Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

My daughter just loves to cook. Of course she likes to bake cookies, pies and cakes, but she'll help with just about any task I give her. I jokingly call her my sous chef. One project she is especially fond of is making donuts. I'm not especially fond of mixing up a bowl of dough, so I thought it was just brilliant when my husband told me that his Pap used to make donuts using refrigerated biscuit dough. That's pure genius! You get yummy, "homemade" donuts and you don't even have to slave away in the kitchen. Here's how you do it:

Ingredients:

1 tube refrigerated homestyle biscuit dough (Don't get fancy on me, you just need the cheap stuff)
1/4 c. sugar
1 T cinnamon
enough shortening or oil to fill a small saucepan up about 1 in.
itty, bitty cookie cutter (This may require a trip to a specialty store. We use a little heart)

Directions:
1) Heat shortening or oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2) While oil is heating, use cookie cutter to cut out a hole in the center of each biscuit. Save the middles. They can be used to make donut holes. My kids actually fight over the donut holes.
3) Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
4) When a drop of water sizzles in the oil, then it is ready. Toss in your donuts. I usually fry the donut holes first. They need to be constantly turned so they turn a golden brown on all sides. The other donuts will need to be flipped after the first side has turned a golden brown.

5) Remove donuts from the oil and allow some of the excess oil to drain on a paper towel.
6) Toss donuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Use a spoon to make sure all sides are coated.

Sometimes we'll get fancy and, instead of coating them in cinnamon-sugar, we'll put icing on then and then add sprinkles. One time I mixed the seeds from a vanilla bean with sugar and made vanilla-sugar donuts. Be creative and have fun!