butterscotch

Pumpkin Ale Butterscotch Donuts Recipe

Halloween takes me back to high school.

I’m not really sure why.  For some reason I always seem to think about my friends, Nick and Alex. They were brothers.  They drove a VW bus and had a cocker spaniel that they took everywhere. The bus was adorned with curtains covered in mushrooms, the license plate was attached wtih a ginormous safety (think diaper) pin, and there was a bumper sticker that said, “Because I’m the Mommy, that’s why.”

I’m sure you can understand why I can’t remember the dog’s name or the color of the bus.

Where am I going with this?  Beats me.  I was just thinking about Halloween and with that my memory always goes back to a time when things were simple.  Even though at the time it all seemed complicated. Around Halloween, I always think about a fall day when Nick and Alex (and aforementioned cocker spaniel who I cannot remember the name) rolled into my driveway in their VW bus.  They wanted to ride up to the mountains and look at the foliage.  Did I want to go?  Sure!

Who woudn’t?  We picked up a few friends, a few beverages (yes – the boozy kind even though we were in high school – sorry Mom!), and a pack or two of cigarettes – sorry about that too, Mom.  No worries – I don’t smoke anymore.  Virginia Slims 120’s lost some stock value and I was a lot cooler in 1988.

I can still remember how colorful the trees looked in the distance.  I feel the breeze ruffle the leaves and blow my hair as I jumped into that VW bus.  I grabbed a smoke and a beer while greeting the dog and I didn’t have a single care in the world.  We were off to the mountains in the way of the young in a cloud of innocence.

I’ll never forget it.  I’ll always miss it.

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Pumpkin Ale Butterscotch Donuts Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs room temperature and lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cup pumpkin ale beer
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Whisk together flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice
3. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and beer
4. Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine
5. Coat 2 donut pans with cooking spray
6. Spoon donut batter into the pans until not quite full
7. Bake 16 - 18 minutes or until golden brown
8. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 - 6 minutes then turn out onto the rack to cool completely
9. Combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream in a bowl and microwave for 30 second intervals until smooth and combined without lumps stirring in between
10. Coat donuts with butterscotch by either dunking them in the bowl or spooning it over the tops

NOTES:

1. Be careful not to burn your fingers when glazing the donuts as ganache will be hot
2. You will also want to work quickly because ganache will get thick and harden when it cools, but you can reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until it warms up again
3. If the donuts stick to the pan, just use a rubber spatula to go around the edges and they’ll release
4. This recipe made 24 donuts
5. This recipe contains alcohol and shouldn’t be served to minors