Sugary Rings of Sweet Joy

School starts back on the 13th and I'm trying to get aaaaallll the baking out of my system.  I received a doughnut pan as a Christmas gift and, oh my lanta, I've been itching to use it.  Of course you can always make doughnuts in a big pot of sizzling oil, I like mine baked.  Yesterday I made cinnamon sugar doughnuts and today was all about chocolate. You really need a doughnut pan to make these, otherwise they'll just be "buns."

The basic recipe is the same for both doughnuts: the only difference is in the topping.

For the cinnamon doughnuts, I melted two tablespoons of butter and brushed it over one side of the doughnuts with a silicone pastry brush.  I mixed 1/4 cup granulated sugar with a tablespoon of ground cinnamon and dipped the wet side of the doughnuts in to coat them. I also substituted granulated sugar for brown, and white vinegar for apple cider vinegar.

For the chocolate doughnuts I just dunked the tops in chocolate ganache. To make ganache, just melt 1 & 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1/2 cup heavy cream over medium. Stir it until smooth and transfer it to a bowl for dipping. When you dip them in the chocolate, press the doughnuts face down and lift them up and out: don't twist them.  Adorn them with colorful sprinkles, coconut flakes, or chopped nuts (I went with sprinkles!) I also added 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg the doughnuts.  What's that? You have a lot of chocolate ganache leftover? Don't say it like it's a bad thing! It goes great with ice-cream or crepes.

What do doughnuts go great with? Coffee and friends! I got this precious giraffe mug at World Market and it comes in a set of four; enough for your friends. My favorite drink at Starbucks is a white mocha latte. Rather than spending 4-5 dollars on coffee everyday, I came up with a quick fix. I put 10-15 white chocolate chips in the bottom of my mug and pour the hot coffee over it. It's not quite the same thing as Starbucks, but it satisfies my craving. 

Oh la la. Doughnuts are easy to make and should be properly love and adored, otherwise you have no business making them in the first place. 

Peace and love. XXX.