Easiest Doughnuts Ever

So, I know that it's the New Year. And most people are trying to watch what they eat, and cut out the fats and sweets (heaven forbid!) but I can only do that for so long before I go crazy. This mama needs her carbs and sugar (especially chocolate) so what did I make the kids for breakfast this morning? Doughnuts.
   I know, it's far from a healthy breakfast, but sometimes food is about making memories and something really delicious instead of something healthy and waist-line friendly. So, today we splurged.
   I wish I could say that I made it all from scratch (because that is my preferred method of cooking) but I didn't. I made all the toppings, glazes and fillings from scratch from things I had on hand, but this was a last minute decision. I didn't want to wait for hours for the dough to rise and shape. So, instead I turned to the canned biscuit. I had bought some a little while ago to make some of my Breakfast Biscuit Muffins (stuffed with either sausage, egg and cheese or bacon, egg and cheese or maybe even Nutella and banana). Every morning, I would open the fridge, look at these canned biscuits and think "I'll make those tomorrow" and then be good and grab some yogurt, cottage cheese and pineapple for breakfast instead.
   I was being good . . . sticking to my healthy eating resolve, and trying to eat less processed foods (it seems like everyone is jumping on that bandwagon lately). So, the biscuits sat in the fridge. And sat. And sat. Until this morning, when I woke up with literally a song on my lips and a smile on my face and decided that I was making doughnuts!
    I'm sure you guys have seen these doughnuts floating around the internet and blogosphere; and for good reason. These are seriously the easiest doughnuts you could ever make and they taste heavenly. They are slightly crispy on the outside and soft and pillow-y on the inside. I've been making them for years (ever since I saw Paula Deen do it on the Food Network many many years ago). But, I have never shared them with you. Probably because it's not really a recipe, just a method. But, in case you haven't seen them somewhere else already I didn't want to deprive you of them any longer.

   Here's all you have to do . . . are you ready? . . . Pen and paper handy? . . .

Here it is:

1.Heat some frying oil (peanut, soy, veg, sunflower, grape-seed, whatever you wish) in a large pan on the stove.

2. Open the biscuits, and cut them into any shape you wish (or don't cut them and fill them after frying)

3. When the oil is hot, place the biscuits into the oil one at a time.

4. Flip the doughnuts, and fry until both sides are golden brown.

5. Remove to a cooling rack or paper towel lined plate and then glaze, dip, coat, roll and fill them any way you wish.

Ta-Da! That's it! Seriously, it couldn't get any easier. And while it's so easy anyone could do it, I do have a couple tips that will help:

1. Make sure your pan is not filled more than 1/2 way with oil. I like to use a big soup pot and then only fill it up about 1/3 of the way, so I know for sure I won't have any issues with the oil bubbling over and setting my kitchen on fire. Frying is dangerous business so be careful!!

2. When I'm not looking to impress anyone, I usually just cut each biscuit into fourths and then fry them up like doughnut holes. But, if I want them to look like actual doughnuts I would buy from the shop in town then I use a pairing knife to cut a circle out of the center of the biscuits, and then stretch the "o" shape so the hole is a little bigger than seems necessary. The doughnuts rise as they fry so the hole becomes smaller as it cooks.

3. To test the oil, without a thermometer, I usually put the handle end of a wooden spoon straight down into the pot. If bubbles form around the handle then it's hot enough. I fry over medium heat. The last doughnuts you fry will be darker than the first ones you fry because the oil will darken in color the more you cook.

4. When frying the doughnuts, Cook them for 30 seconds on one side and then turn over. I like to use a "spider" for this, but a metal slotted spoon would work too. If the dough sits for too long on one side at first, then it will get too heavy and not want to flip over and cook the second side. Continue flipping every so often until they are golden brown on all sides. (Doughnut holes take just a minute or two, where as full/uncut biscuits take about 5 minutes total).

5. If you want powdered sugar doughnuts or cinnamon sugar doughnuts, then just put the freshly fried doughnuts in a brown paper bag bag, along with your coating of choice, and shake until coated. If you want a glaze, them mix up powdered sugar and milk or water. (About 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp milk or water - adding more liquid if needed). If you want a chocolate glaze, just add some cocoa powder to the aforementioned glaze. If you are looking for a jelly filled doughnut, then just use a small knife to make a hole in one side of the full doughnut and then pipe in some jelly/jam - I just use a zip-top bag with one corner cut off as my piping bag. I really enjoy my Special Strawberry Jam for filling. Once filled, then top generously with powdered sugar.

I made glazed, chocolate glazed, cinnamon sugar holes and strawberry jelly-filled doughnuts.

I think the family liked them. ;)

I took the last strawberry filled doughnut (that one of my Angles tried to liberate the powdered sugar from) and topped it with the left-over chocolate glaze. Yum!

Really, the possibilities are endless and only limited by your imagination. There are days when I will take the time to make the dough from scratch, but on days when I just want a doughnut NOW, without all the fuss, these are definitely the way to go! Enjoy!!