During the Winter Storm Jonas portion of winter break, I had the unfortunate luck of being confined to my house and its kitchen stocked with too many healthy ingredients (along with storm apocalypse essentials, of course). Even worse, I had a severe case of dessert withdrawal.
Luckily, the pie crust from the Thanksgiving-apple-pie-that-was-never-made was still waiting patiently in the freezer. Plus, the bag of powdered sugar from the failed macarons experiment was begging for attention. After my sweet tooth won over my arteries, I procured these beauties.
Because I’m a huge fan of one-pan/pot recipes, I recommend using the same pan for both caramelizing and frying. Doing so will give your pie-donuts a slightly charred look #soartistic. In any case, this is the perfect dessert for when you have the absolute bare minimum in both ingredients and vehicular mobility.
Apple Pie-Donuts
Ingredients
Instructions
Let pie crust thaw until pliable.
Dice apple into 1/4-inch cubes.
Place apple in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add cinnamon and sugar to pan. Toss and caramelize until brown. Set aside to cool.
Roll out the crust. If it’s a circular crust, trim edges to form rectangle. Cut crust into two strips (about two inches wide), longways. Cut each strip in half, yielding four strips.
In a separate bowl, crack and beat egg.
Add about 1 tablespoon of caramelized apple to one end of the pie crust strip. Brush beaten egg on long ends of strip.
Ensure apples are packed tightly. Roll strip into tube and pinch ends to seal.
Trim excess dough off one end. Brush beaten egg on end. Carefully join two ends into donut shape.
#SpoonTip: The filling WILL burst from the dough but that’s okay! Use excess dough to patch any holes.
Heat oil in saucepan to 350°F. Fry pie-donuts for approximately four minutes. Flip halfway through.
In a separate bowl, add powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth glaze is achieved.
Dip cooled pie-donuts into glaze on both sides and set aside for glaze to harden.
#SpoonTip: Once the pie-donuts are formed, you can freeze them to fry at a later date.