cinnamon + cream cheese

Not many things are better than waking up to the smell of fresh cinnamon buns in the morning.

And, as I discovered while making these cinnamon bun doughnuts, not many things smell better than an aroma of cinnamon sugar mixed with the smells of freshly fried dough.

Cinnamon has always been one of my favorite spices. It evokes cozy feelings of the holidays or the comfort of a nice breakfast with family. When I was little, my favorite breakfast side was a piece of cinnamon sugar toast. I would butter the bread carefully, mix cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it on the bread then toast it until it became warm, crunchy and gooey.

I say all of this to show how much I truly appreciate cinnamon. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love cream cheese as well, so naturally I would combine the two and make a doughnut to honor one of the best breakfast pastries of all time.

This recipe is quite simple and it works with the basic foundation doughnut dough that you can find here.

On to the rest of the components:

for the coating:

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag or bowl to coat the doughnuts. Coat fried doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar before icing.

for the icing:

½ cup margarine

½ cup cream cheese, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla

Whip the margarine and softened cream cheese together in a stand mixer until smooth, about 45 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Sift the powdered sugar into the cream cheese and mix until combined, scraping the edges intermittently. Once smooth, add the salt, lemon juice and vanilla. When your doughnuts have been fried, dip the tops of the doughnuts into the icing or spoon dollops on top of warm doughnuts, allowing it to melt. Sprinkle cinnamon on top for garnish.

There you have it! 'Til next time,