Happy Monday everyone! I'm en route to Cabo today where I am super duper HOW DID I GET SO LUCKY to be shooting a corporate event there, so my friend Gina is taking over with a drool-worthy guest recipe post. I may just need to try these donuts, though I'm a little wary given my track record. Remember
this catastrophe? Yeah, I tried to black that out too.
Take it away, Gina! :)
Hi everyone - I'm Gina from
{Acute Designs} and I'm so happy to be here on Jenni's lovely blog today!
I'm sure you guys have noticed that once September hits, the internet world goes
pumpkin crazy. I love pumpkin but I'm not gaga over it. It's good, but you know what's better? Sweet potatoes (also known as yams).
Sweet potatoes are one of my most favorite foods
ever. They're great as a side, an entire meal (sprinkle with goat cheese!), fried, mashed, whatever. They're simply perfect.
Recently I have seen a few delicious looking recipes for pumpkin donuts but decided to mix it up and
make sweet potato donuts. Sweet potatoes are orange like pumpkin and naturally sweeter. They just don't get enough credit :).
These donuts are super easy to make and if you just can't resist the pull of the pumpkin, you can easily substitute a cup of pumpkin puree for the sweet potato in this recipe.
sweet potato donuts (makes about two dozen donuts and donut holes)
-3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-4 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 cup sugar
-3 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
-2 large eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/2 cup milk
-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
-1 cup of mashed sweet potato (or pumpkin)
-canola or vegetable oil for frying (about three cups)
-1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup white sugar for dusting the finished donuts
1. Peel two medium sweet potatoes, cut into large pieces and boil until fork tender (about 10-15 minutes). Drain the water from the pot and mash the sweet potatoes. Measure out one cup of the mash and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the first six ingredients (flour through cinnamon) and set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter for about a minute. Add in the eggs, mix until combined, then add in the vanilla and mix until combined. Next, gradually mix in the milk, then the apple cider vinegar, then the (cooled) mashed sweet potato. Don't add piping hot sweet potato to the mixture or it could scrabble the eggs.
4. Finally, mix the dry ingredients into the wet. I dumped in a third at a time. Mix until just combined.
5. The dough will be sticky and easier to work with if you cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours.
6. After a few hours (or the next day - it doesn't matter), remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface. You want to roll it out a little thicker than you would if you were making cookies.
7. Use a round biscuit or cookie cutter and cut out circles. Then, use a smaller round cutter to cut out the middle of the donuts. My large circle cookie cutter was three inches in diameter and I used the lid of a bottle of olive oil for the center. The lid was an inch in diameter. If you don't have a round cookie cutter, use the brim of a wide glass and cut the center of the donut out with the lid from a milk container. small bottle, etc.
8. Once you have all your donuts cut, it's time to
fry. The frying is funnest part :). Heat about three cups of canola or vegetable oil in a pot and set it over medium-high heat. You will know the oil is ready when tiny bubbles begin to form along the edges of the pot. You don't need a special "frying thermometer." When you think the oil is hot enough, test it by throwing in a small piece of dough. If the oil is hot enough, it will bubble around the dough and the dough will quickly rise to the top.
9. Add in about four donuts at a time, frying for a minute on each side. When they are golden brown, they are ready to remove. They will cook fast, especially when the oil gets hot, so watch that they don't burn! I lined a cookie sheet with paper towels and set to hot donuts on the sheet to cool.
10. Once all the donuts (and donut holes!) are fried, toss them in cinnamon and sugar and
eat! They're
so good. Store extras in an airtight container for up to three days.
Enjoy!!
