Thank goodness for my friend Angie. She loves homemade doughnuts, and owns a fryer, so anytime I want to make some, she lets me go over to her house and stink up her kitchen with hot oil. She also lets me use her oil—I think it’s about time I bought a big container of it for her.

While we were munching on our doughnuts, yesterday, I told her that when I was a kid, I never admitted to anyone that I liked doughnuts—especially in high school. To me it seemed like people would think I was fat if I told them I liked them. Weird. I know. I don’t think it was until I started writing this blog, tweeting, and surfing through pages on StumbleUpon that I even started to be a public doughnut lover. But here I am.

My name is Jaime. And I love doughnuts.

Well, good ones. And especially homemade ones. Even better if they have pink frosting and sprinkles—that’s just pure heaven. Well, heaven would be pink frosted doughnuts with sprinkles that don’t actually make you fat. Even if you eat about five of them like I did yesterday.

Speaking of pink—that’s something I never admitted to liking until I was an adult as well. I was a closet doughnut lover, and a closet lover of the color pink. Well, how about that? This blog is almost like therapy. And it’s certainly cheaper.

So, you may be wondering how the beautiful pink pomegranate glaze came to be. Let me tell you. Someone really nice at the POM Wonderful company asked me if I wanted them to send me their new pomegranate juice concentrate.

Hmm . . . did I want a bottle of concentrated pomegranate juice? . . . yes!

I am still coming up with things to make with it, but the first thing I wanted to make, obviously, was pink frosting. It would be pink, full of flavor, and all-natural. Win. Win. Win.

When I made the glaze, though, the concentrate was a little thick, so I did add water to it. That means that anyone can make the glaze, even if you don’t have a big bottle of the concentrate lying around.

Oh, and are you feeling creative? The Pom Wonderful people are sponsoring a little cupcake contest right now. You may just want to get baking and enter.

basic raised doughnuts, with pomegranate glaze

1 package (1 scant tablespoon) instant, or rapid-rise yeast
4 cups flour, plus more when needed
6 tablespoons sugar
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter at room temperature, cut in small pieces
8 cups oil for frying
pomegranate glaze, recipe follows

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, and sugar. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine water, milk, eggs, and yolks. With the mixer on low, slowly add wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Add in salt. Once the mixture starts together, add in the butter, one piece at a time, until well-mixed. Add more flour as needed to create a soft, slightly sticky dough. Continue to mix on medium low speed for 10-12 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl covered with oiled plastic wrap, and set in a warm place until dough is doubled in bulk, about an hour.

2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, about a half an inch thick. Cut with round cookie cutters to make doughnut shapes. Cover with plastic wrap as they wait to go in the oil. Bring oil to 360 degrees in a pot or a fryer. Working in very small batches, gently drop doughnuts—and doughnut holes—into the oil to cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

3. Drain on paper towels. Twist in pomegranate glaze.

pomegranate glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons pomegranate juice

Whisk until combined. Add more of either ingredient to achieve desired consistency.