Mmmmmmmm... Donuts!

It all started this morning when I woke up at 5:30am, rolled over and thought, "mmmmmmmm. I could sure go for a Boston Cream Donut right now." Yeah. I know. I'm just odd that way.

The little voice in my head wouldn't let up with the donut business so at 7:30am I caved into the pressure. (I have a very insistent and persuasive inner voice apparently!). No. I didn't pack the boys into the truck and head into town to Tim Horton's if that's what you thought. I haven't gone quite that far over the edge yet. What I did do is pull out my bread machine (although you could do the dough by hand just the same as any other yeast dough). A few hours later the boys and I had a tasty treat for our late morning snack. Then Little Toddler Man helped himself to another tasty treat as an early afternoon snack, and tried yet again to snag a post super snack as well.

Toddler logic gets me every time! The early afternoon snack occurred while I was otherwise occupied for about 45 seconds. I heard some rumblings around the kitchen and next thing I heard was a sweet little voice ever so generously offering me a donut (it was a donut hole to be precise - from the bowl, up on the second shelf of the cupboard. GAH!!!!)

I accepted the offered morsel and enquired of my Little Man, "Did you have one?". "Yes, Mommy!" came the happy reply. Then I discovered the now empty bowl. This was the conversation.

Me: Did you eat all the little donuts?
LTM (looking as innocent as a newborn babe): No, Mommy. I saved you one!
Me: Yes, I know and thank you, but did you eat all the ones that were left?"
LTM: No, Mommy. You ate one of them.

Yep. All I could do was laugh. Toddler logic. You'll never win in a battle of wits with an almost three year old.

Anyways. In case you'd like to make some tasty treats for yourself, here's my recipe!

Donuts

1/2 cup milk, warmed up (you don't want to give your yeast hypothermia after all!)
1/4 cup warm water
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp bread machine yeast

If using a bread machine add ingredients to the machine in order given and set on dough setting. If doing by hand, combine liquid, with 1 TBSP of the sugar, stir in yeast (If you're using regular yeast 2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast = 1 TBSP or 1 pkg regular yeast, so you'll want to adjust accordingly). Set yeast aside. Mix remaining sugar, salt and shortening together, and once yeast has foamed up, stir it into the sugar mixture. Stir in flour, knead until smooth, then let it rise until doubled.

Once dough has risen or machine is done turn onto a lightly floured board and let rest for ten minutes. Roll dough to 1/2" thickness and cut out donuts using a donut cutter or, a round cookie cutter if making filled donuts. Let rise about an hour until doubled, then fry. Mine took about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes per side, but every fryer might be different so just turn them when they're golden brown. When done, set on paper towel lined pans to drain and cool. We tossed our donut holes in icing sugar when they were cooling, but the donuts and filled donuts got chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

1/3 cup butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup hot water

Cream butter, then combine all ingredients together until a smooth consistency.

Boston Cream Filling

1 pkg of instant vanilla pudding (4 serving size)
1 3/4 cups of milk

Prepare pudding as directed on pkg using the reduced amount of milk and chill till set. Make a slit into the donuts almost all the way through to the other side, then using a pastry bag fill with pudding.

I hope you enjoy these as much as the little boys and I did!


PS: that would be a picture of LTM trying to sneak another donut...
Me: What are you doing?
LTM: Nothing! My face isn't dirty!