All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Friday, October 24, 2008

Halloween Doughnuts



Every time I make these doughnuts I think of my late mother-in-law, who I adored. This is her mother's recipe - who knows how far back the origins really are.
Why Halloween, you ask? I've always like the idea of traditions, and when she first gave me the recipe, it was close to Halloween. I was a young chef in Cambridge, before children, and I wanted to make an old fashioned treat for the trick or treaters, instead of the standard Mounds or Snickers bars. Great hit! I made doughnuts until 10 pm, as word of mouth spread ("there's a lady making real doughnuts on Upland Road"), when I shut off the outside light, firmly.
This is a nice cake doughnut, not too sweet, and I make them tiny - mainly because I don't have a fryer, using a heavy bottomed pot full of vegetable oil instead. I use a large shot glass to stamp out the circles, then a large pastry tip to cut out the center hole.
You will need:
a fryer or a heavy bottomed saucepan 3/4 filled with vegetable oil
a colander
brown paper bags or paper towels for sugaring
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 t. mace
4 T. melted unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk
4-5 cups King Arthur flour ( or more, for rolling)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
Cinnamon sugar or confectioners sugar for shaking on finished doughnuts
Mix the ingredients together. The dough is fairly sticky. Sprinkle flour on the counter surface and scoop out a handful of dough. Gently roll out, using more flour as needed if it's too sticky.
Using a shotglass, stamp out small circles of dough. Dip a plain circle pastry tip into flour and stamp out the center hole. Continue to roll dough and cut out doughnuts until dough is used up.
Heat oil to hot, then turn down. If you have the oil too hot, not only will your doughnuts burn, but it's a fire hazard, so be careful.
Drop doughnuts in hot oil - they should float to the surface quickly. Turn doughnuts when lightly browned and let cook a little more. Using a slotted spoon, scoop doughnuts into the colander to drain. Set the doughnuts on a brown paper bag and sprinkle with sugar.
Upper photo featured in TasteSpotting

12 comments:

Martha said...

What a great tradition! I've never made doughnuts but you might have justinspired me!

Martha

Anonymous said...

These look amazing! (just as all of your other recipes do!!). Will you be making these for the Halloween trick-or-treaters this year? I'll be by in my costume!!

The lamb burger looks quite delicious too - I can't remember when I last ate lamb however.

Anonymous said...

Oh, try it, martha! It's so much fun, and so easy to whip up a few of these doughnuts. Delighted to lobby for a "old fashioned" Halloween - and happy you enjoyed.

Anonymous said...

Hi Barb - not sure I'll get any trick or treaters this year - I just moved out of town. In a small town, all the kids hit Main Street ( where I lived before - I got 140 kids!)- so making doughnuts was not manageable at those levels. Maybe I'll make some for ME.

I don't usually eat meat,but every once in a while, I get the urge for a burger and thought I'd try lamb for a change. I think it's probably less full of antibiotics and more field-grass munching, so it's probably a good choice if you want meat.
Always nice to see you come by!

Kelci said...

Hello again! Just wanted to let you know I submitted this blog entry about these lovely little gems to one of my favorite linking sites, tastespotting.com. It's too good not to share!

Anonymous said...

Sweet! I love TS - they've accepted one of my photos before and are one of my Twitter friends - but what a treat to have someone else think my photos are good enough for them! Thank you, Kelci.

Tarah at Genesis of a Cook said...

Yummy! I love it!!

Anonymous said...

Hey, thanks, tarah! Looks like TS liked this one - thanks again, Kelci!

Madeline said...

These look just like the mini doughnuts you get at the Fair. I still go every year not for the rides, just to get the doughnuts! How dangerously fabulous that now I can make them at home. Hopefully I'll be able show a little will power ;)

katrina said...

Ah, but why, Madeline? It's fun, tedious, and messy to make these up at home - and luckily, it doesn't make so many that you have a lot hanging around the kitchen, waiting to be eaten! Delighted you enjoyed!

Katrina

donna c. said...

Your commentary is as sweet as your recipe, Kat. These look terrific and I will definitely make them on Monday. I have a few neighborhood kids coming for homemade pizza before they go door-to-door. What a great treat to start them off with.

katrina said...

Thanks, donna! I can't believe this post is from 2008! I kept checking out my previous Halloween recipes since the beginning, searching for this recipe. Love making these, and I hope you love them too!