Caramel Macchiato Donuts

I've been on a bit of a donut (doughnut?) bender lately. I've had so much fun creating new donut flavors so bear with me, there will be several donut posts coming your way in the next little while. 

I'm starting with my caramel macchiato recipe because caramel happens to be a little bit of heaven on earth, not to mention it is cold outside and coffee flavored things make life that much more bearable. 

Have you ever made donuts? You really should give it a try. The only thing that freaks me out a little is deep frying. All that hot oil is scary! I'm slowly getting over my fear though, getting to eat donuts is a pretty big incentive. 

Caramel Macchiato Donuts

Ingredients

Donut

2 cups buttermilk

2/3 cup brown sugar

4 1/2 tsp yeast

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp caramel extract

2 tsp salt

4 - 5 cups flour

Oil for deep frying (about 1 liter)

Filling

4 cups whipping cream

2 Tbsp instant coffee granules

2 pkgs instant butterscotch pudding mix

Directions

Prepare donuts - Heat the buttermilk to steaming. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar. Let cool a few minutes - it should still be warm to touch but not hot. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit 5 minutes to activate. 

Whisk together melted butter, eggs, caramel extract, and salt. Stir the yeast mixture into the egg mixture. Add enough flour to form a sticky yet solid dough. Knead for 2 minutes. You may need to add a pinch more flour if it is too sticky. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm place to rise for an hour. 

After dough has doubled, roll out dough on a floured work surface to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out using a round biscuit/cookie cutter. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (You can re-roll scraps once to get more circles.) 

Cover with a tea towel and set somewhere warm to rise for 45 minutes. 

After donuts have risen for about 30 minutes, start heating your oil over medium heat. It takes me about 15 minutes to get my oil to 350. 

Fry donuts, 3 or 4 at a time, in the hot oil for about 1 minute on each side - they should be golden brown. You need a thermometer in the oil to make sure your oil stays at 350. If it is too low, your donuts will absorb too much oil and be greasy. If it is too high, they will be uncooked on the inside and burn on the outside. 

Set on paper towel, or on wire racks with paper towel underneath, to drain any excess oil. 

After all donuts are cooked, set aside to cool completely. When cool, take a serrated knife and carefully cut each donut in half horizontally. 

Prepare cream - In a large bowl, dissolve 1 Tbsp instant coffee granules in 2 cups of whipped cream.

Sprinkle 1 pkg of butterscotch pudding on top and beat until it stiffens up enough to pipe. 

Pipe coffee cream into the middle of each donut. You will need to repeat mixing the remaining granules, cream, and pudding. (I don't like to do it all at once as it sometimes makes for a weird texture. If you do half at a time it always works out!) 

Once they are all filled I like to go back and pipe a little star on top and then top with a half of a caramel candy.

Mmmm.... caramel and coffee. Is there anything better?

They look fabulous all snuggled up in a box to give as gifts.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen plus about 3 extra using a 3.5 inch cutter. You can half the recipe but, seriously, whyyyyyy? Make them all. Give them to people. Make new friends. 

Below they are pictured with the other flavor I just made... London Fog!

Click HERE for the link to that recipe!. 

Coffee and tea donuts. Best idea ever. 

As with most donuts, these are best eaten the day they are made. Next day they are still okay but they start to get stale after that. You can, instead of cutting them in half, simply pipe the cream into the donuts using a piping bag and long tip. You wouldn't need nearly as much if you do that. Of course, that means there isn't nearly as much in the donut to enjoy.