Sunday Morning DIY Donuts

Last christmas, I received a donut maker from my little brother (greatest present ever!) but, having been in Oregon, I never had the chance to try it out... until now! I've been a die-hard fan of donuts all my life and often times requested them in place of a birthday cake. However, I don't like to fry foods at home so I've never been able to try making them myself, but my new Sunbeam donut maker put an end to that. My mind went wild thinking about all of the delectable donut flavors I could make, but since it was my first attempt, I decided on a classic basic donut recipe with simple lemon and raspberry glazes. The fact that the donut maker was so cute made them all the more special!

My donut maker came with a little booklet of recipes, so I used this as my guide, making a few minor adjustments. You should end up with around a dozen donuts.

*This donut maker may look like a cute children's toy, but it can get VERY hot, so I wouldn't recommend letting a child make these on their own.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk

For the glaze, I put about 1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar in two bowls, adding lemon juice and zest to one, and mashed up raspberries (their juices act as the liquid) to the other. It really only takes a small amount of liquid to turn the sugar into a glaze, so just add a little and mix it up, repeating this until you have a somewhat thin, pourable consistency. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and baking powder, creating a small well in the center. Add the butter, egg, and milk and mix until you have a smooth consistency. Pour batter into your donut maker, filling each individual base to the top (careful not to put in too much, or you might end up with a donut explosion).

Cook 6-8 minutes, until the donuts are nicely golden. Cool on a wire rack, then dip and swirl them in the glaze. 2 or 3 dips should result in a nice layer of glaze for your donuts. Before the glaze hardens, decorate your donuts with sprinkles, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or whatever toppings you like.

With or without glaze, these donuts came out great. The cake was sweet and pancake-like and a perfect canvas for a variety of flavors.  Don't let their size fool you, these things are FILLING! Next time I might get a little fancier with them and flavor the cakes, maybe with cinnamon and nutmeg, chocolate, banana, or apple (apple fritters yummmmm) and try out some new glazes. 

Coffee and donuts, what could be better?