BAKE | MAPLE BACON DONUTS

It has taken me a while to settle into the new year. But what better way to start than with bacon and donuts? Are you thinking bacon topped donuts? Yes? I like how you think. I've been putting doughnut pans on my Christmas wish list for three years now and this year I received FOUR of them! SO EXCITED! I knew the perfect way to start my doughnut baking was with these maple bacon donuts. If you couldn't tell, I. love. bacon. Joyce even got me a bacon calendar for Christmas :)
Anyways, while everyone else is starting their new year with healthy food and diets, I've decided to start mine with donuts. I had a smoothie with kale in it for breakfast and started 30 day Shred yesterday so that counts for something right?

 Healthy smoothies for breakfast means I can eat maple bacon donuts for lunch.

 Look at that browned butter goodness...

 Batter in bag totally makes this not messy. Make sure you seal that bag tight!

 Cinnamon browned butter filled pans ready for the oven!

 Ugh! I wish you could smell theseee

 Yay! They didn't get stuck. (loving my new Bobby Flay oven mitts from Trace!)

 Dunk them! My favorite part!

 12-1=11 just couldn't wait for the bacon

Bacon overloaddd! Are you drooling yet?

makes 12-16 donuts
recipe adapted from Shutterbean

Ingredients:
DONUTS

• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 TBS unsalted butter
• 2 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

MAPLE BACON GLAZE

• 2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 5 TBS maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-4 TBS whole milk
• 10 strips bacon, cooked & crumbled

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease donut pans and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar.  Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan melt butter over medium-low heat.  Butter will begin to crackle and pop as it melts. When the butter starts to smell nutty, remove from heat immediately and set aside to cool.
4. In a small bowl whisk together egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.  Add browned butter and whisk into the wet ingredients.
5. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir together until no flour bits remain and all of the ingredients are well combined being sure not to overmix batter.
6. Transfer batter into a plastic sandwich bag (quart-size works best). Snip the tip with a pair of scissors and pipe batter into each doughnut mold about 1/2 to 3/4 full with batter.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. They are ready to take out of the oven when you touch it with your finger and it springs back.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8. While the donuts cool, make the glaze: in a medium bowl, mix the confectioner’s sugar with maple syrup and vanilla extract until sugar starts dissolving. Slowly add milk to thin out the glaze. You might only need 2 tablespoons so mix as you go. Add more if necessary.
9. Dunk the donuts halfway into the glaze and then into the bacon bits. Place them on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath to catch the glaze if it drips. If your glaze starts to harden, place in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir before dunking. Donuts are best served the day they’re made. Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate if you have any left after day one.

I heart bacon & maple bacon donuts. 

xoxo, allison

p.s. thanks for being my food model Rachel!