Alright everyone, gather ’round.
In honor of March arriving so suddenly and catching everyone by surprise (truth be told, I thought leap day was yesterday) (I mean leap year) (whatever), all that to say – I’d like you to meet someone.
This is the Donut Ball.
Before you lose consciousness, let me assure you that usually the donut coma only lasts for about an hour, possibly more if there’s a fire going in the fireplace and Michael Buble softly playing and the dishwasher whooshing you into a nap. Possibly even more if you dunked your donuts in a creamy latte. I promise you will wake up with warm fuzzies in your soul and sugar crumbs in your hair.
But let me REALLY tell you about this here beauty.
The Donut Ball. He has a golden brown fried exterior and a slightly spiced, warm, cakey interior. By the way, he is a he, don’t you think?
As if that fried wonderful cakiness wasn’t enough already. As if.
In addition, he’s obviously rolled in cinnamon sugar at least twice. He’s bigger and therefore wayyy yummier than his cousin Donut Hole which is why I reserve the right to call him a Donut Ball. Holla all my donut ballas!
And apparently I also reserve the right to be annoying.
I’m just going to tell you right now. If you make these cinnamon sugar donut calls, ok, realistically, WHEN you make these, like, tonight, you need to get a locked safe in your kitchen. Overnight it on Amazon or something. Because sometimes when you “sleepwalk”, you might find yourself in the kitchen eating one or five in the middle of the night. “Sleepwalking” can be really dangerous.
Cinnamon Sugar Donut Balls
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
These cinnamon sugar donut balls are easy to make and will make your whole house smell delicious! Fried perfectly golden brown and rolled in cinnamon sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- Cinnamon sugar for dusting
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until a sticky dough forms.
- Pour the oil into a large skillet or Dutch oven for frying, about 2 inches deep. Heat the oil to about 375 degrees or medium heat. You can test the oil by pouring a drop of water into the pan; if it sizzles across the top, it’s ready.
- With floured hands, roll the dough into small balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Drop the balls immediately into the oil (they start to lose their shape if you roll them ahead of time). The balls should start to puff out on the bottom and turn a golden brown color. If the tops of the donuts aren’t covered with oil, flip the donut balls and fry for another 1-2 minutes. When the donuts are cooked through, remove them from the frying pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels.
- When the donuts are dry to the touch, roll them in cinnamon sugar. These are best served fresh and warm, but they will also last for a day or two in an airtight container. This recipe makes about 20 donut balls.
Notes
If your donuts are dark brown after just 1 minute in the pan, you probably have the oil too hot and you’ll end up with a crispy outside with an uncooked inside. Make sure you cook them for 3-4 minutes total to make sure the insides are fully cooked. I went back and forth between the medium-lo and medium heat settings on my range (because I don’t have an oil thermometer).
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: cinnamon sugar donuts, cinnamon sugar donut balls, donut balls
What are the symptoms of withdrawal again?
I think I need an intervention.
very tasty and delicious.
I have terminal cancer so I can’t eat anything deep fried, is there a way to bake these instead? If yes, what temperature and for how long would I bake them? I also have a fancy air fryer, any suggestions for making these in the air fryer?
This is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
Brief but very accurate informationā¦ Thank
you for sharing this one. A must read post!
Hi,
I want some!!! Did you get a snow day today so you can sit around and enjoy them???
Thanks…
Iāve made these twice now and they are just soooo good(: My batch makes roughly 40)
Hi, I just wanted to say I lovveeee your recipes! And i think your a great cook/ baker! my favorite recipie is your cinnamon sugar doughnut balls!
Glad to hear you like the donut balls, Ana! š
Hello ! I was hoping you could tell me why my cinnamon sugar coated donuts start to get moist or “crystalize'” by the next day and if there’s anything I can do to prevent this ??? The ones you buy in a store or bakery don’t do that !!!??? Thanks ?
Almost tears of happiness that I came across this via Google. Also, drooling. Can’t wait to try this, Lindsay!
Hi , they loook delicious š can I bake them instead of frying? š x
Unfortunately I don’t think the dough will stick together enough to bake them, unless maybe you put them in some kind of special baking pan.. But you could try!
Well what the heck, bring on the fats š gonna be worth it haha!! š
This is an old post, but I am thinking about donuts so right on! I was first introduced to donut holes by Tim Hortons (Tim Bits) and I am till date in love with them… These look fantastic. Certainly a dessert on my list to make soon! =)
OMG !! Donut holes Are One of the best things on earth. Yours look very beautiful š
Hmm…where did i go wrong? I was happily frying these little gems, and suddenly they started growing tails…their insides were oozing out…and then, one of them flew right out of the oil and just past my face! when i took a good look at it, its raw insides had separated from the crispy outside, and had flown out separately, a small round raw ball. So strange! No wonder people are afraid to deep fry – I might just join them!
Looks like bite-size bliss to me! š
My daughter-in-law is from the Philippines, and my son is fluent in tagalog:)
How cool! Got any good Filipino recipes? š
can i bake them instead? they look so delicious i wanna make them now but i’m out of oil
I don’t know… They don’t have yeast so I’m not sure how well they would rise, especially not in a pan or anything. You could try? š Let me know if it works out!
These look so good! I would love to have you come over & link up to Sunday Round Up
-Kayla š
This actually reminds me of something my mom used to make when I was a kid. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Nostalgic foods are the best!
Well, hello Donut Ball. Where have you been all my life??
I am ALL about the donuts right now. I just got a donut pan and I am officially a donut making MA-chine. I want to quit my job and spend the rest of my life making donuts. Usually fried donuts make me nervous (clumsy+forgetful=oil burns) but these look too yummy to resist!
And if I can do it, you can too! I’m now hooked on frying instead of baking. Not necessarily a great thing… š
Ok, my kids are definitely going to want these. What a prefect weekend breakfast treat!
Drooling! Gorgeous donut holes, and so much better than the ones with powdered sugar!
I agree. I could eat everything rolled in that cinnamon sugar!
Heaven. Absolute heaven. In a tiny little ball of yumminess.
Well, tiny might be a stretch. š But definitely right on about the heaven part!
Donuts in a creamy latte sounds like absolute perfection. So I’ll be there tomorrow for breakfast? This school thing can probably be put on hold for one day š
Totally. I think my students would do fine without me. They know the routine.