Eat This: Polar Vortex Doughnuts

You may have heard: it's really, really cold in Minnesota right now--some sort of polar vortex weather phenomena is hovering over the state--just like a dementor waiting to suck out all of your happy.  Luckily,  I have figured out that doughnuts are the perfect antidote to happiness-sucking weather.  Makes perfect sense, no?   When a tornado hits, head to the basement, and when a besieged by a polar vortex, make doughnuts.

So, I dug out my as-yet-unused doughnut baking pan (best $8 investment ever...), toasted up some coconut and got down to business.  I actually started thinking about making something like this back when I made Joy's doughnut muffins...and through some adaptation of the doughnut recipe found on the back of the actual doughnut pan packaging, came up with this recipe.

This dough comes together in about 5 minutes, and the glaze took about the same.  You bake the doughnuts for 15 minutes and suddenly there you have it--ta-da!--cake doughnuts!  No standing over hot frying oil, little extra fat beyond what you choose to grease the pan with, and so little time invested!

I will caution you to only fill your doughnut pan about 3/4 of the way full--while I did leave a little space in mine, they cooked over and actually eclipsed their holes.   They also have what I think of as a very narrow doughnut tutu.  No matter, I just got a paring knife and cut out the holes and gobbled those up while still warm.  I then triple-dipped them in the vanilla bean glaze and sprinkled heavily with the toasted coconut.  I would recommend letting them set up for an hour so the glaze will not ooze all over your fingers, dropping a party of coconut confetti after each bite--but this did not deter my family.  We oozed, we partied, we tucked into the doughnuts with wild abandon while shaking our fists out the window at the scowling polar vortex.

So, what are you waiting for?  You do not need a polar vortex of your own to make these--just a doughnut baking pan and 30 minutes and you are on your way to world filled with warm and happy thoughts no matter the weather.  Now go on...

DOWNLOAD BAKED COCONUT DOUGHNUTS RECIPE