Applesauce Cinnamon Donuts

 

So these aren't your store-bought donuts, by any means, they're definitely homemade, but cakey and delicious all the same.

Applesauce Cinnamon Donuts

3/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 cup applesauce (see recipe at bottom of page)
1 tbsp. shortening
1 egg
2-1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2-3 tbsp. cinnamon sugar

Blend together brown sugar, applesauce, shortening and egg.  Don't worry if the shortening doesn't blend easily, it will get incorporated in the next couple of steps.

 

Mix together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.

Add the applesauce mixture to the dry mix and bring together into a dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll to 1/2" thick.  If the dough is too sticky, you might need to add more flour. See note below.

Cut with a doughnut cutter.  Or you can use two biscuit cutters to make it doughnut-shaped.

Fry in hot oil (about 365 degrees) until browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Drain and then roll in cinnamon sugar.

NOTES

My donuts turned out a bit denser than originally planned because it's been raining this week and the extra moisture in the air made it necessary to add more flour to make the dough malleable and non-super sticky.  Use your best judgment when adding the flour.  You don't want it to be too dry, but you don't want it sticking to everything either (makes it tricky to roll out when it plasters to the rolling pin).

I don't have a Fry Baby or Daddy, so I used a wok with a rack that fit around the edge which worked really well for draining the donuts before rolling them.

You can roll your donuts in regular sugar too, or make a glaze by mixing powder sugar and water until it forms a thick glaze and dip you donuts in that. Get creative.