Thanksgiving-Hanukkah Treat
Combines Pumpkin and Honey
I’m always scouting around on the Internet looking for delicious honey recipes. Since Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall at the same time this year, I thought this recipe for Pumpkin and Honey Donuts would be wonderful for breakfast or a late night snack. This recipe comes courtesy of http://lohud.com (Lower Hudson Valley website).
Eat in Moderation
While a case can be made that some of the ingredients for this donut recipe are healthy, i.e., pumpkin, honey, lemon juice, the truth of the matter is that fried donuts are just one of those foods that are downright naughty. I’ve had some discussions with one of my medical mentors, and she says, “Eat what you enjoy. If you can eat a donut with joy and no guilt, do so.” I think I’d add the caveat that eating anything in excess isn’t good for you. My words of caution here are, “Plan to eat these donuts, and eat them in moderation.” Sometimes nothing but a donut will do. I get it. It’s probably why I feel like making these at home would be a better choice than buying donuts from a donut shop.
The Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (You can try this recipe with gluten free flour.)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup Bee Wild Gallberry honey
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the yeast, flour, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the water, pumpkin and egg until a thick, smooth batter forms. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 45 minutes.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and stir well. Remove from the heat.
- In a large, deep skillet over medium-high, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 F.
- Working in batches, carefully drop the batter by the tablespoonful into the hot oil. A cookie or small ice cream scoop makes this easier.
- Turning occasionally, fry the doughnuts until deep golden brown all over and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried doughnuts to a large bowl.
- Drizzle the honey syrup over the doughnuts and toss to coat.
- Repeat with remaining doughnuts. Serve immediately.
