Maple Glazed Donuts with Bacon Sprinkles

Canned biscuits act as makeshift donuts to support a thick maple glaze and bacon “sprinkles”.

Happy First Day of Spring! Annnnnd it’s snowing. I had planned to post some happy, Spring-y recipe that would remind us all that the snow will soon be gone and flowers will once again bloom. And then I looked outside and… snow.

So instead, let’s talk about these donuts. They’re maple-y and bacon-y and remind me of Vermont. I suppose it helps that I used Vermont Smoke & Cure bacon and Grade A medium amber maple syrup from Cold Hollow Cider Mill. 

Let’s also talk about the fact that the piece of bacon in the middle forefront of the picture above looks like the state of Vermont. Coincidence? Well… yes, probably. But still.

Here’s the thing about these donuts… they’re not really donuts at all. I cheated. I admit it. You guys know I don’t like taking shortcuts and like to make everything from scratch — but sometimes you just need a donut, and you don’t have time to go through the arduous process of making them.  

Want to know the shortcut? Use canned biscuits. I’ll give you a minute to pick your jaw up off the floor. 

It’s so easy, and requires practically no effort. Take a can of biscuits (not the super flaky kind, it’d be a disaster – I used Grands Homestyle Buttermilk) and use something small and round to cut out the center of each biscuit. I happen to have a set of circular cookie cutters of varying sizes, and the smallest one was perfect. Don’t throw away the middles! You can turn those into little donut holes.

The next step is to heat a pan of oil and place each biscuit in for a few seconds on each side, and voila! You have donuts. They end up lighter than what you would get with a cakey donut, but that’s what I love about it. It’s not heavy, so that makes it okay that I loaded them up with maple glaze and bacon. Right? Right. 

Just look at those things. My mouth is watering looking at them, and I was just eating them. I’m not even hungry, and I still want to shove at least two more in my face.

I’m just going to let you stare at these for a while. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. 

Have you run off to the kitchen yet? If so, you should probably come back. You’re not going to know how to make them if you don’t keep scrolling down. 

 You convinced yet?

 Of course you are! Now go make them and spread the maple-y bacon-y joy.

Maple Glazed Donuts with Bacon Sprinkles

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• Yield: 8

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Description

Canned biscuits act as makeshift donuts to support a thick maple glaze and bacon “sprinkles”.

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Ingredients

Glaze Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Grade A medium amber maple syrup
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 slices of thick cut bacon, baked until crispy, then crumbled

Donuts Ingredients

• Oil for frying (I use sunflower oil)
• 8 large biscuits (preferably a 16.3oz can Grands! Homestyle Buttermilk)

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Instructions

Glaze

1. In a small saucepan on low heat, whisk together maple syrup and butter until melted.
2. Remove from heat and powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk until completely combined.
3. Set aside so that it will thicken as it cools.

Donuts

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and prepare baking sheet (that has a lip) with aluminum foil. Place bacon on prepared sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Carefully flip each piece and bake for another 10 minutes or until crispy.
2. Remove from baking sheet and place on plate covered in several paper towels to soak up the grease. Once cooled, crumble or dice bacon into small pieces.
3. Use a small round cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of each biscuit. Set aside the centers you removed.
4. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over high heat. Using tongs, carefully set each donut (and donut hole!) in the hot oil for a few seconds until golden brown, then flip and brown the other side as well.
5. Place donuts on wire racks to cool completely. You’ll want to place parchment paper or paper towels underneath the racks to catch any drippings.
6. Place one side of each donut into the glaze and place back on cooling rack to set.
7. Immediately sprinkle pieces of bacon over the glaze and leave them to set.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• Should be eaten the same day and they get more dense and somewhat soggy the next day.
• Instead of dipping donuts in glaze, you could also place glaze in a pastry bag and drizzle it on top.

Nutrition

• Calories: 4930
• Sugar: 256
• Sodium: 5481
• Fat: 251
• Saturated Fat: 98
• Unsaturated Fat: 137
• Trans Fat: 4
• Carbohydrates: 609
• Protein: 70
• Cholesterol: 304

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