Chef John's cornbread donuts are baked, not fried. They're slightly sweet and drizzled with a spicy chipotle icing. Barely more effort than whipping up a batch of cornbread, this will be your new favorite donut, and a novel, fun dessert to serve at your next barbecue.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1.25 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 0.5 cups white sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 0.5 cups milk
- 0.5 cups buttermilk
Instructions
-
1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Generously butter 2 nonstick donut pans (6 compartments per pan).
-
2
Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl; set aside.
-
3
Add egg and sugar to a large bowl; whisk until mixture turns a pale yellow, about 1 minute.
-
4
Whisk in melted butter until combined, then whisk in milk and buttermilk. Add cornmeal mixture and whisk until a thick, sticky batter forms, 2 to 3 minutes, to develop a little bit of gluten so donuts are not overly fragile after baking.
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5
Spoon or pipe batter evenly into prepared pans, for 12 donuts total. Tap pans on the counter a few times to settle the batter down.
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6
Bake in the preheated oven until golden on the top and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
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7
Let cool for 10 minutes; remove donuts from pans to cool completely on a wire rack.
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8
Whisk confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, milk, and chipotle together in a small bowl until very thick and smooth. Add confectioner's sugar, a small amount at a time, to form an icing thick enough to hold its shape when piped.
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9
Pipe or spread icing as desired over donuts. Let icing set until firm, 30 to 60 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving
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