Pumpkin pie and doughnuts are meant to be together

ALISON LADMAN

Hanukkah and Thanksgiving may not coincide very often, but these pumpkin honey doughnuts will make you wish they did.

To help bridge these holidays, we borrowed a classic dessert of each — fried doughnuts for Hanukkah and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving — and brought them together in one delicious mouthful. The result is a terrifically moist fried doughnut rich with the flavors of pumpkin pie. A glaze of cinnamon- and lemon-spiked honey ties everything together.

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PUMPKIN HONEY DOUGHNUTS

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (45 minutes active)

Makes 3 dozen doughnut holes

2 teaspoons instant yeast

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup warm water

15-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 egg

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Vegetable oil, for frying

In a medium bowl, stir together the yeast, flour, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the water, pumpkin and egg until a thick, smooth batter forms. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 45 minutes.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and stir well. Remove from the heat.

In a large, deep skillet over medium-high, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 F.

Working in batches, carefully drop the batter by the tablespoonful into the hot oil. A cookie or small ice cream scoop makes this easier. Turning occasionally, fry the doughnuts until deep golden brown all over and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried doughnuts to a large bowl. Drizzle the honey syrup over the doughnuts and toss to coat. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information per serving: 80 calories; 25 calories from fat (31 percent of total calories); 2.5 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 5 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 2 g protein; 30 mg sodium.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Alison Ladman is a recipe developer for the AP. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CrustAndCrumbCo