These Tempting 2-Bite Sweet potato drop doughnuts are a perfect way to welcome fall. Warm spices and buttermilk give these treats their charming cider mill flavor! If you’re looking for a simple homemade doughnut recipe, give this one a try.
The dog has absolutely no significance other than it’s a cute little container I found last year at a local shop in Old Town Lansing, MI. However, it is the perfect size for holding a flight of doughnut holes. Old Town is a fun little cross section in Lansing with fun shops, galleries, great restaurants and a river walk. And there’s usually some festival or event going on any given weekend. I highly recommend a day trip. If you’re from the area, but haven’t been there in a while, maybe it’s time to revisit an old friend in Old Town.
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Familiar Fall favorites are calling
The first morning the air turns crisp, I find myself thinking of fall flavors. Hot chocolate, anything pumpkin spice, hearty soups and stews and of course, doughnuts are top of the list – especially when they are still warm.
And although they are not the typical doughnut you may think of in the fall, you may want to give these Tempting 2-Bite Sweet Potato Drop Doughnuts a try.
If you’re looking for something a little different, you can also use purple sweet potatoes in this recipe for Tempting 2-Bite Sweet Potato Drop Doughnuts. They are slightly less sweet, but you can get some of that sweetness back when you roll them in cinnamon sugar once cooled. You can also substitute pumpkin if you’d like to use that instead.
A word on working safely with hot oil
Few things scare me in the kitchen, but I have a very healthy respect for both hot sugar and hot oil. When working with oil, always make sure your work area is free of clutter. And by clutter, I mean other people, too. I tell my family the kitchen is off limits when I’m frying or working with sugar. No sliding in for a glass of water or to steal a doughnut! It’s just not worth the risk. It’s the one time I am unapologetic about telling people to get out of my kitchen – in the name of safety, of course.
I’m also an advocate for wearing long sleeves, pants, closed toe shoes and food-handler gloves if you got them. The gloves give an added layer of protection in the event of splatter. However, they’re thin enough so you don’t lose your grip when working with utensils.
Finally, when you’re done with the oil, turn it off and leave it alone. Never try to move a hot pot full of oil. Again, it’s not worth the risk. Let the thermometer tell you when the oil has gone down to room temperature and is safe to handle again.
Stations everyone! Work stations, that is.
In this recipe, I reference prepping your work stations. Some of this is suggested to boost efficiency. It’s also a safety feature. I’m left handed, so I work from left to right. If you’re right handed, you can adjust to do the opposite, of course. The idea is to create a mini assembly line when making these doughnuts.
Working left to right, I will have my doughnut batter and scoop at the 1st Station. Immediately to the right of the batter and scoop is my hot oil. That’s station 2. Immediately to the right of the hot oil is my paper towel lined cooling tray, or station 3 as I like to call it. Station 4 is the bowl of cinnamon sugar that the cooled doughnut holes are rolled in. Station 5 is our final station and that is the tray you place the finished doughnuts on.
It’s efficient, but more importantly, it’s a safer approach to making these Tempting 2-Bite Sweet Potato Drop Doughnuts. And honestly, it’s a good habit to get into when making any fried doughnut. It keeps you in one place, instead of moving around the kitchen. Movement equals risk and we aim to minimize risk.
Go boldly and fry up a batch of these Tempting 2-Bite Sweet Potato Drop Doughnuts!
I know it may seem a bit “extra”, but these practices make for a less stressful and more enjoyable experience. If you’re a seasoned veteran in the kitchen, you know these are just a few common safety practices you can use. If you’re new to cooking, you now have a few new tricks up your sleeve that you can share with your fellow foodies.
Now go forth and boldly fry up a batch of these Tempting 2-Bite Sweet Potato Drop Doughnuts! I know I’m partial, but I really do think they are the best homemade doughnut recipe. I highly recommend them with a cup of hot tea or cider. Fall never tasted so good.
Sweet Potato Drop Doughnuts
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate36
servings20
minutes1
hourWarm spices and buttermilk give these treats their charming cider mill flavor!
Ingredients
- For the doughnuts
2 Cups AP Flour
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. fresh orange zest
1 1/2 Tbsp. white vegetable shortening (I use Crisco)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cooked, mashed sweet potato
64 oz. of vegetable oil for frying
- For the cinnamon sugar coating
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp . ground cinnamon
Directions
- Prep your frying, cooling and sugar stations
- Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and set off to the side. See above for instructions on station set up. Prepare a separate tray for holding the finished doughnuts.
- In a heavy-bottom, medium-size sauce pot, add your vegetable oil. Over medium heat, slowly begin to warm the oil until it reaches 365 degrees F. Use a kitchen thermometer to maintain the heat at 365 degrees.
- Clear a space for your doughnut batter and have a 1 inch cookie scoop and a slotted spoon ready.
- In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 3/4 tsp. cinnamon. Set off to the side of your cooling tray.
- Prepare the dough
- Sift the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
- Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy.
- Add the orange zest, vanilla and egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure everything is thoroughly incorporated.
- Add the sweet potato and buttermilk. Mix thoroughly.
- Add the flour mixture until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is completely mixed.
- Frying the doughnuts
- When the oil has reached 365 degrees, dip the cookie scoop in the oil briefly before beginning to scoop and fry the doughnuts. This will help the dough release easier from the scoop.
- Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop a portion of the batter. Hovering with the scoop directly over the surface of the hot oil, squeeze the scoop and release the dough into the oil. There should be no splash and it may take a couple squeezes for the dough to completely release. The dough will sink briefly to the bottom before rising to the surface. Working quickly, but carefully, add 4-5 more scoops to the pot.
- Fry only as many doughnuts as will freely float around in the pot without touching. Allow the doughnuts to cook for 2 -3 minutes on each side or until a deep golden brown.
- Once cooked and brown, use a slotted spoon to remove the doughnuts from the oil and transfer them to the paper towels to cool and drain.
- When the doughnuts have cooled and can be handled with your bare fingers comfortably, roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Transfer them to your serving tray and enjoy.
- Repeat the process, working in batches of 4-6 doughnuts until all the batter is gone. Try to maintain the temperature of your oil at 365 degrees F at all times.
Notes
- Do a batch of regular sweet potato and purple sweet potato to mix things up.
- A note on thermometers. I have both an old fashioned candy thermometer and a digital one. I have found there is a 7 degree difference between the two. For this reason, I will use both in the pot when making these doughnuts. This helps me to more accurately hold the oil at the optimum temperature of 365 degrees F.
- You will need a 1-inch cookie scoop for this recipe. Do not go larger as the doughnuts will darken on the outside before the inside can cook completely.
