This is the official recipe for The Salvation Army Donuts. This is the very same recipe that was used during WWI and WWII. Check out the original recipe here: Original Salvation Army Donuts.
I’m always looking for ways to make donuts at home just like the big boys do whether it’s by Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’ Donuts or Tim Hortons. Hard to reproduce those donuts at home but this donut recipe comes pretty close. Especially Tim Horton’s “Timbits®”.
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Ingredient Substitution
If you don’t have any vegetable shortening on hand you can substitute with butter or margarine. Since this donut recipe calls for very little shortening (1 tablespoon), I recommend using an equal amount of butter or margarine.
Deep Frying Oils
When it comes to Deep Frying food you want to choose an oil that has a high smoke point and neutral in flavor so it won’t affect the flavor of whatever you are frying. Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, Canola Oil and Peanut Oil are some of the more popular and affordable options.
Tips
- When deep frying donuts, actually any food with a batter, it is important to wait until the frying oil gets up to temperature. You also want to remove them from the oil as soon as the batter is browned and let the remaining excess oil drain.
The shape you make for these donuts does not really matter. I like to make little balls, also called donut holes. Very easy to do by hand or even with a small cookie scoop.
If baking your donuts more of your thing, I suggest you check out my Baked Donuts with Chocolate Glaze or my Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze recipes.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Salvation Army Donut recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- All Purpose Flour – I mostly use King Arthur but use what you got (no affiliation)
- Baking Powder
- Vegetable Shortening
- White Sugar – you can also use any sugar alternative
- Salt – a must for most recipes
- Ground Nutmeg – Brings a warm, earthy, and slightly nutty flavor
- Ground Cinnamon – adds a warm, sweet, and slightly woody flavor
- Milk – I use 2% milk
- Eggs – fresh large eggs as much as possible
How to Make The Salvation Army Donuts
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder and set aside.
- Cream the shortening, sugar, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add milk and the egg and stir. Add the flour mixture and mix till combined.
- Preheat the frying oil to 375°F.
- Move the dough to a floured surface and work into a soft dough. Cut the dough into the desired shape and fry in the oil.
- Turn the donuts frequently while frying. The fat should be hot enough to give the donuts a rich golden-russet color in about 3 minutes.
- While the donuts are still hot, optionally roll the donuts in white sugar, powdered sugar or a cinnamon sugar mixture.
The Salvation Army Donuts
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Ingredients
DONUT BATTER
- 1 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Shortening
- ½ Cup White Sugar
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- ¼ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Cup Milk
- 1 Egg, beaten
- Canola Oil, for deep frying
DONUT COATING (Optional)
- White Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Cinnamon Sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder and set aside.
- Cream the shortening, sugar, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add milk and the egg and stir. Add the flour mixture and mix till combined.
- Preheat the frying oil to 375°F.
- Move the dough to a floured surface and work into a soft dough. Cut the dough into the desired shape and fry in the oil.
- Turn donuts frequently while frying. The fat should be hot enough to give the donuts a rich golden-russet color in about 3 minutes.
- While the donuts are still hot, optionally roll the donuts in white sugar, powdered sugar or a cinnamon sugar mixture.
I just loved this donuts. Easy to make. Used the cinnamon sugar mixture to roll them in as I did not have any icing sugar. My family loved them. They were crispy on the outside but nice and soft in the inside.