Apple Cinnamon Donuts

    

Apple Cinnamon Donuts

Well it seems fall has come overnight. School has started, the leaves are falling and the weather has suddenly cooled off. I caught the weather report this morning and he said that fall has arrived with this whole week being quite cool and fall like.

     Officially fall doesn't arrive until September 22. That is still a week away, but I've already started doing some baking and cooking that would be considered more fall like menu. It's those dishes that have those yummy aromas that just fill the kitchen and make you feel all warm inside. Seriously, on Friday when I was making dinner I felt like making a fire in my little chimney fireplace on my patio. The weather was perfect for it and my dinner was one of those fall/winter specialties.

     On the weekends I like to make breakfast. It's the only time that I feel like I don't have to rush around and I can just take my time making something delicious that everyone will enjoy. Sometimes it's as simple as scrambled eggs or pancakes. Sometimes I go a little more extravagant.

     This time I went for the more simple. I made donuts. I know some people think donuts that's hard. You need oil, a deep fat fryer and a donut maker. But all you need is a donut pan from the store. You can pick them up just about anywhere and they are not very expensive at all. You actually bake them and that couldn't be easier.

     Now these donuts that I made filled the house with that wonderful cinnamon smell. Just what you want to smell in the fall. They are very moist and your family will gobble them up. I doubled the recipe, because quite honestly 6 donuts would not be enough for my family. Twelve was more like it. That way we had a few for the next day too.

Apple Cinnamon Donuts
1 cup flour
3 T sugar
3 T brown sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
2 T half & half
1/4 cup applesauce ( I used one of those package cups of applesauce you use in your kids lunches)
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
1 T canola oil

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/2t cinnamon
1 T half & half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray your donut pan with cooking spray.
Mix the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In another bowl mix the half & half, applesauce, egg, vanilla and oil. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix well. Do not over mix.
To fill the donut pan I put the batter in disposable decorating bags and just snipped the end off to fill the pans. You will need to do this twice if you double the recipe.
Bake for 10-12 minutes and cool in the pan for about 4-5 minutes. While they are cooling you can make the glaze. Once they have cooled dip in the glaze and put on a wire rack. I would put wax paper or parchment paper under the wire racks as glaze will run off slightly and then clean up will be much easier.

Recipe adapted from Sallys Baking Addiction