Thanksgiving Leftover Donuts
Don't know what to do with all your leftovers? Turn those potato dishes into potato donuts! Whether it's a mountain of mashed potatoes or a sea of sweet potato casserole, I've got you covered.
Happy Thanksgiving, readers! Betcha thought you wouldn’t be hearing from me this fine Thursday. PSYCHE. Not only do I have a recipe for you, I have two. It’s a BOGO! (except, you know, you didn’t buy it, so it’s more like a GOGO) Call it my version of Black Friday. Anyway, a while back, I found out about these things called spudnuts, aka donuts made with mashed potatoes. Naturally, my brain went to the holiday side dish. And then, naturally, the other holiday side dish. And much like on Thanksgiving, I couldn’t possibly pick just one. Hope you’re hungry for seconds!
Maple Mash Donuts
Servings: 12 | Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Proof Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Round cutters (1” and 3” diameter)
Large pot for deep frying
Metal tongs / Metal slotted spoon
Food processor / Blender
Mashed Potato Donuts:
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
1 ¾ tsp yeast
2 cups flour, sifted
½ cup mashed potatoes
1 egg
¼ tsp salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
Crumb Topping:
2 dinner rolls or biscuits
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp sugar
Maple Glaze:
2 tbsp butter
¼ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tbsp milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp corn syrup
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Mashed Potato Donuts (45 minutes + 1 hour 30 minutes proofing)
In a glass measuring cup, microwave the milk about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until 105 to 115° F.
Whisk in 1 tsp of the sugar and yeast and set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining sugar, flour, mashed potatoes, egg, salt, and milk mixture, until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead gently for a few minutes until a smooth, soft dough forms.
Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about ⅓” thick.
With a floured 3” round cutter, cut out the donuts, handling the dough as little as possible.
With a 1” round cutter, cut out the centers, saving the donut holes to fry if you wish.
Spray the donuts lightly with oil and cover with parchment paper. Let them rest in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise again.
Heat a 1” thick layer of vegetable oil in a large pot to 365° F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
Fry the donuts in small batches for about 1 minute per side, then transfer with metal tongs, or a slotted metal spoon, to the paper towels to cool.
Crumb Topping (15 minutes)
Add the dinner rolls, or biscuits, to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until they become small crumbs.
In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the dinner roll or biscuit crumbs to the pan and fry, stirring frequently, until the crumbs turn golden brown.
Add the sugar and stir to combine, continuing to fry until the crumbs begin to caramelize.
Remove from heat and immediately transfer the crumbs to a heat-safe bowl to cool completely, about 10 minutes.
Maple Glaze (10 minutes)
In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and milk over medium heat.
Once the sugar has fully dissolved, and everything is combined, remove from heat, and whisk in the maple syrup and corn syrup.
Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
Place a wire rack onto a baking sheet.
Immediately dip the donuts in the maple glaze, followed by the crumb topping, and set on the wire rack.
Reheat the glaze if it becomes too thick, adding a splash of milk if necessary.
Serve immediately. Donuts are best eaten same day, but leftovers may be stored in an airtight container for up to a couple days.
Enjoy!
Sweet Potato & Cranberry Donuts
Servings: 12 | Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Proof Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Round cutters (1” and 3” diameter)
Large pot for deep frying
Metal tongs / Metal slotted spoon
Food processor / Blender
Sweet Potato Donuts:
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup brown sugar
1 ¾ tsp yeast
2 cups flour, sifted
½ cup sweet potato casserole (toppings scraped off) or mashed sweet potatoes
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
Marshmallow & Pecan Topping:
1 cup pecans or crumb topping (from casserole)
1 cup marshmallows (from casserole)
1 to 2 tbsp milk
Cranberry Sauce Drizzle:
¼ cup cranberry sauce
1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp milk
Sweet Potato Donuts (45 minutes + 1 hour 30 minutes proofing)
In a glass measuring cup, microwave the milk about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until 105 to 115° F.
Whisk in 1 tsp of the brown sugar and yeast and set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining brown sugar, flour, leftover sweet potatoes, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and milk mixture, until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead gently for a few minutes until a smooth, soft dough forms.
Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about ⅓” thick.
With a floured 3” round cutter, cut out the donuts, handling the dough as little as possible.
With a 1” round cutter, cut out the centers, saving the donut holes to fry if you wish.
Spray the donuts lightly with oil and cover with parchment paper. Let them rest in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise again.
Heat a 1” thick layer of vegetable oil in a large pot to 365° F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
Fry the donuts in small batches for about 2 minutes per side, then transfer with metal tongs, or a slotted metal spoon, to the paper towels to cool.
Marshmallow & Pecan Topping (20 minutes)
Separate the pecan or crumb topping from the marshmallows as best you can.
Transfer the pecan or crumb topping to a food processor and process into fine pieces. Set aside.
Place a wire rack onto a baking sheet and set aside.
In a small nonstick saucepan, combine the marshmallows and milk over medium heat until fully combined.
Remove from heat, dip the cooled donuts in the frosting, and set on the wire rack.
Immediately sprinkle the chopped pecan topping onto the frosting.
Cranberry Sauce Drizzle (5 minutes)
In a food processor, puree the cranberry sauce until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar and milk and blend until fully combined.
Transfer the glaze to a squeeze bottle and drizzle zigzags of glaze onto the donuts.
Serve immediately. Donuts are best eaten same day, but leftovers may be stored in an airtight container for up to a couple days.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my Best Practices page for tips on how to make this recipe yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and feel free to tag me on Instagram @made.by.shade if you make it!
-Shade