Snowy Day Donuts

It's snowing ~ finally!!  What a perfect day to hang out in the kitchen and bake.  Coming out of the oven today are donuts!!  Blueberry-Corn Donuts (what self-respecting farm girl doesn't have cornmeal in the cupboard?) and Pumpkin Spice Donuts (seems like a festive recipe for a festive time of year).

My back yard...see the wagon wheel bench Cowboy made for me?

I have Pandora playing my Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky radio station....and it's like I'm in a cartoon.  Who knew my early years in front of Looney Tunes would have made me such a well-rounded, cultural person?   The musical scores in those cartoons were my introduction to music history:  the symphonies, concertos, sonatas.  Thank you, Bugs Bunny, for my classical education!!






*note:  these recipes were baked in the donut pan purchased from King Arthur Flour's website:  http://www.kingarthurflour.com

Blueberry Corn Donuts

Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 - 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 - 3/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Spray donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2.  Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in mixing bowl.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, melted butter and egg.
4.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir just until combined.
5.  Fold in blueberries just until combined.

Fill each donut cup with 3 heaping spoonfuls of batter.  Bake until firm and golden, about 12 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  When completely cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Makes 6 - 8 donuts.  (I got 6 because I ate some of the batter)


Pumpkin-Spice Donuts

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 - 1/2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Spray donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2.  Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg in a mixing bowl.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine sugar, molasses, oil, egg, pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.
4.  Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Fill each donut cup with 3 heaping spoonfuls of batter.  Bake until tops spring back slightly at the touch of your finger, about 12 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  When completely cook, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Makes 6 donuts.