Confession time redux: I am really bad about making impulse purchases.
Like, one of the last things Andy told me before she left for London was not to impulse purchase any pets while she was gone. This sounds like a joke. It was not a joke. This is a real problem for me, otherwise we wouldn’t have pet turtles right now.
I don’t consider myself a terribly impulsive person in most other areas of my life. I think what it boils down to is, I make all decisions either immediately, or never at all. So when I decide I want a piercing or a new hair color or a pet, I go right out and get it that day, because that’s the decision I’ve made, and I’ll arrive at the same conclusion whether I think about it for two minutes or two months. Because of this, I merely come across as impulsive.
Is this making any sense?
I think where I’m going with all this self-psychoanalysis is, I impulse purchased a pound of black cherries last week, failing to take into account that I could only eat so many raw cherries before all the pit-spitting and stained fingers got really old. So when I opened the fridge this morning to find a half-pound of speedily spoiling cherries staring back at me, I knew I needed to take action.
This action ultimately begot donuts. Don’t ask me how I arrived there. Just thank me.
Black cherries, white chocolate… totally not intentional. Pulling together these donuts was less of an artistic exercise and more of a frantic attempt to clean out my overcrowded baking cabinet. Neither can I take much credit for this recipe, which was largely adapted from my heroes over at King Arthur Flour.
Moral of the story? Don’t grocery shop without an accountability partner. Although if every unintentional surfeit of perishable ingredients results in a batch of hot, fresh donuts, I may never learn my lesson.
ingredients
for the donuts
1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/4 c oil
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 2/3 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 c milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1 c chopped black cherries
for the glaze
1/4 c milk
1/2 c white chocolate chips
2 tbsp marshmallow fluff
directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, oil, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs until smooth. Add vanilla, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and stir to combine.
2. Alternately add the flour and the milk, stirring between each addition and making sure you begin and end with the flour. Fold in cherry chunks.
3. Spoon batter into greased donut pans* being careful not to overfill (otherwise you will end up with a muffin). Bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan.
4. While the donuts are baking, make your glaze! In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in white chocolate chips and marshmallow fluff until smooth. Remove from heat and keep covered until you’re ready to use it.
5. Spoon glaze over donuts and serve — these are great at any temperature!
* A standard donut pan makes 6 donuts, so you’ll need two for this recipe. Or just half the recipe!
