I know I’ve been MIA for a while–a long while.  What seemed like a short break from writing and posting turned out to be more of an extended absence.  Life, more specifically work-life, had taken a greedy gluttonous bite out of my free time (and maybe even a sizable nibble at my soul).  When I had time and energy to playing around in the kitchen, I often did so on a whim, without much thought beyond how it made me feel or the pleasure it would bring to my friends and neighbors who have been and continue to be my enthusiastic taste-testers.  Cooking (and more often than not baking) is my form of therapy–always has been.  After a particularly frustrating day at work, whipping up a batch of double chocolate cupcakes was my way of expelling the negative energy swarming my body.  The simple ritual of measuring out and mixing the ingredients quieted my mind and calmed my soul.  Yes, I did want and need to eat chocolate (who am I kidding?), but the decision to make frosted cupcakes was a calculated one.  The aroma of cocoa powder being sifted into a bowl, the luxurious feel of batter being scooped into cupcake molds, and the seductive scent of chocolate cake rising in the oven added layers of satisfaction to the whole experience, like piping on swirls of fudge frosting.  Therapy is more about the process, not the end product.   Although, I do have to say it was one damn delicious, completely satisfying cupcake.

As with most of my spur of the moment therapy sessions, I didn’t exactly go off a recipe per se–more like I scanned my pantry and frig for ingredients then fiddled with a basic recipe that could be altered to work with what I had.  For this particular cupcake, I used a combination of coconut oil, butter, and Greek yogurt for the fat.  The frosting was leftover dark chocolate mixed with coconut oil, cocoa, sea salt, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and butter.

For the last several months, I’ve been watching cooking segments on YouTube before going to sleep as a way to relax and “power down.”  My favorites are Gourmet Makes… on the Bon Appètit channel where Claire attempts to recreate (and better) iconic foods like Pop Tarts, Snickers, and instant ramen and Binging with Babish, Andrew Rea’s comical take of food and pop culture.

On some occasions–usually after a rough night of sleep–I wake up wanting to cook or bake something, which is fine on a weekend.  Such was the case yesterday, when I woke up with the urge to fry up some donuts.  Yeasted or raised donuts aren’t a good option when you want (sort of) instant gratification.  Consequently, I opted for cake donuts.  Luckily for me I had all the required ingredients to make said cake donuts, and then some.

First, I started with a good recipe I found on the BA channel on YouTube.  I’d tried the recipe once before, subbing out a few ingredients with favorable results–neighbors had devoured them.  This time I decided to change it up again, subbing out 1/4 c. all-purpose flour for 1/4 c. instant mashed potato flakes, adding pumpkin pie spice, and making a bourbon maple glaze–an ode to fall.   I’ve made yeasted donut dough with instant mashed potato flakes before and really liked how the potato flakes produced a fluffy and tender donut.  Could it do the same thing for cake donuts?  The answer is yes it can.  In fact, there is a famous donut shop in Portland, Maine called The Holy Donut that features potato as their signature ingredient.  From start to finish my donut therapy session took about 45 mins.  The end result was a plateful of delectably tender warm spiced donuts finished with a bourbon-spiked maple glaze.  My neighbors deemed them exceptional, so much so they inhaled the donut before a sip of coffee.  Nothing like positive reinforcement to start the day!

Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts

Yield:  about 9 donuts & holes

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. instant mashed potato flakes
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 3/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. whole milk Greek yogurt
• 4 T. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract

Preheat the frying oil to 360°F, preferably in a deep heavy bottom pot.

Whisk together the dry ingredients to combine.  In a separate larger bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, then stir in the dry ingredients to form a shaggy dough.  Gently work the dough with one hand just to incorporate all the dry ingredients.  Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to 1/2″ thickness.  Use a 3.5″ round cutter to punch out the circles, then use 1.5″ round cutter to punch out the holes.  Brush off any excess flour from the surface of the dough before frying.  Fry the dough in small batches–try to maintain the oil temperature between 350-355°F.  Flip the donuts once the first side is golden brown.  Allow donuts to drain and cool on a wire rack before dipping top half in glaze.

Maple Bourbon Glaze

• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• pinch of Kosher salt
• 1 t. maple extract
• 2 T. bourbon
• 1-2 T. whole milk

Whisk together ingredients until smooth.  Adjust the amount of milk to desired thickness.