Donuts with Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients for the donuts:
1/2 cup water
1/4 tablespoon Tahitian vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1/2 orange
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Ingredients for the cinnamon sugar:
1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon Chinese Cassia cinnamon

Ingredients for the chocolate sauce:
1 cup milk
Zest of 1/2 orange
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Mexican cocoa
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons bitter sweet chocolate chips

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions for the donuts:
Place the water, vanilla, butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, and the orange zest into a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is incorporated and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 8 minutes.

Place the flour mixture into a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer for 2 minutes. Slowly add the eggs one at a time. The mixture will break apart as you add each egg but will become smooth again once the egg is incorporated. Make sure each egg has been incorporated into the batter before adding the next.

Oil a 1-ounce ice cream scoop and scoop batter into the hot oil. Fry the dough balls until they are a deep golden brown on all sides. Remove one and test to make sure that the center is cooked and then remove the rest. Fry in batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Combine the remaining sugar with the cinnamon and drop the dough into the sugar mixture once they are fried. Set aside.

Directions for the chocolate sauce:
Bring the milk, orange zest and sugar to a simmer and then turn to low. Remove the orange zest and whisk in the cocoa powder, light corn syrup, and the chocolate chips. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Serve along side the donuts.

Yields: about 20 donuts

Thanks to: Janet Johnston, Savory Spice Shop co-founder and host of Food Network's Spice & Easy.