Old Fashioned Donuts w/ Brown Butter Glaze and Sea Salt

Old Fashioned Donuts - Nutmeg and cinnamon scented sour cream donuts are fried until golden, and then dunked in a delicious brown butter glaze and finished with flakey sea salt!

Old fashioned donuts are by far, my favorite! There's just something so charming about the imperfect craggy edges. These homemade donuts are perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. You will be shocked to see how easy it is to make these incredible donuts.

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes about all the ingredients used in these Old Fashioned Donuts. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!

Old-Fashioned Donuts

• Unsalted Butter - We'll be using room temperature butter.
• White Sugar - Sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
• Brown Sugar - I like adding a little bit of brown sugar to add extra flavor and moisture.
• Egg Yolks - The egg yolks make the donuts tender and rich.
• Sour Cream - Sour cream not only provides moisture, but it also helps thicken the batter.
• Vanilla Extract - I forgot to add it to the photo!
• Cake Flour - Cake flour makes the donut nice and tender.
• Baking Powder - The leavener will help the donuts rise.
• Nutmeg & Cinnamon - Spices add depth of flavor.
• Salt - Just a bit to to balance the flavors.

Brown Butter Glaze

• Butter - Unsalted butter will be browned until nutty.
• Powdered Sugar - Also known as confectioners sugar and icing sugar.
• Milk - You can use regular milk, plant milk or water.
• Vanilla - For flavor.

*See recipe card for quantities.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these orange old fashioned donuts! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Old Fashioned Donuts

Step 1. In a medium sized bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and set aside.

Step 2. In a large bowl, add white sugar, brown sugar and room temperature butter. With a hand held mixer, whisk until well combined. About 2 minutes.

Step 3. Combine yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Step 4. Add room temperature sour cream and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Step 5. In 2 additions, add your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. I like to sift the dry ingredients again as cake flour clumps up easily.

Step 6. With a rubber spatula, gently mix until just combined. Do not overmix.

Step 7. The dough will be very sticky and will need to chill for at least 1 hour to firm up. Cover with cling wrap.

Cutting Donuts

Step 8. Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer to a generously floured work surface.

Step 9. Using a rolling pin, roll to a ½ inch to ¾ inch (1.27 to 1.9 cm) thickness.

Step 10. Generously flour your 3-inch (7.2 cm) cookie or biscuit cutter and cut out your donuts. Gently gather the remaining dough, reroll and cut out more donuts. Using a 1 to 1 ¼ inch (2.5 cm) cookie cutter, cut a hole in the center of each donut. I ended up with 9 donuts and 9 holes. Transfer donuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure to dip your cutters in flour each time you cut out your donuts. The dough will be quick sticky, so you may need to shake the cutter to get the donuts and donut holes out. 

Step 11. Remove any excess flour off the donuts with a pastry brush. Place donuts back into the fridge to firm up for at least 30 minutes. This is important as it will make it easier to handle during the frying process.

Step 12. As the donuts are chilling, fill a heavy-bottomed pot with oil 2 inches deep. Place over medium/low heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350ºF (176ºC). We will also be making the glaze during this time.

How to make Brown Butter Glaze

Step 13. Place butter in a light-colored saucepan and over medium heat, brown your butter. It will foam up after 3 to 4 minutes. Keep swirling the pan until it reaches an amber brown color. It's ready when it smells nutty and you will see tiny brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Immediately transfer your brown butter to a medium sized glass bowl.

Step 14. Immediately add your confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk. Start with 3 tablespoons of milk and you can add more (1 tablespoon at a time) depending on how thin you would like your glaze. Keep in mind that this donut is not very sweet, so you can go a little thicker on the glaze if you wish. Whisk until smooth and creamy. 

How to Fry Donuts

Step 15. Fry 2 to 3 donuts at a time, making sure to monitor your oil. You want it to stay around 350ºF (176ºC). The donuts will initially sink, but will float after 10 seconds or so. Fry for 1 and half minutes on each side and transfer to a wire rack.

Step 16. While still warm, dip your donuts into the glaze and set them on a wire rack to cool. Top with flakey sea salt and enjoy!

Variations

These old fashioned donut are so versatile and would compliment a variety of different glazes. Here are some ideas.

• Chocolate glaze
• Vanilla glaze
• Lemon glaze
• Maple glaze
• Roll in cinnamon sugar
• Roll in confectioners' sugar

You May Also Like

📖 Recipe