisp cool air of the Fall is perfect for curly hair), the return of scarves (they are my third favorite accessory behind shoes and handbags) and one of my favorite flavors – Pumpkin – becomes available in just about anything and everything! So, I decided to welcome Fall this year with two pumpkin treats – a new recipe, Pumpkin Rice Pudding and an oldie (but goodie) from last year, Pumpkin Doughnuts.

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I don’t think I know anyone who likes rice pudding as much as I do, or for that matter I am not sure I know anyone who likes it period. I guess it’s like bread pudding, you either like it or you don’t. I actually did try my hand at a Pumpkin Bread Pudding a few years ago but wasn’t all that thrilled with the minimal pumpkin flavor it had. Maybe I’ll have to revisit that recipe one day soon, but, back to the rice pudding. I came across this recipe while flipping through the circulars of my Sunday newspaper. The recipe was specific for Minute Rice, but, since I didn’t have any and honestly didn’t want to buy any I decided to revamp the recipe using Arborio rice which I already had on hand from make rice pudding not too long ago.

I began by cooking the rice until it was al dente, about 15 minutes.

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In another saucepan I combined evaporated milk, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract and brought it to a simmer.

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I then added the rice to pumpkin mixture and cooked it over low heat until the mixture started to thicken. I then transferred the rice pudding to a large bowl and cooled it to room temperature before refrigerating it.

Since I had about 2 cups of pumpkin left I decided to whip up a batch of pumpkin doughnuts so it wouldn’t go to waste. Hopefully I won’t suffer from pumpkin over-load too early in the season!

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So, what’s the most out-of-the-box pumpkin flavor item you have seen on your store shelves?

Pumpkin Arborio Rice Pudding (Adapted from here and here)

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Arborio rice

1 12oz. can evaporated milk

1 cup pure pumpkin

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Bring water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Stir the rice occasionally and cook until the rice has absorbed the water but is still al dente, about 15 minutes.

2. In another saucepan, bring the evaporated milk, pumpkin, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract to a simmer. Add the cooked rice and cook at a simmer over medium-low heat until the rice absorbs most of the milk mixture and it starts to get thick and silky, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Transfer the pudding to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. Place in refrigerator until cool and set.

Pumpkin Doughnuts

Makes 12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for the pans

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Lightly oil two 6-compartment doughnut pans (or use 1 pan and bake in batches). Whisk together the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not overmix).

3. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each compartment of the prepared pans. Bake until the doughnuts are golden brown and spring back lightly when touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.