My grandpa? He loves doughnuts. He loves cookies, too — I think it’s genetic — but in the murky shadows of my childhood memory, I will always think of him stopping at a Casey’s General Store to refill his huge travel mug with coffee. Lots of people have certain smells that remind them of their grandparents, that trip the cord of memories past; for me, that smell is the inside of a Casey’s. I know the way that store smells like some people know their grandfather’s cologne.
To be fair, as my grandparents are farmers in western Iowa, pig shit is also a scent I associate with my grandparents. Still, there is just something specific about the way Casey’s doughnuts smell. I am approximately 1000% certain I don’t want to know what that “something” is, but hey! Maple-frosted doughnuts may not be a Big Thing in New England, where I’ve spent most of my life, but thanks to my grandfather, they are just one of my favorite things.
- 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
- ½ c plus 3 Tbsp warm water, separated
- ¼ c plus 1 teaspoon sugar, separated
- 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds
- 2.5 c flour
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp pumpkin puree or applesauce
- 2 Tbsp vegan margarine, softened and broken into pieces
- flavorless cooking oil, for frying
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter
- 2+ tsp maple extract
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- 2+ Tbsp water
- In a small bowl, stir together yeast, ½ c warm water, and 1 tsp sugar. Set in a warm, draft-free place for 5-10 minutes or until very foamy.
- In another small bowl, beat together flax and 3 Tbsp warm water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, nutmeg and salt.
- Create a well in flour mixture. Add pumpkin or applesauce, margarine, flax mixture, and yeast mixture.
- Stir until mixture begins to come together into a ball.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes, or until it's smooth and bounces back when poked gently.
- Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic. Place in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until doubled.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle about 1" thick.
- Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice dough into 2x4" rectangles.
- Cover dough with a towel and let rise for another 15-20 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat oil -- in a deep-fryer or deep, heavy-bottomed pot -- to 360°F.
- Fry doughnuts in small batches (2-3 at a time), cooking each side for about 40 seconds, or until golden.
- With a slotted spoon, place cooked doughnuts on a paper towel, paper bag, or metal cooling rack to drain any excess oil while they cool.
- Repeat until all doughnuts have been fried.
- Set aside to cool while you prepare the icing.
- In a small bowl, beat together icing ingredients.
- Frost doughnuts. Icing should be thick but spreadable. If it's too thick to stir, add a little bit of water; add a little extra powdered sugar if it's gotten too thin.
- Best eaten the day they are made.
19 comments
Jojo says:
Sep 10, 2013
Whoa, holy awesomeness! These look insanely good!
claryn says:
Sep 10, 2013
Thanks, Jojo! It’s hard to go wrong with doughnuts 😉
Kylie - FotV says:
Sep 10, 2013
I love donuts so much, these look AMAZING!
Funny how smells trigger memories, my grandma smelled like a mixture of cigarette smoke, Juicy Fruit gum and Windsong perfume. I still catch a whiff of that combo every once in awhile and I like to imagine she’s just keeping an eye on me.
claryn says:
Sep 10, 2013
I love how specific that combination is — and that you still encounter it sometimes! I just read a passage about odors in Let Us Now Praise Famous Men that I found particularly timely and apt: “Some of their components are extremely ‘pleasant,’ some are ‘unpleasant’; their sum total has great nostalgic power.”
Abby Bean says:
Sep 10, 2013
Whoa, ever think of starting a mail order business for lazy people who couldn’t possibly get this done?
claryn says:
Sep 10, 2013
Haha — I think that’s what Cinnamon Snail is there for! 😉 Making yeast doughnuts takes time, and they’re always eaten up so fast, but I think it’s really fun and rewarding to do every once in a while.
cortneyp157 says:
Sep 13, 2013
I agree! Its hard to have all the ingredients lying around.
Mihl says:
Sep 10, 2013
Those are the most elegant doughnuts I have ever seen!
TRISTA says:
Sep 10, 2013
I agree with MHL — gorgeous photo! I love the gleam of the mug and the doughnut … beautiful food and art. I also liked your pesto post because in about five minutes, I’ve got to go make a few batches of pesto. My somewhat scrawny-looking plants have produced an abundance of fragrant basil this summer. Do you freeze yours? I’ve frozen mine, and it seems to work great.
Krapfen {Jam Filled Doughnuts} | seitan is my motor says:
Sep 13, 2013
[…] these maple bacon donuts. Megan made these stunning cupcakes with donuts, Claryn deep fried some gorgeous maple bars and Shannon at Finding Vegan Strenght made these colourful baked donuts. After having seen all […]
Shannon says:
Sep 13, 2013
These look so great! I am terrified of frying things for the most part, but I am gonna force myself to face my fears before MoFo ends!
Olivier & Kingsley | VeganMoFo Blog Love says:
Sep 18, 2013
[…] VEGAN MAPLE BARS by Hell Yeah It’s Vegan […]
Lizzie says:
Sep 19, 2013
Usually when I find a recipe that looks great, I bookmark it, then eventually print it out, then even more eventually get around to making it. But when Oliver & Kingsley sent me here yesterday…I immediately had to make these! I hate busting out my deep fryer, but I did it, and boy howdy, was it worth it. I have missed maple logs SO much from childhood. This so satisfied that long held craving. 🙂
claryn says:
Sep 19, 2013
Holy crap! You are a champ, Lizzie! Glad you liked them 🙂
MEgan says:
Feb 18, 2014
Oh yum! I HAVE to try these!
JulieSax says:
Jan 12, 2016
O.
M.
G.
My other half grew up loving maple bars up in Northern California. Whenever he goes back to his hometown he has to stop by the place and get a bunch of them, and send them to his siblings around the country. Sadly, the originals are not vegan, so he *thought* he gave them up.
UNTIL THIS MORNING when I made these for his 60th birthday! This recipe ROCKS. I am *not* an experienced baker, especially when it comes to things with active dry yeast in the ingredients. I was so thrilled with how these came out! And, happily, so was he! We each ate 3 immediately. Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe. By the way, I swapped out coconut oil for all the fats in the recipe: the vegan butter, margarine, and frying oil. Everything came out fantastic!
claryn says:
Jan 18, 2016
Aw, I’m so glad to hear this, Julie! You’ve seriously warmed my heart. 🙂
JulieSax says:
Jan 18, 2016
Here’s a pic. Not as beautiful as yours but quite the accomplishment for me!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/meowmachine/24048943190/in/photostream
Jessica says:
Sep 10, 2016
I want to try these! Currently returning to Colorado from a trip “home” to central Iowa. I’ve mentioned many time how I wish Casey’s donuts were vegan! It’s one heckuva convenience store!