Sweet Potato Drop Donuts

I took your donut craving to the next level.  Well.. maybe my donut craving.
 

Consider this recipe 1 of my "Thanksgiving and Holiday" themed recipes.  These are the lazy man's donuts.  The poor man's donuts.  AND, they are super easy to make.  They may not be quick, or healthy, but they sure are delicious.  If you ask me, anything you make yourself automatically feels healthier, so win number one.  And since these are sweet potato donuts, lots of vitamin A from those little orange guys.  So, "healthy," right?  That's win number two.  

So why did I decide to make my own donuts?  Well it's something I've always wanted to do, but I finally got the inspiration to get the ball rolling in St. Louis Friday.  I'm not a huge fan of heights.  Like really at all.  So while everybody I was with went up the arch, I walked around the exhibits below the arch which are always incredibly interesting.  Lot's of facts about Lewis and Clark and their journey.  It's good stuff.  Well the gift shop at the Arch has these incredible books by Bear Wallow Books.  The "Old Pioneer Recipes" book has a recipe for poor man's donuts aka sweet potato donuts.  That's where inspiration hit.  I modified the recipe a bit to suit my liking but it's got the same idea.

Anybody who's known me for even a second knows donuts are my forever food.  The one thing I could eat copious amounts of and never get sick of.  They also know I like things that are easy to make and require minimal clean-up.  These satisfy my craving for donuts and my desire for easy clean-up.  Let me introduce to you the drop donut.  There are drop biscuits, and drop rolls, so why not drop donuts?  They are easy, rustic, and all the little nooks and crannies get super crispy.  It's just wonderful.

So here's the deal.  This time of year, sweet potatoes can be purchased in a can.  Now I'm not advocating for the canned version, but it's an option if time is of the essence.  You could also use canned pumpkin.  But sweet potato is fun, it's different, and let's face it it's delicious.  To make these donuts, dough is dropped in hot oil by the tablespoon.  They fry until golden brown.  When they are done, they get tossed in pumpkin pie spiced sugar.  What could be better?

Now if you've made it this far, you're probably thinking... why is a future dietitian promoting eating donuts?  I'm not forcing you to eat these.  In fact, you don't have to make them at all.  But, delicious things bring happiness and happy things are allowed in moderation.  Just promise me you won't eat all of them and you won't eat them every day.  Then we are good.  These donuts would make a great snack on Thanksgiving or just a great fall treat any time of day.  So what are you waiting for, get cooking!

Sweet Potato Drop Donuts

Ingredients: 
3 T. butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sweet potato, cooked / mashed
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Blend in the eggs and sweet potato.  In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients.  Combine a little at a time into the sweet potato mixture, alternating with the almond milk.  Once the dough is combined, allow to chill for an hour.

Fill a pot with oil and place over medium heat.  To make the spiced sugar, combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.  You want your oil at about 375 F.  You'll know the oil is ready when bubbles form around the back of a wooden spoon.  

Drop the dough in by the tablespoon and let fry for 60-90 seconds on each side, or until golden brown.  Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil and then coat in the spiced sugar.  Serve with a big mug of coffee and enjoy.