Wingin’ It: Inventing the Conut for Bills at Bears

Can you believe it? Season 5 of Wingin’ It. Where has the time gone? For any newcomers, here’s the premise: It’s hungry work being a fan of the Buffalo Bills. Every week of the regular season and postseason, Buffalo Rumblings brings you a recipe to try out with a “Buffalo” twist.

Alright, bear with me on this explanation. While researching Chicago’s food outside their signature hot dog, two things came up quite a bit: donuts and Mexican dishes. Both of which I love. How to combine the two? As you’ll see below, a Mexican chocolate inspired glaze was the key.

I wasn’t done, though. I found some older donut recipes and messed with the chemistry a bit to see what would come out. The result was a denser, more cookie-like result. The cookie-donut. Or “Conut.” I’m pretty sure I invented this, and will await my celebrity status and riches.

The Conut

Makes: 40-50 conuts
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

Conut

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
³⁄₄ cup buttermilk
¹⁄₄ tsp orange extract
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¹⁄₂ tsp salt
3 ¹⁄₂ cups bread flour (can use all purpose instead)
¹⁄₂ tsp cinnamon

Mexican Chocolate Glaze

1 ¹⁄₂ cups confectioner’s sugar
6 Tbsp instant hot chocolate mix
1 Tbsp ground red pepper
5 Tbsp whole milk
¹⁄₂ tsp orange extract

1. Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and butter; mix thoroughly. Stir in buttermilk and orange extract.
2. Mix in all dry ingredients until batter is an even consistency. Cover and chill for at least 20 min.
3. Preheat oven to 400ºF with rack in the center of the oven. Roll out batter to about half-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
4. Cut out conuts using a shot glass or or other small circle, and place on a non-stick or lightly greased baking sheet. (It can be helpful to roll the rim of the glass in flour periodically to help the conuts release easier.)
5. Bake until conuts begin to turn light gold, about 10-12 min. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 5 min.
6. Make chocolate glaze while baking or resting out of the oven. Add confectioner’s sugar, instant hot chocolate mix, and red pepper in a small mixing bowl. Add milk and orange extract; stir until smooth.
7. Spoon glaze on top of each conut and allow to set, about 15-20 min. (A light touch should not leave fingerprints when fully set.)

Wingin’ It Tips and Prep Gallery

Grid View

Our first picture shows the thickness of the conut before cooking. It’s roughly as thick as my thumb. The following picture is what they look like when done. I also have one cut in half to make sure. The inside should have a uniform texture with very small air pockets (it’ll look a lot like bread). If it still looks like the batter in the first picture, they need a few more minutes.

In the next picture, the glaze has been added. I had some extra and you’ll see I started adding a second layer of glaze to some of the conuts. In our last picture, we have a traditional glaze. That’s a half cup sugar, 4 tsp milk, and a quarter tsp vanilla. You’ll need to triple that if you want to do all the conuts with that instead, but if you’re just looking to have a variety, that’ll give you a dozen or better regular glaze if you want.

Finally, I wanted to say that sometimes I really embrace the idea of “wingin’ it.” I was set on a traditional donut, and even made sure I had oil to fry it. But at some point, I convinced myself that I really needed some orange flavor, and extract was the way to go. I knew this would alter the chemistry, but I wasn’t sure exactly where it would go. I also decided to bake rather than fry. I did test-fry a couple, and they do come out more donut that way if you’re interested. I also did a test bake or two.

In the end, I really liked the conut outcome, and proceeded as is with baking. If you’re expecting a donut, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re expecting a cookie, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re expecting something in between, you might have a new easy treat to bake.