Ingredients

for the glaze

• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces powdered sugar, about 2 cups

for the bonut

• 2 quarts peanut oil
• 12 ounces all-purpose flour, plus an additional 1/2 cup for dusting
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ounce unsalted butter, chilled
• 2 ounces shortening, chilled
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk, chilled

Preparation

Heat the peanut oil over high heat in a large Dutch oven fitted with a fry/candy thermometer. Bring the oil to 350 degrees F while you prepare the biscuit dough. Keep an eye on it though as it’s easy to shoot through the target temp. When I get to about 300 degrees F, I back off on the flame a bit.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter and shortening into the dry goods until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You don’t want the fat to melt so work fast and only with your fingertips.

Make a well in the middle of this mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Stir with a large spoon or rubber spatula until the dough just comes together. Then hand-knead in the bowl until all the flour has been taken up.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gently flatten it then fold over book-style, repeating 8-10 times, until the dough is soft and smooth.

Press the dough into a 1-inch-thick round. Cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter or pastry ring and using a 1-inch ring for the center whole. Make your cuts as close together as possible to limit waste. Re-roll and cut as many donuts as possible. Whatever scrap is left should be cut and formed to match the “holes,” which is why in the end you’ll have more holes than bonuts.

Fry the donuts 3 to 4 at a time, for 1-2 minutes per side. When the cold dough hits the fat, the temperature is going to fall quickly so you’ll want to boost the heat and keep an eye on the thermometer.

Remove the golden brown rings-of-wonder to a cooling rack inverted over a paper towel lined half sheet pan and cool for 2 minutes.

Microwave the milk in a large heat-proof bowl for 15 seconds. Whisk in the vanilla and the powdered sugar until smooth.

Gently dip one side of each “bonut” into the glaze, give it a twist then lift straight out. Allow the excess to drain off then flip glaze side up on the cooling rig. To glaze the holes (that little center thing you cut out and would never waste), I usually drop them in then lift them out with a dinner fork. Or…just go bobbing for them.

Alton Brown

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 ¼ cups milk, heated to 110°F
• 2 ¼ teaspoons (one package) active dry yeast
• 2 eggs
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
• 2 quarts canola oil

For the topping:

• 4 ½ cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 22 ounces soft caramels
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the chocolate glaze:

• 8 ounces dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preparation

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk with yeast. Stir lightly and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Attach mixer with a dough hook and beat eggs, butter, sugar, and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Gradually add the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and roll it out until 1/2-inch thick. Using floured 3½" and 1½" cookie cutters, cut out 6 donuts and holes.

Put the donuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet with plenty of room between each one. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.

Pour oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F on an oil thermometer.

Carefully add the donuts to the oil, a few at a time. Fry, flipping once until puffed and golden, about 4 minutes.

Transfer donuts to a wire rack to drain.

Make the topping while donuts cool. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Melt caramels, milk, and salt in a double-boiler by placing a medium bowl over a smaller pot of simmering water.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the caramels are melted. Remove from heat.

Carefully spread 1 tablespoon of caramel on the top of each donut. Combine the remaining caramel with toasted coconut in a large bowl. Mix well. Spoon 1/4 cup of the coconut mixture on the top of each donut, covering the caramel layer.

Make the chocolate glaze by mixing chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Bring cream and butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate; let sit for 2 minutes without stirring. Whisk until smooth.

Dip the bottom half of each donut in the chocolate glaze and return to wire rack to let excess drip off. Use a fork to drizzle the tops with chocolate. Let donuts sit until the chocolate hardens, about 20 minutes.

Thrillist