Doughnut Night

Did I ever tell you about how I love doughnuts?  Maybe, I don't remember.  But just case I didn't tell you before, I love doughnuts.  I love anything sweet, but doughnuts hold a special place in my heart right next to ice cream.

Krispy Kreme was a historic landmark in my town (I'm really not kidding) and the Saturday before Christmas was always marked by our annual holiday Krispy Kreme run.  My parents would wake all five children up early, bundle us into the car, and make our way downtown where dozens and dozens of boxes filled with fresh Krispy Kremes were waiting to be put into the back of our wood-paneled 1985 Dodge Caravan and then delivered to all of our friends and neighbors.  "There's a reason Krispy Kremes come in red and green boxes!" my mom used to explain when she was discussing how to make it through the holiday season without going crazy.

The best part of our Saturday run was the rule that you could eat as many Krispy Kremes as you wanted with no limits.  By the end of the day the tan upholstery of our minivan would be drifted with shattered flakes of doughnut glaze and none of us wanted to see another doughnut for at least three or four hours.

So yes, doughnuts.

So far Brandon and I haven't lived anywhere that hosts an international Krispy Kreme store (although I've heard they exist) and so we've had to live without those heavenly rings of fried perfection in our lives for years on end.

I've found a delicious recipe for cake doughnuts and honed my doughnut skills on those until I can say that I turn out a pretty good cake doughnut.  But we all know that cake doughnuts aren't the same as raised.  They're tasty, but they're no Krispy Kreme.

And so when Brandon and I moved to the US for language training, I decided to institute Cousin Doughnut Night as a way for all of the cousins in the area to see each other and hang out once a month.  Because who doesn't like family and doughnuts?  But really, it's just an excuse to find the perfect Krispy Kreme doughnut recipe so I never have to live without them again as long as I have oil, a pot, a deep frying thermometer, and a doughnut cutter with me.

Last Saturday was our first CDN and attempt #1 at finding the ultimate raised doughnut recipe.  I've never made raised doughnuts before and was happy to find that they're not very hard at all to make; they just require time.  I was not happy, however, to realize that I had forgotten to put the salt in the dough.  Combined with the gummy chocolate glaze, I have things to work on for next doughnut night.  But I didn't find anyone complaining.