Cook Shanty Style Buttermilk Spice Donuts & Double Chocolate Donuts

This makes a large enough batch to divide in half and make two different types of donuts.  The recipe is based off of the famous donuts of Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty in the Wisconsin Dells.  The spice donut recipe is very close to the original flavor and will do if you can't make it to the restaurant.
The chocolate one I improvised after making the spice donuts and they were so good I had to include here.  If dividing, measure & sift the dry ingredients first, then divide by weight.  The measures for spices and chocolate are for a full recipe.  if dividing, be sure to only use half the spices and chocolate amounts.

On halving this recipe: I frequently make half this recipe.  It cuts in half nicely.  But the dough keeps coming out thinner and too loose.  I think that it needs more flour.  For reference, the original amount of flour called for was 570 g. or about 3 1/2 c. of all purpose (a c. of AP flour is ~150g) .  I've tweaked things, such as adding buckwheat, but the amount of flour should work fine when cut in half.  Just bear in mind that the dough needs to be fairly firm.  It can't look goopy, it'll be a mess to work with for kneading and rolling.  If the dough looks too wet, too saggy, add more flour 1/4 c. at a time until it's firm, and holds it's shape well.

Base Donut Recipe:
620 g or 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (optionally, use 520 g. all-purpose, and 100 g. buckwheat flour)
180 g or ¾ cup granulated sugar
 ½ teaspoon baking soda
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 1 teaspoon salt
 2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
 ¾ cup buttermilk (or 3/4 c. milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
 ¼ cup sour cream (next time I am using greek yogurt!)
 ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
 Vegetable oil for frying

Spice Donuts: (for full recipe)

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp cardamon
(optional: ½ tsp black pepper for an interesting twist)

Chocolate Donuts: (for full recipe)
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted over double boiler
1/3 c. cocoa poweder

Chocolate Glaze: (for full recipe)
1 cup icing sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
3-4 tablespoons whipping cream
2 teaspoons corn syrup light or dark
sprinkles optional

Lemon Coconut Donuts: (for full recipe)
1 c. unsweetened coconut flakes (not shredded)
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. lime zest
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract

Lemon Glaze: (for full recipe)
4 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
4 Tbsp. sour cream

1/2 tsp. lemon extract
--Dust with coconut flakes and shredded coconut

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda & powder, salt.  Mix in the wet ingredients, then the flavorings for whichever recipe you're making.  Once thoroughly mixed, the dough should be chilled for 20 minutes.

Turn out dough onto a flour surface.  set a wide frying pan or dutch oven on the stove and fill 1  inch high with corn or peanut oil for frying.  Heat the oil to 370 degrees F.  Use a kitchen thermometer and maintain the heat at that rough temperature.

Roll the dough out to 1/2 an inch thick on a floured surface and cut the donuts out with a donut cutter.  Save the holes for frying last.

Place three donuts in the oil at a time and fry them for 2 minutes, then turn them over with a wooden spatula.  Fry for another minute only then remove from oil and let dry on paper towels.  Repeat until all donuts are cooked.  The donut holes don't cook as long.  They only require 1 minute for the first side and about 30 seconds after the turn.

For Spice Donuts, use a ziplock bag and fill with 1 c. sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Shake the donuts around in the mixture to coat evenly, as soon as they can be handled safely after removal from the oil.

For Chocolate Donuts, the glaze can wait until after you're all done to make and coat them.

Glaze
Start with powdered sugar and cocoa in a mixing bowl and begin blending the cream in a little at a time to avoid lumps.  Add the corn syrup and blend well.  This should be fairly thick, not particularly runny.  If it's runny, it will not dry well and will remain tacky and goopy.  Add more powdered sugar if that is the case.

Dunk the chocolate donuts (the spiced ones could be good in this too) into the glaze and leave on wax paper to dry.  Add sprinkles if you like.

For Lemon Coconut Donuts, the glaze can wait until after they're all made.
add the zests, coconut flakes, juice & extract to the dough and blend until incorporated.

Dunk the Lemon Coconut Donuts in the lemon glaze and sprinkle generously with finely flaked coconut.