Baked Eggnog Donuts

I remember, when we bought our house 4+ years ago, thinking there's no way we'll ever have enough stuff to fill this place - it's so big! It's not actually a giant house, but in comparison to the apartment we'd been living in, it sure did seem like it. But, here we are, just a few short years later, and I'm wondering how we accumulated so much clutter, and where the heck to put it all. I won't pretend not to be part of the problem. My love of cookbooks and magazines knows no bounds, though to my credit I haven't purchased a single holiday baking magazine yet this month :)

Because we're short on space, before buying any new kitchen pans or gadgets, I always ask myself - do I really need this, how much will I really use it? For the longest time those questions stopped me from buying a donut pan because, the truth is, you don't really need a donut pan to make donuts. I've made yeasted donuts and fried them a few times, and while they're insanely delicious, there's definitely a fair amount of effort involved. With this nifty pan, I can have baked donuts on the table in less than 30 minutes. Plus, they're baked - so I don't have to fuss with a big pan of hot oil. It's a win all around. That said, I still couldn't seem to justify the purchase, so instead I stuck the donut pan on my birthday wish list this year.



It took me longer than I'd like to admit to take my new pan for a test run, but now that I have, there's no looking back. These donuts were seriously fun to whip up! You don't even need a mixer to make them - just one bowl, a whisk, and you're good to go! I've been bookmarking baked donut recipes for months (you wouldn't believe the endless flavor possibilities out there), and now I can finally begin whittling down that list. I started with this eggnog variation because I am desperately trying to use the eggnog in my fridge before it goes bad, and they really turned out well. The donuts are moist with an eggnog flavor that is prominent but not completely overwhelming. Topped with a little eggnog glaze and some candy cane sprinkles, they couldn't be more festive. There is a bit of a learning curve with the pan - I overfilled the wells and wound up with giant donuts, but it's just incentive to try again soon I suppose, right?

PS - Don't have a donut pan? Stay tuned, there just might be a chance to win one coming up soon :)



Baked Eggnog Donuts
from Shugary Sweets

Donuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg, at room temperature
3/4 cup eggnog, at room temperature
1/4 cup applesauce

Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons eggnog
sprinkles to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray 2 donut pans (6 wells each) with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the egg, eggnog and applesauce and beat until well combined. The batter will be fairly thick.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag or large resealable bag. Cut the bottom (or corner if you're using a ziptop bag), and pipe the batter into the wells of the donut pans, filling each about 1/2-3/4 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed.

Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the donuts cool for a few minutes before turning them out to cool completely.

To make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and eggnog in a wide, shallow bowl until smooth. Dip the donuts into the glaze then garnish with sprinkles (if using) while it's wet. Allow the glaze to set before serving. Store the donuts in an airtight container.

Makes 12 donuts