Custard Crime: Donut Mystery #14 (The Donut Mysteries) (28 page)

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, sugar, chocolate
chips, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
 
Add the beaten egg to the mix, and then
add the buttermilk and the sour cream and stir it all in until it’s combined
nicely.
 
The amounts of buttermilk
or flour might vary slightly, but keep adding one or the other until you can
easily work with the dough.
 
If
you’ve ever made homemade bread before, that’s the consistency that you’re
shooting for.
 
After you’ve kneaded
the mixture, roll it out to about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick.
 
Use a donut cutter to cut them out,
setting aside the holes for later.
 
If you don’t have a cutter, improvise with different sized glasses.
 
You should have a good idea of what a
donut looks like, so be creative!

Bring your oil up to 375 degrees F, then carefully add the dough
rounds.
 
Don’t overcrowd the pot, or
the oil will cool too much for a clean fry.

These donuts cook for two to three minutes on each side.
 
After one side is done, flip them so the
other side has a chance to cook as well.
 

Let the donuts and holes cool on a rack with a paper towel underneath to
catch any excess oil.
 
While they
are cooling, make the chocolate glaze using equal parts semi-sweet chocolate
chips and heavy cream over a double-boiler or in the microwave.
 
Don’t overheat the mix, or the glaze
will be ruined.
 
Next, glaze the top
of the donuts with the chocolate.
 
If you’re feeling especially creative, add little random irregular white
icing dots, and for a taste of moose, bury a few broken mini-pretzels into one
edge for the antlers!

Makes 8-10 donuts.

REVERSE
COW SPOTS MOOSE DONUTS

This donut is the reverse of the one above, using different ingredients
and having a totally different appearance, texture, and taste.
 
These donuts are heavy and dense, but a
real chocolaty treat.
 
This version
uses a chocolate donut recipe and adds white-chocolate chips.
 
For the outside, use a vanilla glaze or
white store-bought icing to make them spotted!
 
Moose’s antlers stay the same, using
broken pretzel bits.

INGREDIENTS

WET

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

DRY

2 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 dashes of salt

GLAZE

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/4 cup of vanilla

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Again, for the antlers:

Broken mini-pretzels

Oil for Frying

Canola or peanut, about 6 cups

DIRECTIONS

In a large
bowl, beat the egg, add the sugar, buttermilk, butter, and the melted
chocolate.
 
In a separate bowl, sift
together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
 
Once that’s thoroughly combined, then
slowly add the dry mixture to the wet, adding the white chocolate chips at the
very end.
 
Roll out the dough to 1/4
to 1/2 inch, then use a donut cutter to cut out the rounds and holes.

Once the oil
reaches 375 degrees F, cook the donuts in batches for two to three minutes per
side or until they are dark brown.
 
Cool
them, and then ice them with white glaze and add melted dots of chocolate,
along with the pretzel antlers.

Makes 8-10
donuts.

THE “WHEN I’M TOO TIRED TO
MAKE REAL DONUTS” DONUT

As
recipes go, this one doesn’t really qualify, but they are still fun to
make.
 
We’d been making the basic
biscuit dough cutouts for awhile, and then one day I decided to get
creative.
 
Splitting them open
slightly, I started adding all kinds of fruits to the center, but the ones I
liked the best used Craisins.
 
I
just love the taste, and they are so easy to make they’re fun even when you’re
too tired to make real donuts!

INGREDIENTS

1
can biscuit dough, your choice
1/4 cup Craisins, raisins, or any of your favorite dried fruit

Oil for Frying

Canola or peanut, about 6 cups

DIRECTIONS

Open the can of dough and separate the biscuits into individual
pieces.
 
Pry them apart individually
and place a small amount, about 1 tablespoon of dried fruit, on the
inside.
 
Then seal the rounds back
up by pinching the dough around the edges and they are ready to fry.
 
I don’t use a cutter on these; I just
fry them as they are.

When the oil reaches 375 degrees F, fry these two at a time, flipping
them after two minutes or until the sides are both golden brown.
 
Sometimes they turn over on their own,
but don’t rely on that.
 
Drain them
on paper towels, and then dust them with po
wdered
sugar.
 
These are surprisingly good,
and quite easy to make.

Makes as many biscuits as are in the tube, which varies.

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