Ina Garden. Cinnamon Donuts.

This is primarily a cooking blog and I may have completely forgot to tell you about Ina Garden? I think I did. I met her, she said five words to me. Hip Hip! I made Ryan wait in line with me at Williams Sonoma but it was so worth it (for me); Her new book is wonderful! 

 Here she is uttering those five words.

 Here she is totally ignoring the fact that we were trying to get a picture with her. Rather, I was trying to get a picture with her.

 Here are the amazing donuts from the book that I made for my R's birthday breakfast. They pair beautifully with Hot Chocolate.

And... here's the recipe!

Ina Garden's Cinnamon Baked Donuts

Ingredients:

For the doughnuts

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the topping

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

For the doughnuts: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a baker’s spray with flour, such as Baker’s Joy, to coat 1 or 2 doughnut pans.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a mixing bowl.

Whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Fill the wells of the doughnut pans a bit more than three-quarters full with the batter. Bake for 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the wall of a doughnut comes out clean and the doughnuts are puffed and lightly browned. Let them cool (in the pans) for 5 minutes, then gently invert the doughnuts onto a rimmed baking sheet.

While the doughnuts are cooling, make the topping: Melt the butter in a small saute pan over medium-low heat.

Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Brush the warm doughnuts with the melted butter, then dip them into the cinnamon-sugar mixture on one or both sides. Serve warm.