No, you don't have to go to Krispy Kreme to enjoy a fresh glazed doughnut. And yes, a homemade version will taste just as good — if not better! Recipe developer Stephanie Rapone has the perfect homemade glazed doughnut recipe, and it's one that she cannot praise highly enough. "These are doughnuts are delicious! I do not like doughnuts, but these are out-of-this-world light and flavorful and amazing," she raves. "While there [are] a lot of steps, none of them are complicated, and the result is beyond worth it."

She isn't lying on both accounts — these doughnuts are truly delicious, but there are quite a few steps. As with any homemade dough confection, there's a whole process of making the dough, kneading it, letting it rise, and so forth. It does take time, naturally, but if you love fresh, decadent, fluffy doughnuts, then it will be time well spent. And hey, once you get through the prep time, you'll only need 3 minutes to actually cook each batch of doughnuts, so you'll be enjoying the fresh baked goods before you know it. 

Before you dive into this recipe, you'll want to make sure you have the right ingredients. You'll need milk, a packet of active dry yeast, eggs, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, table and kosher salt, all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and maple extract. 

"I like to make a maple glaze, vs. a glaze with just confectioner's sugar and milk," Rapone says of her special ingredient. "I find the maple gives it a richer flavor, and it's not as sweet."

The first thing you'll want to do for this recipe is activate the yeast. So start by heating up 1 ¼ cups milk in the microwave in 20-second increments, until the temperature is between 105-110 F. The temperature is very important here — if it's too hot or cold, the yeast won't bloom properly, so make sure the milk is in that range.

Now, pour the milk into the bowl of an electric stand mixer (or just a large bowl if you'll be using a hand mixer with a dough hook). Add the yeast and stir before letting it sit for 5-10 minutes. During this time, the yeast will activate, and you'll know it's doing its thing when it starts to get foamy.

As the milk and yeast mixture gets foamy, microwave 8 tablespoons butter until it melts. Then, let the melted butter cool to room temperature, but make sure it remains fully melted.

Now, with the yeast mixture fully foamed up, add the eggs, granulated sugar, table salt, and melted (but cooled) butter. Use a dough hook to mix everything, then add half the flour until just combined. Follow that up with the rest of the flour, and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the loose dough out onto a floured surface, then knead it until it's smooth and all of the measured flour is thoroughly incorporated. 

Now comes the waiting game. Add a tablespoon oil to a bowl, then add the dough ball in, and turn it around in the bowl so the entire surface has some oil on it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then set it somewhere warm to rise for about an hour. The goal here is for the dough to double in size, and Rapone notes that this may take a little more or less than an hour, so keep an eye on the dough as time progresses. 

"The only real potential pitfall is not letting the dough rise properly," Rapone warns. "Your patience will be rewarded with super light and fluffy doughnuts." Good things come to those who wait!

Once the dough has doubled in size, add flour to a clean work surface, and turn out the dough. Roll it to about ½-inch thickness, then use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out the doughnut shapes. You can also use a glass for the outer circle, then use a tiny, 1-inch glass (like a shot glass, perhaps) or cookie cutter to cut the inner circle. Rapone advises that you dip whatever tool you use in flour periodically, so it don't stick to the dough. 

Now, you've got doughnuts and doughnut holes. After you've cut as many as you can, you'll have some scrap dough — simply knead it together, let it rest for 5 minutes, then roll it out and cut more doughnuts.

Once you have all your doughnuts and doughnut holes cut out, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the doughnuts and holes on the sheets, being sure to leave 2-3 inches of space between them. Cover the sheets with kitchen towels, and once again, leave the dough to rise for another hour.

Near the end of the doughnuts' rest period, add the vegetable oil to a large Dutch oven or pot, and heat the oil to 375 F. It will take a little time for it to reach that temperature, and once it does, be sure to keep the oil as close to 375 F as possible. Meanwhile, line a cooling rack or baking sheet with paper towels.

Once the oil is at the right temperature, add a few of the doughnuts to the pot — only 2 or 3 at a time. Fry each doughnut on one side for about a minute, or until golden brown, then flip them using a slotted spoon or spatula. Once the doughnuts are cooked on both sides, place them on the paper towel-lined cooling rack. Repeat the frying process with each of the doughnuts, and keep in mind that the holes will cook much more quickly than the doughnuts themselves. 

Now, it's time to focus on the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar, then place a saucepan on the stove over low heat. Add in 2 tablespoons butter and the maple syrup, allowing the ingredients to melt together. Once they do, remove the pan from the heat, then whisk in the maple extract, 2 tablespoons milk, the kosher salt, and the sifted powdered sugar. Dunk each of the doughnuts into the glaze, then place them onto a cooling rack (not lined with paper towels). Just like that, you're ready to enjoy these fresh, warm, and delicious homemade doughnuts. 

"I'm sad to say these really don't keep well," Rapone says regarding leftovers. She explains that they go stale within 24 hours, but with a homemade baked good this delicious, these doughnuts will probably be long gone within a day!