French Crullers with Orange Blossom Honey Glaze

So...these happened today.

They're from that Doughnuts book I showed you on Friday. They're really good.

French crullers are made from pate a choux, which is the cooked French dough that is the basis of creme puffs as well as many other pastries. I've never made it before, so that was it's own party. Then you pipe the dough onto parchment paper and fry the donuts one-by-one.

The glaze is really what made this. I have some orange blossom honey, and Alton Brown taught me that the type of flower gives the honey a subtle flavor of that flower, so the orange blossom honey tastes a little bit orange-y.

I am in a sugar coma right now. And I have to go to two meetings and finish my homework.

I'll add the recipe later...

Welcome Fall: Orange Pumpkin Donuts, Oktoberfest, and Football

Today was the first University of Iowa football game of the season. I live very close to the stadium (though less close than I did for the past two years) so of course the tailgaters woke me up.

For me, football season means fall. It's fall now, damn it. I don't care that Iowa City felt like a tropical rainforest as recently as Thursday. It is fall and I am going to make pumpkin things.

Matt and I went to the store once the game had gotten going and Iowa was basically assured a win and I got what I was missing in order to make my very favorite pumpkin donuts. This recipe is one of the most popular on my blog and they are absolutely delicious. Important tip: get a candy thermometer that goes up to 400 degrees so you can make sure your oil stays at the correct temperature of 375.

I coated half of these donuts in cinnamon sugar and half of them in orange glaze. I can't decide which one I like better. Both are delicious. 

Matt was also very excited when we were at the store because Sam Adams Oktoberfest was available. Fall! Fall things!

Also, we are puppysitting for my mom this week. Puppy makes it difficult to take photos because she wants to eat everything. But she is so frickin' cute.

Also, this weekend is another Saturday Show Off.



Go check out what other people created on this gorgeous faux fall day!

Pumpkin Donuts

Fall made me pumpkin crazy. I made far too many pumpkin recipes. One of the best, however, were these pumpkin donuts with citrus glaze.

I adapted the recipe from the Neely's Maple Glazed Donuts.

To make these beauties, you'll need:

3 and 3/4 Cups of All-purpose flour
1 and 1/4 Cups of granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder (Make sure it's fresh!)
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon of Clove
(You can substitute Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Clove with Pumpkin Pie Spice - 1.5 Teaspoons!)
1 Teaspoon of Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup of Buttermilk (You can also substitute milk and vinegar or lemon juice - look here for how!)
3/4 Cup of Canned Pumpkin
3 Tablespoons of Melted Butter
1/2 Teaspoon of Almond Extract
1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
Oil for Frying

1. Start oil heating over medium heat - you're aiming of 375 degrees
2. Mix together dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Mix wet and dry together until fully combined.
3. Turn dough out onto floured service and roll out to 1/2" thick. Cut out donuts with a round cookie cutter or the bottom of a glass. Cut out the center with a small cookie cutter or a soda bottles cleaned lid. Works wonderfully! Be sure to cut the center out as it helps for even frying.
4. Fry the donuts and let them dry on a wrack on a cookie sheet with paper towel underneath to absorb the oil.

Orange Glaze
1 Cup of Powdered Sugar
1-3 Tablespoons of Orange Juice (pulp free is best)

1. Stir sugar and orange juice together adding more orange juice until is a smooth consistency.
2. Pour glaze into a bowl and dip tops of the donuts one at a time and then let the glaze dry over the tops.

Enjoy while watching a new episode of 30 Rock with your favorite law school classmates and their significant others.