Homemade donuts are the best donuts! Here’s how to make your favorite fall flavors

Khara Westergard shares how to make fall flavored donuts in your own kitchen.

Find more recipes from Khara on Instagram, @balsamicbaker.

Pumpkin Donuts

Ingredients

• 12.5 oz. (2 1/2 C. Fluffed) All-purpose Flour
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Allspice
• 1/4 tsp. Cloves
• 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Unsalted Butter – Soft
• 8 oz. (1 C.) Light Brown Sugar
• 2 XL (or L) Eggs
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Libby’s Pumpkin Purée (if you use another brand you may need to drain some extra liquid with cheese cloth or paper towels before weighing/measuring)
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (I used Molina Mexican Vanilla)

Donut Glaze (use this glaze as is, or warmed for a thinner glaze)

• 14 oz. (3 1/2 C. If fluffed when measured) Powdered Sugar
• 3 oz. (1/4 C. + 2 Tbsp.) Heavy Cream (can sub milk)
• 2 oz. (1/4 C.) Milk (I use 1%, use whatever you have)
• 1Tbsp. Vanilla (or more to taste, depending on your vanilla. Needs good flavor before glazing doughnuts! I like Mexican Vanilla or McCormick Clear Vanilla)
• 1/8 t. Salt

*Canola or vegetable oil for frying. 2” thick at a minimum, but a generous depth makes flipping donuts easier.

METHOD

1. Stir all dry ingredients together in one bowl. Create a well, or hole, in the center of the dry Ingredients, & set aside. Cream all wet ingredients in another bowl starting with the butter and sugar, then adding one ingredient at a time in the listed order. Pour the wet mixture into the hole of the dry ingredients. Fold together until just combined, but all flour has been worked in. Do not over mix. You may chill Dough before rolling it out if you’d like to make it easier to work with, or just work with it soft to save time.
2. Generously flour a working surface and place the dough on top. Flour the top of the dough and press with your hands or a rolling pin into a flat rectangle about 3/4” thick. Cut out donut shapes with circular cutters dipped in flour and place donuts on a cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator to chill (optional for ease of handling) while the oil heats up over medium heat & you whisk all of the glaze ingredients together.
3. Heat oil to 350 F in a large pot using a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. 5-10 degrees above 350 F is best as oil will cool when donuts enter. Dropping below 350 F can allow too much oil to soak into the donuts as they fry. Lower heat setting to 4 or so to maintain temperature while frying. Adjust frequently as needed.
4. Fry donuts for 2-2.5 minutes depending on thickness (1.5 min. for donut holes). Flip half way through timer using a spider strainer or a long metal or wooden utensil. Carefully remove donuts, with chosen utensil, and place them onto a cooling rack placed over a sheet pan to catch falling oil. When sizzling sounds have stopped and they are cool enough to touch, drop individually into the glaze and turn to coat both sides. Another spider strainer is a mess saver and time saver here to help quickly glaze donuts and shake off the excess. Allow to continue cooling on another cooling rack.
5. Eating donuts fresh is always recommended. Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 10-12 seconds to refresh them closer to their peak of glory.

NOTES

· You can bake 10 – 12 min on 350 F if your donuts seem underdone inside after frying (but before glazing!)

· Sugar levels above are best for taste but can make the donuts a little more delicate to work with. You can try dropping the sugar down by 1 oz. if necessary to create a little easier to handle donut. Again, a spider strainer may be a good answer for easier handling.

· Fry only 3 donuts per large pot if oil is low. If oil is deep, you can fry 1-2 more at a time depending on your pot circumference because the depth makes flipping the donuts much easier in a crowded pot.

Apple Cider Donuts

INGREDIENTS

• 15 oz. (3 C. Fluffed) All-purpose Flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 3 Alpine Apple Cider single serving powder packets
• 3/4 tsp. Nutmeg
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Unsalted Butter – Soft
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) White Sugar
• 2 XL (or L) Eggs
• 4 oz. (1/2 C.) Apple Juice Concentrate – thawed

Donut Coating

• 9 oz. (1 C. + 2 Tbsp.) White Sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. Allspice (optional)

*Vegetable oil for frying. 2” thick at a minimum, but a generous depth makes flipping donuts easier.

METHOD

1. Stir all dry ingredients together in one bowl. Create a well, or hole, in the center of the dry Ingredients, & set aside. Cream all wet ingredients in another bowl starting with the butter and sugar, then adding one ingredient at a time in the listed order. Pour the wet mixture into the hole of the dry ingredients. Fold together until well combined, but do not over mix. You may chill Dough before rolling it out if you’d like to make it easier to work with.
2. Generously flour a working surface and place the dough on top. Flour the top of the dough and press with your hands or a rolling pin into a flat rectangle about 3/4” thick. Cut out donut shapes with circular cutters dipped in flour and place donuts on a cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator to chill for ease of handling while the oil heats up over medium heat. Mix the donut coating ingredients together.
3. Heat oil to 355-360 F in a large pot using a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. 5-10 degrees above 350 F is best as oil will cool when donuts enter. Dropping below 350 F can allow too much oil to soak into the donuts as they fry. Lower heat setting to 4 or 5 to maintain temperature while frying. Adjust frequently as needed.
4. Fry donuts for 2-2.5 minutes depending on thickness (1.5 min. for donut holes). Flip halfway through timer using a spider strainer or a long metal or wooden utensil. Carefully remove donuts, with chosen utensil, and place them onto a cooling rack placed over a sheet pan to catch falling oil. When sizzling sounds have stopped and they are cool enough to touch, drop individually into the coating and wiggle to coat both sides completely.
5. Eating donuts fresh is always recommended. Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 10-12 seconds to refresh them closer to their peak of glory.

NOTES

· You can bake 10 – 12 min on 350 F if your donuts seem underdone inside after frying (but before coating!)

· If having trouble with donuts staying together in the fryer, knead dough back together once more to develop only a bit more gluten. Re shape donuts, chill, & try again. A spider strainer is a good answer for easier handling of donuts.

· Fry only 3 donuts per large pot if oil is low. If oil is deep, you can fry 1-2 more at a time depending on your pot circumference because the depth makes flipping the donuts much easier in a crowded pot.