Never-Fail Doughnuts are your grandma’s doughnut! True to its name, this old-fashioned recipe turns out great doughnuts every time and can even be made gluten-free.
Looking through old church cookbooks and vintage recipes, I’ve noticed quite a few recipes touted as “Never Fail.” There are Never Fail rolls, Never Fail icing, Never Fail pie crust, the list goes on and on. Who knows how such a prestigious title is bestowed, but sign me up for any recipe that is pert near fool proof or guaranteed to turn out great-tasting end results.
That’s certainly the case with these doughnuts that I’ve made a few times now and haven’t failed yet.
The Dish
Never Fail Doughnuts are tender cake doughnuts that taste great plain or even better when rolled in a bit of sugar. You could also dip them in icing and add sprinkles if you are feeling fancy. I’ve made them with regular, all-purpose flour as well as gluten-free flour. I’ve fried them in vegetable oil, peanut oil and even lard. All ways: Good, good and good.
These are the kind of doughnuts that grandmothers of yesteryear were likely to make, using basic ingredients they were sure to have on hand and frying them up right on their stovetop-no FryDaddy deep fryers back then!
The Tell
This recipe for Never Fail Doughnuts was found in a cookbook that belonged to my husband’s grandma Charlotte who lived on a farm near Roseau, Minn.
Charlotte was a great cook who spent a lot of time in her farmhouse kitchen with many mouths to feed, several times a day. It’s no wonder she sought out never fail recipes!
My mother-in-law Mary Lou remembers they ate well and ate often on the farm. She says the doughnuts were in regular rotation, along with a variety of cookies and cakes, for the morning and afternoon lunches served every day. Yes, they had two lunches! One around 9 a.m. and another at 3 p.m. with dinner served in between around noon. The lunches always concluded with coffee and a sweet of some kind. Side note: there was also a dessert such as pudding served at lunch.
“Yes, a lot of sweets were eaten,” said Mary Lou. “Nobody snacked because you always knew “lunch would be coming.”
Charlotte continued making these doughnuts through the years and they became one of her signature specialties that many family members, including my husband, looked forward to whenever they’d visit.
The doughnuts remain a true, cherished family favorite that, to this day, never fail to satisfy a craving for a good cake doughnut—not to mention, bring back sweet memories of a very special grandma.
A Couple No-Fail Tips:
- Don’t over mix the dough! Confession: I actually did have a fail with this recipe when I got a little nuts with my KitchenAid mixer and mixed my dough too long and it wasn’t easy to work with. It really only needs to be “combined” until the dough comes together, then turn it out on a floured surface and lightly knead it.
- Mary Lou says her mom would fry the doughnuts in homemade lard in a heavy kettle on the stovetop, skimming the oil frequently with a slotted spoon when it got bits in it.
- It’s helpful to monitor the oil temperature with a thermometer as you don’t want the oil to get too hot. I like to use my fondue pot as it has a thermometer gauge making it easier to control the temperature and keep it round 375 degrees.
- While it’s ideal to have a doughnut cutter to get doughnuts with uniform shape, I use a small jelly jar to cut the initial shape and then take a large metal boba straw to punch out the center, lining up donuts on the straw to make it easier to drop in the hot oil. Just get creative and shop your kitchen for round objects to press in your dough to cut them if you don’t have an actual cutter. Or make doughnut balls?!
