Cinnamon Doughnuts

My friends were hosting a Superbowl party on Sunday and had decided to deep fry a turkey. I was asked to bring dessert. Since I had never before used a backyard deep fryer I was inspired to make doughnuts. How fun to be able to commune with nature while baking! I opted for a quick cake-like doughnut rather than a yeast based recipe (I only had about 1 hour before the game started). Of course you don't need a deep fryer to make these little pillows of heaven. Just add a few inches of vegetable oil to a sauce pan and you have a make-shift fryer. Doughnuts are so much fun to make and even more fun to eat! I sifted powdered sugar over mine and served them with a chocolate and a caramel dipping sauce. Feel free to roll them in cinnamon sugar after they come out of the fryer or glaze them with icing. This recipe can be altered to taste by adjusting the extracts and spices. Have fun!

Cinnamon Doughnuts
makes about 30 mini

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla

vegetable oil

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients together.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix to combine fully. Wrap dough in plastic and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. Liberally flour a flat surface and roll out dough to about 1/2" thickness. Use round cutters to cut out dough and make sure to cut out the center for a classic doughnut shape. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Heat oil to 370 degrees. VERY carefully drop doughnuts into oil one at a time, being careful not to overcrowd. **To safety drop the doughnuts into the oil, touch the dough to the oil then slowly let it go. This technique will prevent the oil from popping back at you.** After a minute or so, use a metal spatula to flip the doughnuts over in the oil. Wait another 30 seconds then carefully remove doughnuts from oil and allow to drain on a paper towel.
6. Serve warm with your choice of toppings.