I had never made doughnuts until a couple of weeks ago on National Doughnut Day, and I was surprised at how easy they are to make. I have to admit that I’m not much of a doughnut person, and I actually don’t have much of a sweet tooth unless it comes to chocolate. But, what I really liked about this cake donut recipe that I adapted from About.com, was that it wasn’t overly sweet. Some of my coworkers, who were the lucky recipients of these tasty treats, also raved about the taste and moist texture of these doughnuts. Their praise made me super happy, because what I love the most about making something yummy is being able to put a smile on another person’s face. That being said, I really hope that you enjoy this recipe.
TOASTED COCONUT AND CHOCOLATE-GLAZED DOUGHNUTS
Adapted from ABOUT.COM
INGREDIENTS:
DOUGHNUT:
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg beaten
1 quart of oil for frying
CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 tablespoons of milk
TOPPING:
Toasted Coconut
1. Heat oil in a large pan at low-to-medium heat. You don’t want the oil to get too hot, or it will immediately burn up the dough–trust me, I know this from experience!
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Pour in the melted butter into the bowl, and stir it in until the mixture develops a crumbly texture.
4. Stir in the milk and egg into the mixture, and then knead the dough until smooth.
5. Place the dough unto an area prepared with flour, and pat it down until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
6. Use either a doughnut cutter or two separate biscuit cutters (1 large and 1 small) to cut out the doughnuts.
7. Carefully dip the doughnuts into the hot oil. Fry them for about 3 minutes, turning them over once during that time. Both sides of the doughnut should be lightly browned.
8. Drain the doughnuts on a cooling rack over paper towels, and let them cool down until they are about room temperature.
9. For the glaze, mix the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk in a bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Once the doughnuts are at room temperature, you can apply the glaze by dipping them into the mixture.
10. Finally, just top off the doughnuts with toasted coconut and then you’re done! You can find toasted coconut at some stores such as Trader Joe’s, or you can make your own by toasting 1-2 cups of shredded coconut at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. To keep the coconut from burning, make sure to turn it over at least once during that time.
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I mentioned not so long ago that one of my personal goals was to focus more time on being creative. Spending time in the kitchen is definitely one of those activities that allows me to tap more into my creativity. I love adapting recipes and thinking of what ingredients could possibly enhance the taste of whatever it is that I’m making. I also really enjoy working on the presentation of food; with this particular recipe, I had so much fun experimenting with my camera and trying to take pictures that made these doughnuts look as good as they tasted.
I have to say that I’m so glad that it’s already Wednesday! I’ve been in a rut this week, and am really looking forward to the weekend. Lately I’ve seriously been considering of applying to grad school or moving somewhere else–both are prospects that are super exciting to me! However, I’ve also been doubting my ability to move forward in life. Because of everything that’s going on in my head, I’ve been feeling really sensitive to things that other people say and do, and I’ve been letting them affect my mood in a negative way. I really just need to learn to just brush things off and push negative thoughts out of my mind. But, I guess that is a skill that comes with practice.
xoxo,
Helen Grace
