Baked Buttermilk Donuts

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 0.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• cup vegetable shortening , melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar , Optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) with an oven rack in the upper-middle position. Coat a donut pan with cooking spray.

2. 2

   Sift flour, white sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl.

3. 3

   Whisk buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl.

4. 4

   Pour melted and cooled shortening into flour mixture; stir until absorbed. Stir in buttermilk mixture; mix well. Let batter rest 10 to 15 minutes.

5. 5

   Pour batter by scant 1 tablespoonfuls into wells of each prepared donut cup. Distribute batter evenly across bottoms of each cup using the back of a spoon; you won't use all of the batter in this batch.

6. 6

   Bake in the preheated oven on the upper-middle rack until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring donuts to a wire rack.

7. 7

   Place confectioners' sugar in a small paper bag; add donuts and toss to coat.

8. 8

   Coat the donut pan with cooking spray. Repeat process with remaining batter and confectioners' sugar.