SPICE
Pumpkin spice is back and in full force in North Virginia (“NoVA”); however, donuts are not.
Growing up my mom would occasionally get us a fresh half-dozen of glazed do-nuts from Shipley’s along with my favorite chocolate frosting cake donuts. The do-nuts would be devoured swiftly. You might even lose a finger! The box would be eaten by afternoon. They made me have such a love for the soft, never-daunting baked or fried delicacy. If you were in a bad mood or feeling off, a Shipley’s do-nut would get you right. It would make you feel whole in this indescribable way. Unfortunately, that is not the case in NoVA.
After living in NoVA for nearly 7 years, I have tried just about every small donut shop in the area, AND they have never been promising. Most shops want to test the market with these crazy, artisanal concoctions rather than getting the basic formula right; it’s hard to even understand why you’re making new-wave donuts. It isn’t some challenging concept to create good dough, bake or fry it and drizzle with frosting or glaze; yet, these foolish institutions continue to try over and over to win customers with awful creations. Maybe one day they will see the light and just stick to the basics. Until then, I’ll show you how it’s done at home to avoid wasting money on sugary, chalk-like monstrosities.
pumpkin spice baked donuts
ingredients
donuts:
2c all-purpose flour
1t baking soda
3/4t baking powder
3t ground cinnamon
3t pumpkin spice
1t ground nutmeg
1/2t salt
1 egg, room temp
2T unsalted butter, melted
1/2c light brown sugar
1/2c granulated sugar
2 1/2c heavy cream, room temp
1t vanilla extract
pumpkin spice topping:
1T ground cinnamon
1T pumpkin spice
3T granulated sugar
1c unsalted butter, melted + warm
helpful items:
small donut pan, 12-cavity
wooden/plastic spoon
whisk
small/medium/large bowls
large rimmed baking sheet
baking sheet rack
ziploc bag
cooking spray
recipe (donuts):
Set oven to 350F and spray donut pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nutmeg and salt. Whisk. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, add egg, butter, brown sugar, sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Whisk until your arm hurts. Set aside.
Add wet mixture from Step 3 to dry mixture from Step 2. Whisk until your arm hurts. Scoop out contents and add to ziploc bag with corner barely cut out for squeezing. Fill each cavity in donut pan about halfway while also trying to connect dough together. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until donuts bounce back when poked. Take out of oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Note: The donuts can be baked longer if you want them a little less soft!
Carefully remove donuts from pan and set on baking sheet rack placed inside baking sheet.
In a flat pan or bowl, add nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate pan, plate or bowl, add melted butter. Carefully dunk donut in butter on both sides and then immediately dunk into spice topping mixture. Repeat until all are complete. Enjoy!
