I've tried to make donuts on at least more than one occasion and they haven't turned out great. They're never quite soft enough. That could be because I bake them instead of frying them, or it could be because I'm just not meant to be a maker of donuts. But, just because I wasn't successful in my first few attempts doesn't mean that I've given up on trying.
For Christmas my mom got me a donut hole maker. I didn't ask for one, but every once in awhile she surprises me with a fun gift that wasn't on my Christmas list. I've been excited to use my new donut hole maker (you can check it out here) but just haven't had the time... until now.
The donut hole maker came with a couple recipes so I figured I would just start with the first one and work my way through. Like project cupcake, only with a lot less cupcakes. I think there are about 5 total recipes in the little booklet, but I'm not positive. I'd have to get up and walk to the kitchen to be sure and I just don't feel like doing that, so you'll have to take my word for it.
I prepared the donut maker as directed by wiping it down and spraying it with non-stick spray. I allowed it to preheat while I made the batter. The instructions said to pour in the batter, but that seemed to be a problem since the batter wasn't really pourable. It was quite thick and doughy, like the batter is when I've made certain kinds of breads. Since pouring wasn't an option I spooned the batter into the wells. I used a heaping teaspoon for the spooning. The booklet didn't provide much direction in regards to how much batter should be put into the wells, so I just did what I thought was right. They were almost filled, but not quite. I knew if I filled them too full the batter would seep out the sides while they baked, which did happen with 2 of the donuts. I thought that was pretty successful, especially for my first try.
The booklet said to "bake" the donut holes for 3-7 minutes and until golden brown. After 3 minutes they were golden brown but they were not cooked all the way through, so I popped them back in and let them bake for the full 7 minutes and they turned out perfectly. The recipe also said after the donuts were finished I could roll them in various kinds of toppings and to use my imagination. I was tired today so my imagination only pushed me as far as rolling some of them in confectioner's sugar like these...
and the others in cinnamon and sugar like these...
Maybe next time I'll try frosting and sprinkles or even a filling if I start to feel really crazy!
So far these donuts turned out much better than my past attempts, but I still had to taste them. They weren't great, but they weren't terrible either. For starters, they were larger than I would have liked. Like larger than a golf ball, and I think that's just too large for a donut hole. They should be little, like the size of a ping-pong ball. While the donut holes were still a little crispy they were definitely softer than before, but the consistency still isn't quite right for my preference. I like my donuts (and I almost never actually eat them, they're delicious, but not good for for someone who is shedding for a wedding like me) to be lighter and fluffier than the ones I made. But, I'm not giving up hope because there are still more recipes to try and at least one of them has to be good... I hope.
