Carrot Cake Donut Holes

• This was my first attempt at making homemade donuts. I was surprised how easy the process was and how much more flavor homemade donuts really have.

Ingredients:

• Donuts:
• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1-1/4 cups finely chopped or shredded carrots
• Oil, for deep frying

• Icing:
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp milk

Preparation:

• To prepare the donut holes, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Set aside.



• Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until creamy. Add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the carrots with a spatula.



• Pour 3 quarts of oil into a 5- or 6-quart sauce pot and heat to 375°F. With a small ice cream scoop, spoon a few donuts into the hot oil and fry for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Make sure to rotate them so they brown evenly. Place the fried donut holes onto a paper towel-lined plate.



• To prepare the icing, cream together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth and free of any lumps. Slowly add the milk until the mixture is thick but runny enough to coat the donuts. Dip the cooled donut holes into the icing and place them onto a wire cooling rack so the icing can harden.