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2 cinnamon sugar doughnuts on a white square plate with a cup of coffee.

Today’s post comes from Tracy at Sugarcrafter. Tracy lives in upstate NY with her husband, kitty, and brand new puppy. Her blog, Sugarcrafter, is a baking and cooking blog that features from-scratch recipes using wholesome ingredients with step-by-step directions to give you the confidence you need to conquer any recipe. She also enjoys canning, hiking, camping, and quilting. You can follow Tracy on Twitter @sugarcrafter and become a fan on Facebook.

Recipe, text and photos from Tracy.

As a kid, I loved when my mom and I would stop by our local bakery on special occasions to pick up a box of fresh doughnuts. Upon walking into the bakery, I always delighted in the smell of fresh bread and pastries baking in the oven and the sweet smell of powdered sugar in the air. We usually picked out an assortment of doughnuts – everything from glazed to chocolate to my personal favorite, custard-filled. And of course, nothing could beat the ones that came fresh out of the fryer. Or so I thought.

2 cinnamon sugar doughnuts on a white square plate with a bite taken from one.

It wasn’t until I came upon this recipe from Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni that I converted to an oven-baked doughnut lover. I’ve made cake doughnuts in the oven before, and while delicious in their own right, I decided that they still had nothing on fried doughnuts. These doughnuts, however, are not cake-based but are yeasted doughnuts…and though they take a bit longer due the rising time needed, they make for what I feel are the lightest, fluffiest doughnuts you’ll ever taste. Coated with a glaze, a drizzle of chocolate, or a simple cinnamon-sugar mixture like I used, your guests will be scrambling to get their hands on these before they’re all gone![/donotprint]