March 14, 2012

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

I was busy with family things in February so I missed wishing everyone a Happy Valentines Day.

Shamefully, although I didn't send wishes to others, some dear folks sent me gifts of cards and chocolates and a variety of delightful surprises. I can't even describe how much those gestures lifted my spirits in a time when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.One far away friend sent me this cute donut pan and a pre-made donut mix, just add an egg and some melted butter, then bake.

At first I thought, well, that's funny, because I never make donuts.

But I soon realized that I was wrong... because I do make donuts! (At least I do now!)

The mix was a perfect introduction to making donuts. It was so quick and easy. Within minutes it produced a plate of warm delicious apple-cinnamon baked cake donuts. And when I ate them I realized that baked cake donuts were exactly what I needed at that moment.

Then, a few days later I wanted more. So I used the recipe that came with the donut pan:It is a simple recipe.Whisk the dry ingredients together. (I used my heart bowl since I was making these for Belated Valentines Day.)Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and beat well. (The mixture is quite thick.)I spooned it into a plastic bag and cut a hole in one corner of the bag so I could pipe it into the heart shapes of the donut pan.But first I brushed the hearts with melted butter.Bake at 400° for 4-5 minutes.I squeezed a couple of drops of red food color into some sugar and stirred it around to make the donuts pretty in pink.When they came out of the oven I brushed them with a little bit more melted butter and then I dipped them in the pink sugar. (Then I realized it worked better to just sprinkle the sugar over them.)

I loved the taste of these, especially the touch of nutmeg, but the texture was not quite as light and cakey as the donuts made from the mix.But they were so easy and so delightful I had to share them with you anyway. Maybe the recipe just needs a tiny bit of tweaking... hmmm, what a good excuse to make some more donuts!

Happy Belated Valentines Day!

3 comments:

Candy C. said...

Happy Belated Valentine's Day to you too! :)
I love the photo of all your ingredients laid out!
I would have never thought of putting the batter in a plastic bag and piping it into the pan, although I use that method all the time for filling deviled eggs.
I definitely think you need to make some more to "fine tune" the recipe! ;-)

homegrown countrygirl said...

Candy ~ I never thought of using the plastic bag to fill deviled eggs! Thanks, Candy! We both gave each other ideas!

MARARIA said...

oh dear, happy belated Valentine´s day too. I like those heart shaped Valentine´s donuts, the recipe seems really easy.thanks for sharing!