It’s time to talk about one of my favorite desserts: Powdered Sugar Donut Holes.
Why are Powdered Sugar Donut Holes the book-inspired recipe for Daisy Jones & The Six?
Yeah, so…there’s a lot of drug use in Daisy Jones & The Six. Like, A LOT.
Not exactly what book-inspired recipe dreams are made of.
As a nod to the mountains of cocaine snorted up by every wannabe and actual rock star from the 1970s, I’m making Powdered Sugar Donut Holes on the blog today.
I’m pretty sure Daisy and her bandmates went to more than one event with a lil’ white powder on their noses, so these doughnuts seem totally appropriate.
Baked, Not Fried…
Let’s get the basics out of the way so you’ll know if these Powdered Sugar Donut Holes are for you:
This doughnut recipe doesn’t use yeast. And, it doesn’t use oil.
That means there’s no frying involved. NO WEIRD SMELLING KITCHEN FOR THREE DAYS AFTERWARD.
Because these are cake-style donut holes that you bake in the oven. In a mini-muffin tin. Making your kitchen smell freakin’ delicious.
Lemme tell ya – Powdered Sugar Donut Holes are addictive. I ate one…then I ate three…then I ate five…and then I had to physically restrain myself from scampering back into the kitchen to grab some more.
I’m shocked there was anything left to photograph for this post.
Why I love Powdered Sugar Donut Holes
The itty-bitty size of these baked doughnuts makes them perfectly poppable. They’re light and airy, soft and moist; taking a bite is like nestling your teeth into a little cloud.
They have a hint of nutmeg, which reminds me of apple cider donuts, and the powdered sugar just coats everything in confection perfection.
Powdered Sugar Donut Holes taste SO much like the box o’ Ententmann’s I used to buy when I was kid. Remember those? Of course you do.
Those doughnuts were the unofficial treats of band camp; I’d dutifully haul 2-3 boxes alongside my clarinet to the cabin every summer. After hours and hours of marching on a scorching hot football field, nothing recharges you like tossing back handfuls of donut holes.
The same could probably be said about hours and hours of rock n’ roll rehearsals. Or, hours of recreational drug use that will bring on a serious case of the munchies…
The takeaway from all this? All bases are covered when you’ve got Powdered Sugar Donut Holes handy.
What do you serve with Powdered Sugar Donut Holes?
Coffee and donuts go hand in hand, so skip the Dunkin’ Donuts and the Starbucks lines by making an Iced Dirty Chai Latte or an Iced Caramel Macchiato at home while your Powdered Sugar Donut Holes bake.
To create an awesome breakfast buffet, serve the donuts alongside some Morning Bun Muffins, Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal, and Homemade Fruit and Nut Granola.
Powdered Sugar Donut Holes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, near room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Spray the cavities of two, 24-cavity mini muffin tins with baking spray and place on baking sheets. Set aside.
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Use a handmixer to beat together the butter, veggie oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until smooth.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time to make sure each one is fully incorporated into the batter.
- Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula (you’re done with the handmixer now) and stir in the vanilla, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the batter.
- Add the flour and the milk to the batter, alternating between each addition and stiring until ingredients are just combined; you don’t want to overmix, but you don’t want to see streaks of flour or puddles of milk, either.
- Fill each mini muffin tin cavity to just about 3/4 of the way — which is about 2 tsp of batter per cavity. These donut holes will poof up a lot in the oven, and we’re aiming for a ball shape instead of a muffin shape.
- Bake the donut holes at 325F for 9-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake!
- Remove donut holes from oven. Let cool 3-5 minutes in the tins, then turn them out onto a wire cooling rack. When they’re completely cool, roll them in the powdered sugar and serve.**
