three more ways to love ya

I know, I know. It's getting really out of control around here with donuts. As I've said before, donuts are my weakness and they're the one thing I have a really hard time saying "no" to. I even created a whole donut category in my recipe section... I can't believe I have that many various donuts on here! I told my sister the next time I make donuts, I'm going to bake them so that there are some non-fried versions.

I visited my sister Tracy (who has an awesome design blog, btw) in Maryland recently and made a double batch of these babies. It was a true "Donut Day" since we made three types of donuts. An updated, (and easier to eat) version of the Samoa donut called the Coco-Caramel Chocolate Donut, a honey-dip glazed and chocolate frosted. I just love this donut dough. It doesn't require the same amount of rising time that the dough from Flour does. And the end is result is a fluffy, airy donut that holds whatever toppings your heart desires.

In the Samoa donut, the caramel and coconut were mixed together and thickly applied to the top of the donut. In these Coco-Caramel Chocolate Donuts, I made the caramel softer (thank you heavy cream) and kept each component separate. First, I spread the soft caramel all over, then generously sprinkled toasted coconut and drizzled chocolate all over. I also didn't dip the bottom-half of the donut in chocolate (like I did with the Samoa donut) but you are more than welcome to do it. Can't hurt!

The chocolate glaze from the Samoa donut is more of a ganache and is delicious! It tastes like rich chocolate and stays a bit soft (unlike store-bought donuts that harden). That's why I also used it on the Boston Cream donut. 

The honey-dip glaze is unbelievably good, but there's a reason it looks a bit grainy here. My sister had run out of confectioners' sugar so we whipped up our own, but didn't blend it long enough. If you use store-bought confectioners' sugar, it should look silky smooth

doughnuts, two ways

Patriot's Day and the Boston Marathon go hand in hand around here, and what's a better way to honor this holiday than with a very patriotic, very Boston cream doughnut? I mean, if you're running 26.2 miles, you deserve this doughnut (and a whole lot of other accolades). Maybe you're standing on the sidelines and clapping and waving the runners on, like an NFL cheerleader, than you too deserve this doughnut.

Oh really, do you even need an event or excuse to eat this doughnut? Ugh, no.

Flour is a Boston-based bakery that has been met with much success around here. Partly because their Sticky Buns were featured on a Food Network Show, but mostly because locals just love their baked goods. My sister gave me the Flour cookbook a few years ago and I've been wanting to make their Vanilla Cream-filled Doughnuts for some time now. I've also been wanting to make Boston Cream Doughnuts (because those are my doughnut achilles heel) so when I came across the Vanilla Cream recipe I decided to make half the batch the way Flour does, and the other half topped with chocolate ganache to make Boston Cream. Best. Idea. Ever. 

The filling in the doughnuts is what makes them out of this world. It's a vanilla pastry cream mixed with whipped cream, so it's lighter and creamier than just a pastry cream alone. It's a toss up on which doughnut I preferred. I liked the sugary crunch on the Vanilla Cream filled ones, but then I also loved the chocolate ganache on the Boston Cream. I guess you'll have to make them and let me know what you like better!

the $5 donut

Last week a friend of mine posted this video on Facebook and two days later, I was making these in my kitchen. Inspiration (and hunger) is everywhere!

My sister, Aubrey, came over to help me taste-test these fried bits o' heaven (no convincing needed) and we decided that if these were sold in a bakery, they'd charge at least $5. Here's why: 1. They're labor-intensive (start to finish was pushing 5 hours!) 2. The ingredients ain't cheap, and you need a lot of them and 3. Um, have you seen these? Each donut is comprised of 4 layers, resulting in a mouthwatering decadence unlike any donut you've ever had before. So yes, even though I realize that $5 is more than the price of an entire box of samoa cookies, one of these donuts is sooooo worth it.

As I was making these, I thought to myself, the Girl Scouts have been doing it wrong all these years. Who wants a dry, crispy cookie when you can have a soft, fresh donut that's loaded with some of the best flavor combinations ever to exist? I hope you're with me on this one. 

While I loved the concept of this donut, I did have a major issue with it. The coconut caramel mixture is thick and dries hard, plus it's thickly applied so you're forced to open your mouth wide. So, if you have TMJ (uh, present!) then your jaw will feel like it will crack from all that opening and chewing. Not good at all.

Since I loved all the elements to this donut I plan on making it again, just in a different way. Each recipe is wonderful on it's own- I really loved this raised donut recipe and will definitely use it again to make different donut variations. And the chocolate ganache was perfection, as was the toasted coconut and caramel.

time to make the donuts!

If I'm being totally honest here, one of the main reasons I like apple picking so much is getting fresh apple cider doughnuts. Oh, I also like the apples and apple cider, but nothing compares to a fresh, hot doughnut. Nothing.  

So I decided to recreate that experience by using the farm-fresh apple cider I bought when I picked the apples. I love the crunchy cinnamon sugar exterior and that soft cake-y interior. 

Apple cider doughnuts really epitomize fall, and if you're worried about your waistline, just tell yourself you'll only make them once a year, and then enjoy 3!