Maple-Bacon Doughnuts Are a Salty-Sweet Morning Treat

Step 1

Make the doughnut dough: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine the sugars, butter, and wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; mix until smooth. While mixing, slowly add dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms.

Step 2

Heat 2 inches of oil in a 6-quart saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reads 370°.

Step 3

Spread a little flour on your counter, and roll out the dough to a little under an inch thick. Use a floured doughnut cutter to cut out doughnuts. Form the leftover dough into a ball, roll out, and cut again, repeating until you're out of dough.

Step 4

Carefully slide the doughnuts (and doughnut holes) into oil and fry, flipping once, until puffed and golden, about 3 minutes for the whole doughnuts, about 2 minutes for the doughnut holes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a baking sheet with a wire rack; repeat with remaining dough and let doughnuts cool completely.

Step 5

Make the candied bacon: Turn the oven on to 350°F. Meanwhile, blend the sugar and pepper together in a bowl. Taste it. If it's too spicy, add more sugar, not spicy enough, add more cayenne. However, the spice does become a little more pronounced after being cooked, so be aware of that. Lay the bacon on a cooling rack placed over a baking pan lined with aluminum foil (this means minimal cleanup!). Cover each slice of bacon with the brown sugar mixture. It should be an even layer, thick enough so that you cannot see the bacon through it (about 1/8 or 1/4 of an inch). Place the bacon in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the sugar is completely browned, and the bacon has curls at the edges and appears mostly cooked. Remove the bacon from the oven and flip. Cover the bacon with the rest of the brown sugar mixture, and pop back in the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the bacon appears how you like it, like crunchy but not burnt. If the bacon seems underdone, just leave in the oven for a minute or two more.

Step 6

Let the bacon cool on the rack for at least 15 minutes to let the sugar harden a bit before you start cutting the pieces. I find it's easiest to use a pair of kitchen scissors and cut the pieces over the serving bowl.

Step 7

Make the glaze: Combine butter and maple syrup in a small pot over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla, stirring to combine. Thin out with milk, as needed. Dip the doughnuts in the glaze, top them with pig candy, and let them cool on a cooling rack. If the glaze hardens in the pot, just heat up again and stir.