Hey Everyone! Long time, no see! I am back at it! Sharing recipes old and new! Today we have a new one! It is actually new because I made it up…sort of. I created a recipe that is very similar to one that I found online a while back. It was really really good but, for whatever reason, I didn’t make it again. Then, recently, I was trying out another new recipe that was in the same genre and was reminded of it. I decided to give it another try with some tweaks of my own. And so, I came up with Sherry’s Cinnamon Donut Pie. Yep, you read that right! Cinnamon. Donut. Pie. A pie made from donuts. I know, insane. Insanely delicious that is.
I gotta admit that I am not a huge cake donut fan. I mean, I like them and all, but I don’t crave them and can even pass them up pretty easily However when I put those same donuts, or in this case, donut holes in a pie shell and add a delicious gooey vanilla filling, I can’t resist.
The original recipe came from The Domestic Rebel. I am a big fan of her website and her recipes. Her original pie called for plain donut holes. I decided that I wanted to have some cinnamon flavor and would use cinnamon sugar donut holes. But, when I went to the store to purchase said holes, I discovered a package that had three flavors, plain and cinnamon and powdered sugar. Jackpot! This combination is heavenly. You can use any flavor that you like. I would say the chocolate-glazed kind would probably not work well. That waxy glaze would not allow the filling to soak in and create a beautiful moist cakey consistency. I believe that you could also use mini donuts just as easily if you can’t find the holes or the flavor you want. Oh hey, that just gave me a thought. One of the brands of mini donuts in my local stores has a multitude of flavors like red velvet and carrot cake. That would be an interesting experiment. I guess I will be adding those to my shopping list this week.
I also tweaked the filling and I added more so that most of the holes were covered in the shell. I like the look of the bumps of donut arranged in the shell like some delicious lumpy cloud, however, I also like to have filling in every bite.
This pie is super easy and would be a great dessert for those times when you are having company but don’t have a lot of time to invest. It can be made ahead and served at room temperature or warmed briefly in the microwave. Sherry’s Cinnamon Donut Pie is part pie and part coffee cake. It has a wonderful moist center with a delicious vanilla and cinnamon flavor. The addition of glaze to the top of the pie adds a touch of elegance and another level of yum.
For the pie itself, you will need a pie crust (duh). I use the rolled refrigerated kind, but you can use a homemade one or a frozen one that has been thawed. You will also need 24 donut holes. The package that I get has exactly that many and they are nice plump ones that fill my pie shell perfectly. If the holes you purchase are on the smaller side, you may need more than 24. Use your best judgement on that. I sometimes buy an extra package just in case. I mean, what is the worst that can happen? You might have to eat the extras for breakfast. Winner, winner, donut dinner (or breakfast). Well, whatever. You also need 1 ½ sticks butter, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3 eggs, ¼ teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. For the glaze, you will need 2 cups of powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 2 Tablespoons (approximately) of milk or cream.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare your crust per the package directions. If you are using a frozen crust you will need the deep-dish style and you will need to allow it to thaw. Very lightly spray your pie dish with a non-stick cooking spray, unless it is already non-stick, before adding the rolled pie crust or your homemade pie crust. Don’t use too much spray or your crust will be soggy. Crimp the edges if desired. Set the crust aside.
Cut all of the donut holes or mini donuts in half and set those aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove or in the microwave in a large glass measuring cup (a medium glass bowl will do just as well). Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Then, slowly add the eggs while continuing to whisk so that the warm butter does not cook the eggs. Add in 2 teaspoons of vanilla and whisk again so that everything is well blended.
Arrange the donut pieces in the pie shell. I like to put the holes cut side down and stagger the different flavors for a nice colorful effect.
Pour the butter mixture as evenly as possible over the donuts. If the filling comes too close to the top edge of your pie dish you may have to discard some. You don’t want any overflows in your oven. As you can see, mine did not come that far up to the top. There are still plenty of donuts peeping out of the filling.
Bake the pie for 30 minutes or until the filling is set but still bubbly. I added a pie shield halfway through the baking time to assure that the crust did not brown too much. You can also do this with strips of foil placed on the edge if you don’t have a pie shield. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool completely on the counter.
Once cooled, prepare the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of milk using a small whisk. You want the glaze to be pourable but nice and thick. Adjust your liquid and/or powdered sugar measurements to achieve this consistency. Gently pour the glaze over the cooled pie in whatever pattern you wish. Try to cover most of the surface so that each bite has some glaze.
Cut the pie into slices to serve. Eat at room temperature or warmed in the microwave. This pie keeps very well for several days. I kept mine on the counter in a sealed container so that the crust would not get soggy, but you can also store it in the refrigerator.
Give this recipe a try! I promise that it is delicious and soooo easy. You may raise a few eyebrows when you announce to your guests that you are serving a pie made from donuts. That’s ok. Walk on the wild side.
Sherry’s Cinnamon Donut Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust refrigerated, fresh or frozen (thawed)
- 2 dozen cake donut holes or more
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 teaspoons vanilla divided
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare your crust per the package directions. If you are using a frozen crust you will need the deep-dish style and you will need to allow it to thaw. Very lightly spray your pie dish with a non-stick cooking spray, unless it is already non-stick, before adding the rolled pie crust or your homemade pie crust. Don’t use too much spray or your crust will be soggy. Crimp the edges if desired. Set the crust aside.
- Cut all of the donut holes or mini donuts in half and set those aside.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove or in the microwave in a large glass measuring cup (a medium glass bowl will do just as well). Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Then, slowly add the eggs while continuing to whisk so that the warm butter does not cook the eggs. Add in 2 teaspoons of vanilla and whisk again so that everything is well blended.
- Arrange the donut pieces in the pie shell. I like to put the holes cut side down and stagger the different flavors for a nice colorful effect
- Pour the butter mixture as evenly as possible over the donuts. If the filling comes too close to the top edge of your pie dish you may have to discard some.
- Bake the pie for 30 minutes or until the filling is set but still bubbly. I added a pie shield halfway through the baking time to assure that the crust did not brown too much. You can also do this with strips of foil placed on the edge if you don’t have a pie shield. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool completely on the counter.
- Once cooled, prepare the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of milk using a small whisk. You want the glaze to be pourable but nice and thick. Adjust your liquid and/or powdered sugar measurements to achieve this consistency. Gently pour the glaze over the cooled pie in whatever pattern you wish. Try to cover most of the surface so that each bite has some glaze.
- Cut the pie into slices to serve.
