Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts - Handle the Heat
Filed Under: Breakfast | Dessert | Donut

Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts

  |  
April 7th, 2023
4.38 from 126 votes
4.38 from 126 votes

Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts are coated in glaze and taste just like the cake doughnuts at your favorite bakery! No yeast makes this recipe quicker and easier.

Yield: 12 doughnuts and holes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: The little bit of nutmeg combined with the sour cream and sweet glaze makes these doughnuts taste just like the ones at your favorite bakery, if not better!
Texture: Slightly crunchy on the outside, cakey and soft on the inside. All the little cracks in these doughnuts just soak up the shiny, crackled glaze.
Ease: There’s no yeast in this recipe so you can have these doughnuts IN YOUR MOUTH in a little more than an hour from start to finish.
Pros: I think the pros are inherently implied, they’re doughnuts!
Cons: Deep fried sugary goodness ain’t too good for your diet.
Would I make this again? Yes, whenever I’m craving these old-fashioned cake doughnuts I’ll whip this recipe out.

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I have huge sweet tooth cravings on the regular. Can you relate?

unbaked sour cream donuts, waiting to be fried

When I get a doughnut craving, it’s intense.

In my experience, a lot of doughnut shops make pretty bland and greasy doughnuts that leave a weird residue on your tongue.

There are a few local shops that I LOVE, but I rarely have an excuse to make a trip to one of them.

This recipe honestly takes about the same amount of time that it takes to drive across town to my favorite bakery, so it’s kind of perfect. Plus, if you only eat doughnuts when you make them from scratch, you can’t really go overboard, right? That’s my logic at least.

fresh old-fashioned sour cream doughnuts, placed on a wire rack to dry after being glazed

These Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts are just like the old-fashioned cake doughnuts from the bakery. They’re kind of crunchy and cracked on the outside, making those nooks just perfect for soaking up the thick, shiny, crackled glaze.

We completely dunk the doughnuts in that glaze in the recipe, and it’s amazing. The inside is soft and cakey with a more firm bite than yeast doughnuts. Plus you can’t beat sour cream – it’s good with just about everything.

I don’t always prefer old-fashioned cake doughnuts to yeast doughnuts, but when I do this is absolutely the recipe I use. You can’t beat how much less time these take than yeast doughnuts, too.

Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts Recipe Tips

1. Use a Scale to Weigh Your Ingredients

Using a scale is a smart idea for these sour cream doughnuts. Any issues I hear about the dough being too dry or sticky are likely due to inaccurate measuring! If your doughnuts aren’t as fluffy and light as you’d like, it’s due to compacting too much flour into your measuring cup. You can learn more about how to measure flour the RIGHT way here.

2. Use REAL Bleached Cake Flour

  • This is a must for these sour cream doughnuts.
  • Purchased cake flour will yield light and delicate doughnuts, just like the ones from a good bakery.
  • DIY substitutions don’t really cut it.
  • AP flour will not create doughnuts with that same soft texture.
  • Bleached cake flour will work best. Unbleached (like King Arthur Flour) won’t absorb as much moisture and you may end up with doughnuts that crumble while frying.
  • You can learn more about cake flour here.

3. This Recipe is FRIED

  • Yes, you must fry these sour cream doughnuts
  • This recipe was specifically designed to be fried and not baked.
  • USE FRESH OIL. Oil goes rancid quickly, often before the date on the bottle.
  • If it has *any* unpleasant smell, don’t use it, as that flavor will transfer to your doughnuts. 

Can I Air Fry These Doughnuts? 

I don’t personally own an air fryer, but a reader recently messaged me, letting me know that she had success air frying this recipe. Let us know in the comments below if you have success air frying these doughnuts, too! 

My Favorite Doughnut Tools:

4.38 from 126 votes

How to make
Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts

Yield: 12 doughnuts and holes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts are coated in glaze and taste just like the cake doughnuts at your favorite bakery! No yeast makes this recipe quicker and easier.

Ingredients

For the donuts:

  • 2 1/4 cup (255 grams) cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (29 grams) butter, at COOL room temperature
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup (113 grams) sour cream
  • Canola oil, for frying

For the glaze:

  • 3 1/2 cup (350 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup hot water

Directions

For the donuts:

  1. In a bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until sandy. Add the egg yolks and mix until light and thick. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream, ending with the flour.

  3. Mix for 30 seconds on low speed or until the dough is smooth but slightly sticky. You want to mix enough that the dough doesn't fall apart in the oil, but not so much that it becomes tough. If the dough is unbearably sticky, add extra flour one tablespoon at a time (especially if you live in a warm & humid climate).

  4. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour, or until firm.

  5. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter or two differently sized biscuit cutters to cut out as many donuts as possible, dipping the cutters into flour as necessary to prevent sticking. You should get about 12 doughnuts and holes. If the dough gets too loose, sticky, or greasy at any point, return to the fridge to firm it back up before continuing. Refrigerate while you heat the oil so the dough is slightly cold when it fries.

  6. Pour 2 inches of canola oil into a heavy-bottomed pot with a deep-fry thermometer attached. Heat to 325°F. Fry the doughnuts a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry on each side about 2 minutes, being careful not to let them burn. Keep an eye on the thermometer and adjust your stove heat to maintain the correct oil temperature. Let drain on a paper bag to soak up the excess grease.

For the glaze:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk until smooth. Immerse each doughnut into the glaze. Place on a wire rack above a sheet pan to catch any excess glaze. Let sit for 20 minutes until glaze is set. Doughnuts are best served the day they are made but may be store in an air tight container at room temperature for a few days.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Some readers have complained that 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg was too much. Nutmeg is a crucial flavor component to any doughnut, but if you don't like the taste, reduce it to 1/4 teaspoon or omit it altogether.
From Hand Forged Doughnuts via Completely Delicious
Course : Dessert
Cuisine : American
Keyword : donut, doughnut, doughnut recipe, sour cream doughnut recipe

Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Shosh — December 21, 2014 at 4:24 pm

    My husband tried to make these for me. The dough was so dry. We double checked all the ingredients, but we couldn’t even roll them out.

    • #
      Tessa — December 21, 2014 at 5:40 pm

      Sounds like perhaps an ingredient wasn’t measured or left out, most like though the flour was over-measured. Be sure to fluff up the flour and spoon it into your measuring cup so it doesn’t become too compacted, or better yet use a kitchen scale to ensure perfect accuracy.

  2. #
    Ben — December 20, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    I followed the recipe and the dough was not sticky at all

  3. #
    Michelle — December 14, 2014 at 6:31 am

    Homemade donuts in a little over an hour! Nice simple recipe with ingredients every baker has on hand. The dough is quite sticky, even after chilling for an hour. Does need to be kneaded 5 or 6 times and then pat out the dough to cut. Yummy!

  4. #
    Amber Volle — December 8, 2014 at 10:56 pm

    Hi, could these be made ahead of time and eaten an hour later? Or do they have to be eaten hot?

  5. #
    V — November 21, 2014 at 9:28 am

    I thank you for posting this recipe, but it did not turn out well for me. I followed the directions to a T, but they were a major fail. For one thing, they were flat and never puffed up at all; I know they’re cake doughnuts rather than yeast doughnuts, but mine came out more like cookies than doughnuts. And I cannot blame it on rolling them out too thin because I only got 9 doughnuts out of mine, not the 12 of the recipe, so if anything, my rolling was thicker. Also, I felt they were too salty. Overall, I was very disappointed in them.

    • #
      Tessa — November 21, 2014 at 12:11 pm

      Hi! I’m sorry you had a fail. However, I am confident it is not the fault of the recipe – I have made it numerous times and so have many others (just look on Instagram!) so it would appear some troubleshooting is needed. For the flatness I can think of two things that may have caused this – expired baking powder or incorrect oil temperature. As for the saltiness did you use kosher salt? I would only use fine salt in baking.

  6. #
    Rebecca — November 15, 2014 at 7:46 am

    These donuts sound awesome with all those persian favorite ingredients! Bravo idea! Thanks for sharing!

  7. #
    Diana — November 14, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    I just made this and put them in the fridge to chill for an hour… my question is this: the dough is SO dry it barely incorporated all the flour. Your recipe says it should be sticky. I checked and rechecked that I put everything in correctly and in the right order, etc. The only difference is I used AP flour with cornstarch to “make” cake flour. Can that really make a difference???

  8. #
    Cynthia — November 11, 2014 at 7:01 am

    I’m super excited to try this recipe as these are my favorite type of donut!! Just wondering how to use this recipe for a chocolate old fashioned donut? Any suggestions anyone?
    Thanks so much!!

  9. #
    Nicole — November 8, 2014 at 10:56 am

    Will be making these PRONTO! Thanks so much for sharing! These are my husband & I favorite donut. Bless him, I just fed him one for breakfast that was left over from our Dunkin Donut stop yesterday. I can only imagine these will be soooo much better.

  10. #
    Teresa — November 6, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    Hi – Thanks for this recipe – a few quick questions (that hopefully aren’t repeats from others). I tried these today and am not thrilled with my results. I want to try again.
    *Do you think it’s possible to over-mix the dough?
    *Once you cut your circles, do you re-roll the scraps?
    *I tried mine in a small deep fryer not a pan – is that okay?
    *We usually use peanut oil for frying, but I realized that you said canola. Do you think that would affect the flavor?
    *Did you try to soak excess grease from both sides of the doughnut?

    Thanks so much!!

  11. #
    Elizabeth — October 24, 2014 at 1:29 pm

    Double the recipe. You won’t be sorry. So delicious!

  12. #
    xm — September 27, 2014 at 9:52 am

    What if I don’t have a mixer with a paddle attachment?

  13. #
    Tony G — September 22, 2014 at 11:15 am

    I tried making these this weekend and the dough was SUPER sticky. I couldn’t even roll them out. Should I add more flour? And then I put them in a fryer and they sunk down and stuck to my frying basket because they were so dense and sticky. Any suggestions? Thanks.

    • #
      Tessa — September 22, 2014 at 7:59 pm

      Hmmm as mentioned in the recipe the dough is quite sticky but as you can see from that last picture it definitely shouldn’t have prevented you from rolling them out and certainly should not have been so dense. Is it possible an ingredient was incorrectly measured or left out? I had great success with this recipe and many others have too so I’m thinking something went wrong along the way for you. Better luck next time!

  14. #
    Ron gon — September 19, 2014 at 11:37 pm

    Good recipe. FYI, spending $5 to save $10 gives you a $5 savings and $5 worth of free stuff.

  15. #
    susanna — September 18, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    can you make these with AP flour? don’t have cake flour at home

    • #
      Tessa — September 19, 2014 at 1:29 pm

      You can, though they may be slightly more dense.

  16. #
    Jen C — September 15, 2014 at 7:38 am

    Just found this today on Pinterest and am really excited to try them out! I do have a question for you though-I make doughnuts each Christmas as our traditional dessert. However, it comes at the end of a big meal that we prepare and share with our big extended family. Is this a recipe I can make earlier in the day and have ready to fry ahead of time (mixed & cut)? I have been using a yeast doughnut and the difficulty I have is remembering to get them out of the fridge to let them rise before frying! I want something equally delicious and lower maintance:)

  17. #
    Bruno — August 31, 2014 at 6:07 am

    Thank you Tessa for that recipe! My doughnuts where a hit but they where also very hard, i must have made an error while doing the dough. Any tip on how to make them softer? Also mine where alot more uniformed than yours although when i look at your picture of the dough, mine where pretty much the same.

    • #
      Tessa — August 31, 2014 at 9:28 am

      Hi! It sounds like either the dough was over-worked or the oil was too cold or too hot while frying. Also as a note – this type of doughnut will be a little more “hard” than the fluffier yeast-raised kind.

  18. #
    Melanie — August 26, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    Hi! These look super yummy! I was wondering if I could use shortening to fry these instead of Canola oil?

    • #
      Tessa — August 28, 2014 at 10:22 am

      Sure!

  19. #
    Michelle — August 17, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    My son and I made these for breakfast this morning, and they were delicious! I have been sort of afraid of frying doughnuts, and I decided it was time to get over that. thanks so much for the fantastic recipe! 🙂

    • #
      Tessa — August 17, 2014 at 4:15 pm

      So thrilled to here that Michelle. Frying can be a bit intimidating but it’s so worth it isn’t it?!

  20. #
    Donna @ The Slow Roasted Italian — August 7, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    Munchkin and I are going nuts over these photos. She has informed me that she wants these! LOL

    • #
      Tessa — August 7, 2014 at 10:11 pm

      Haha! I would gladly make these for Munchkin anytime 🙂

  21. #
    Jakki — August 3, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    i live in Scotland but i moved to canada for just over 3 yrs and was addicted to tim hortons sour cream donuts but have never known how to make these im soooo going to try this recipe coz they look juuuuust like them mmmmm thank you sooooo much i miss those so much….its funny the things you miss from somewhere, when i lived in canada i missed Scottish bread lol xx

    • #
      Tessa — August 4, 2014 at 7:14 am

      Isn’t that funny? You always miss what you can’t get!

  22. #
    Cc — July 25, 2014 at 10:10 am

    What type of butter? Salted, unsalted, etc….

    • #
      Tessa — July 25, 2014 at 3:55 pm

      It’s such a small amount that it really doesn’t matter salted vs. unsalted!

  23. #
    Geoffe — July 20, 2014 at 2:39 pm

    Made these today. They were excellent!

    • #
      Tessa — July 21, 2014 at 12:20 pm

      Glad to hear it!

  24. #
    rahma — July 16, 2014 at 3:23 am

    hey tessa.. these doughnuts look too tempting to try .. i want to make them .. but we dont get sour cream at our place.. is there i can substitute for sour cream ? what about yogurt ?

  25. #
    Hailey — July 14, 2014 at 9:40 am

    Can I use dark corn syrup for the glaze??

    • #
      Tessa — July 15, 2014 at 8:31 am

      It would definitely alter the flavor and color, but I think it should work fine.

  26. #
    Lynn — July 9, 2014 at 11:29 am

    These look amazing! Quick question, how long did you wait between pulling them out of the oil and putting the glaze on?

    • #
      Tessa — July 10, 2014 at 2:28 pm

      I started dipping in the glaze right after the last batch came out of the oil. I just started glazing the ones I fried first that were cool, and by the time I got to the most recent ones they were cool enough to touch.

  27. #
    Eda — July 9, 2014 at 9:21 am

    Can you use all purpose flour or bread flour?

  28. #
    Rod — July 9, 2014 at 5:46 am

    I remember these as a young boy in the early 60s. Can gluten free cake mix be used? Can these be baked to a crunchy exterior with a soft interior?

    Thank You

    Rod

    • #
      Tessa — July 9, 2014 at 8:29 am

      Hi Rod, I’m really not sure those substitutions would work independently, let alone combined. You might be able to get away with using a gluten-free cake flour (not cake mix) but the only way these will have that wonderful texture you remember is if you fry them. They will taste completely differently if you use gluten-free flour and bake them, unfortunately.

  29. #
    Kelsey — July 9, 2014 at 5:21 am

    How do you think they’d turn out if I substitute the nutmeg for cinnamon? I’m relatively partial to nutmeg but I super love cinnamon. I’ve never made doughnuts from scratch before though so figured I’d ask before simply substituting all willy nilly. I might just try making them both ways but I was just curious 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!

    • #
      Tessa — July 9, 2014 at 8:30 am

      Nutmeg is quintessential to that characteristic doughnut flavor! You can totally turn these into cinnamon doughnuts, I’m sure it’d be equally delicious 🙂

  30. #
    Ashley — July 8, 2014 at 10:19 pm

    Do you think you could substitute anything for the corn syrup?

    • #
      Tessa — July 9, 2014 at 8:31 am

      You can use tapioca syrup instead or just omit the corn syrup, it just helps make the glaze feel just like what’d you find at a bakery.

  31. #
    Marty — July 7, 2014 at 6:13 am

    I was just telling my husband about this type of doughnut yesterday. I used to work in a bakery and the lady that made doughnut made awesome Old Fashioned’s I will definitely try these.

  32. #
    Zesty BB — July 4, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Omg! Recipe for my favorite donut in the whole wide world? My coworker brought donuts to work yesterday and I was the last to get in the box and I was thinking that I was going to be left with a sprinkle or a plain glazed but there was my favorite just waiting for me… Now I can make as many as I want at home! I’m sitting here trying to picture the inside of my cabinets and I think I have everything I need thanks so much!

  33. #
    Danae B — July 3, 2014 at 9:13 am

    These look delicious! Question: what size donut cutter did you use?

  34. #
    Alicia — June 25, 2014 at 8:10 am

    I love sour cream donuts! Those crispy outside bits and the warm cake inside- yum. I think I’m the only one in my family that like them though. I wonder if the kids would feel differently if they helped make some… I’m going to give it a go sometime this summer and see. I’ll use coconut oil for frying though. Thanks for the recipe 🙂

  35. #
    Karen Lowrey — June 24, 2014 at 9:53 am

    These are really delicious. One question though: How did you keep them together? Out of the whole batch, I came out with one whole donut and dozens of curved pieces. LOL

    • #
      Tessa — June 24, 2014 at 10:12 am

      Oh really?! That’s strange. What I did was take a kind of flat fine mesh skimmer, place as many doughnuts as would fit on the mesh, then slowly dip the skimmer into the oil so the doughnuts would enter gently and so I wouldn’t get splashed with any hot oil. Then I gently removed the doughnuts with the same skimmer once they were done.

  36. #
    Alex@intoxicology — June 22, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Wow, I guess this is what they call food porn. I’m going to have the mrs make these this weekend. Great recipe, cheers!

  37. #
    Mike — June 20, 2014 at 9:24 pm

    Looks great! Question: could the dough be made the night before and left in the refrigerator? I ask because these look great for breakfast but between the prep and chilling it looks like a good couple of hours (and I’m too lazy to wake up any earlier). Thanks in advance!

    • #
      Tessa — June 20, 2014 at 9:27 pm

      I think that would work just fine!

  38. #
    Cheryl L — June 18, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    YUM!! I have a yeast doughnut recipe that we love, but I think it may be time to try something different! I love a good sour cream old fashioned. For some reason I always thought they were baked? Hmmm.
    After you cut these out, do you allow any rise time? Or just fry them right away?

    Thanks!!

    • #
      Tessa — June 20, 2014 at 9:26 pm

      Nope, no rise time after cutting – just as the recipe is written!

  39. #
    Leia — June 17, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    Those look delicious!! I am pinning them now!

  40. #
    Margaret — June 17, 2014 at 8:00 pm

    Yummy! If I had all the ingredients I think I’d be making these tonight. I’ve been baking too much and I’m out of everything. pinning and sharing.

  41. #
    jesse — June 14, 2014 at 6:45 am

    I want to make these right now..I dont have sour cream on hand, can I use thick greek yoghurt? :s

    • #
      Tessa — June 14, 2014 at 7:21 pm

      I don’t see why not!

  42. #
    kay — June 13, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Thank you Tessa for this great recipe, old-fashioned sour cream doughnuts.
    I made them and they turned out super yummy and tasty!!

    Have a great weekend! 🙂

    • #
      Tessa — June 14, 2014 at 7:18 pm

      Oh that’s wonderful to hear!!

  43. #
    Carolyn — June 9, 2014 at 7:16 am

    Silly question….what do you do with your oil after you finish? Can it be used more than once?

    • #
      Tessa — June 10, 2014 at 3:32 pm

      I will usually strain it with a really fine mesh strainer or even cheesecloth to remove all the little particles that accumulate, funnel it back into an airtight container, store in a cool dry place, and use it a handful of times more. The more particles that become introduced into the oil, the less it can be reused. Once it’s unusable again (too many particles, bad smell, etc.) just throw it away in the trash inside an airtight container. Hope that helps!

  44. #
    Tkaz — June 5, 2014 at 10:19 am

    Crazy question…can the dough be cut & then frozen? Defrosted & then cooked? I’m looking for fun recipes to bring on vacation & the less work while ON vacation the better! ;o)

    • #
      Tessa — June 5, 2014 at 11:40 am

      I think that should work! As long as you par-freeze the unfried doughnuts on a sheet pan until they’re solid, then place them in an airtight container, they should hold up just fine. I’d allow them to sit at room temperature for a little while before frying. Enjoy your vacation!

      • #
        sarawerra — December 29, 2020 at 2:52 pm

        I have made the dough then used a small scoop to make mounds on a tray, froze them and them put them in a bag. I can grab out 4 or 6 or 12 to fry up any time! Works great. I usually pull them out of the freezer about the time I am heating up the fryer. It helps that our fryer lives on the counter 24/7 as we use it often!!

  45. #
    kristen — June 3, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    mmmm, these look so good. As soon as I kick this cold I am going to make them. a doughnut cutter is on my list!

    • #
      Tessa — June 4, 2014 at 3:02 pm

      Hope you feel better soon!

  46. #
    Delisse — June 3, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    Can I still make these with a hand mixer?

    • #
      Tessa — June 4, 2014 at 3:02 pm

      Of course!

  47. #
    Julie — June 2, 2014 at 10:26 am

    Old fashioned doughnuts are my FAVORITE. These look great!

  48. #
    John @ Garage Gyms — June 2, 2014 at 7:46 am

    I shouldn’t even be looking at these, but I saw the picture in the sidebar and had to. These look so good. There should be a recipe version that makes just one lol because that’a all I’m allowed to have when I cheat. Can’t imagine a basket of these in my kitchen.

    • #
      Tessa — June 2, 2014 at 9:06 am

      Haha! They’re quite dangerous! Better invite some neighbors and friends over if you make them.

  49. #
    Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps — June 1, 2014 at 9:47 am

    These are every bit as gorgeous and drool-worthy as the old-fashioned doughnuts you find in a bakery, and I love that there’s no yeast!

  50. #
    Erin M. — May 31, 2014 at 7:13 am

    Reporting back…I just made these and they are amazing!! My family is going to love them!!

    • #
      Tessa — June 2, 2014 at 9:12 am

      Thanks so much for sharing! Hope your family enjoyed!

  51. #
    Heather || Heather’s Dish — May 31, 2014 at 6:21 am

    I am the same way about coupons- the only ones that I consistently use these days are for diapers and wipes because that stuff is ridiculously expensive!

    • #
      Tessa — June 2, 2014 at 9:13 am

      Blah diapers and wipes are outrageously expensive! They make the things you can’t really avoid buying so expensive – printer ink and shaving razors are ridiculous too.

  52. #
    Erin M. — May 31, 2014 at 4:15 am

    Hi! I just found your site and am on a pinning streak! These look awesome! Can’t wait to try them.

  53. #
    Shawn @ IWYD — May 30, 2014 at 11:02 am

    These are my favorite type of doughnuts! They look glorious! Pinned!

  54. #
    Andra — May 30, 2014 at 10:16 am

    These look gorgeous! Do you think it’s possible to bake them, instead of frying? I always thought old fashioned donuts were baked for some reason…

    • #
      Tessa — May 30, 2014 at 10:29 am

      That’s a good question! I haven’t tried baking this particular recipe, however I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The results would probably be quite different in texture, though. I have a few baked doughnut recipes too you may want to check out: https://handletheheat.com/category/donut

    • #
      Judy — June 11, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      What about trying to do it in the air fryer?? Just a thought…

  55. #
    Gaby — May 30, 2014 at 9:57 am

    I need at least 6 of these all to myself, so delicious!

  56. #
    Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog — May 30, 2014 at 9:25 am

    I am so excited you posted this…I went on a vacation last year and had sour cream doughnuts for the first time and was not disappointed…they were so good…but I have been stalling on making them at home for some reason yet craving them… this recipe and the gorgeous pictures makes me want to tackle the project this weekend! YUM!

    • #
      Tessa — May 30, 2014 at 10:30 am

      Thank you! I hope you do make them this weekend!

  57. #
    Emily — May 30, 2014 at 6:40 am

    Doughnuts aren’t normally one of my favorite desserts, but delicious homemade ones are definitely a step up from chain-store produced ones. Here in NYC, there are a few excellent doughnut producers, Dough and Dougnut Planet, that make specialty flavors and such– worth a try if you’re ever in the area and like doughnuts.

  58. #
    Susan Hinck — May 30, 2014 at 6:09 am

    Uhh, this is killer. I would LOVE to make these. Can’t wait until I’m off bedrest..!

    It is early in the morning, but this isn’t make sense to me. The ingredients don’t list shortening, but it’s called for in the second line of the recipe. Is that referring to the butter?

    • #
      Tessa — May 30, 2014 at 6:53 am

      Sorry to hear you’re on bedrest! Oh yes, just a typo. It’s meant to be butter. Thanks for pointing that out, I’ve fixed it.

    • #
      Andrea — April 8, 2020 at 8:03 am

      Can you chill the dough overnight so that it’s ready to go first thing the next morning?

      • #
        Jillian — April 14, 2020 at 3:25 pm

        Did you try chilling overnight? I am going to make them that way on Saturday.

  59. #
    Baby June — May 30, 2014 at 4:47 am

    These look amazing! Wish I had one for breakfast today 🙂 I’ve never tried frying raised donuts, only cake ones, so I’ll have to put this on my list of things-to-make!

  60. #
    Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness — May 30, 2014 at 3:44 am

    I mean this in the most non creepy way but I am going to marry you. Old fashioned sour cream doughnuts are MY FAVORITE (in face, my hubby and I broke one in half on our wedding day, instead of cutting cake together!) and I never knew how to make them. This is life changing. Pinned!

    • #
      Jama L Kelch — April 24, 2021 at 11:16 am

      I made these this morning. They were delicious and so easy to make.

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