Donut Shop Mystery 25 - Devil's Food Defense (17 page)

Recipes

Super Pancakes

My family calls these super because they go well beyond the boxed mix I use as my base. I take any basic mix available off the supermarket shelf, but instead of using it as it is, I like to add leftover goodies I may find in my pantry or refrigerator that might give them a super charge! In the past, I’ve used things like: diced apples, diced peaches, or diced strawberries; canned pumpkin; raisins; quick oatmeal; or basically anything I have on hand to embellish the recipe to make it more substantial. You can try this with boxed waffle mixes as well. One word of warning. Don’t use too much filling so that it overwhelms your basic mix. In addition, I like to add some vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or whatever I’m in the mood for at the moment.

Ingredients
(per the mix directions)

• 2 1/2 cups pancake mix
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil
  

Extras (mix and match)

• 1/2 cup quick oatmeal (uncooked)
  
• 1/2 cup diced fruit (apple, peach, strawberry)
  
• 1/4 cup raisins or craisins
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1 teaspoon allspice
  

Directions

Combine the mix’s main ingredients as directed. Then choose your extras from the list above, or be creative and try something different yourself. These mixes aren’t very expensive, so if something doesn’t work, you haven’t committed too much to the experiment! I would recommend you add the oatmeal, vanilla extract, and the cinnamon as a base for any recipe. In fact, if that’s where you want to start, this alone creates a delicious breakfast all by itself. The diced fruit or pumpkin add heft to the recipe, but you will have to adjust the water you use in the mix. Just try for a consistency of normal pancake mix and you should be fine. This is not an exact science for me, so don’t be afraid to play around with it. Once you’ve got a mix you like, cook the pancakes on the griddle as directed and enjoy.

Makes four to five pancakes, depending on their size

Smashing Good Chocolate Donuts

Every now and then we get on a health kick and forgo our regular fried donuts and make baked ones instead. You didn’t think I was going to say that we cut them out altogether, did you? If you did, then you clearly don’t know me and my family! These chocolate donuts are delicious, and even friends who swear they don’t like baked donuts line up for this one! Imagine a chocolate cake in the form of a donut, and you’ll be close to visualizing these. The kitchen smells amazing long after these have finished baking. They can be covered with icing or eaten plain, but my favorite is to sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar. Not only are they delicious, but they are miniature works of art, too!

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour, unbleached all purpose
  
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 3/4 cup milk (whole or 2% are fine for the recipe)
  
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1 vanilla bean seeds (optional)
  

Topping

• powdered confectioners’ sugar
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until blended, then add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients. In another, smaller bowl, combine the milk, egg, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract and vanilla beans (if used) together. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until they are incorporated together.

Bake 6-9 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly, then remove the donuts to a cooling rack and dust immediately with powdered confectioners’ sugar.

Yields 10–12 donuts.

Fudge Fudge Fudge!

This is a favorite around the winter holidays at my house, but honestly, is there ever a bad time for fudge? Some members of my family love the chocolate (which substitutes a cup of chocolate chips and a cup of chopped nuts for the peanut butter), but this is one of the rare cases where I opt for another flavor instead: peanut butter! There’s something about this that takes me back to my childhood, and I love reliving happy memories while I’m creating a tasty treat, too! Be warned, as it happened to Evangeline in the book, making fudge, at least in my experience, is a complex process that’s not necessarily easily mastered, but it’s worth learning. I’ve found that the key is the amount of stirring required, as Evangeline discovered herself. Stopping too soon or mixing too long can lead to unhappy results, but the technique can easily be learned, so have patience. Good luck, and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
  
• 1 cup marshmallow cream
  
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  

Later

• 1 cup peanut butter, smooth
  
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Directions

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, add the sugar, evaporated milk, marshmallow cream, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be bubbling all across the top, so don’t be alarmed, but do be careful, as it’s extremely hot at this point! Keep boiling and stirring this mixture for approximately fifteen minutes, and then take it off the heat immediately. With practice, you’ll be able to tell when the fudge is finished cooking by its stiffness. Let me warn you, stirring will be a workout near the end, as it becomes quite dense.

Off the heat, stir in the peanut butter until it is thoroughly incorporated, and then add the vanilla extract last.

Quickly spread the mixture onto a buttered 8-inch square pan, let cool, and then cut into small squares.

Makes 36 small squares, a fair amount given the richness of the fudge

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Other Books by Jessica Beck

The Donut Mysteries

Glazed Murder

Fatally Frosted

Sinister Sprinkles

Evil Éclairs

Tragic Toppings

Killer Crullers

Drop Dead Chocolate

Powdered Peril

Illegally Iced

Deadly Donuts

Assault and Batter

Sweet Suspects

Deep Fried Homicide

Custard Crime

Lemon Larceny

Bad Bites

Old Fashioned Crooks

Dangerous Dough

Troubled Treats

Sugar Coated Sins

Criminal Crumbs

Vanilla Vices

Raspberry Revenge

Fugitive Filling

Devil’s Food Defense

The Classic Diner Mysteries

A Chili Death

A Deadly Beef

A Killer Cake

A Baked Ham

A Bad Egg

A Real Pickle

A Burned Biscuit

The Ghost Cat Cozy Mysteries

Ghost Cat: Midnight Paws

Ghost Cat 2: Bid for Midnight

The Cast Iron Cooking Mysteries

Cast Iron Will

Cast Iron Conviction

Cast Iron Alibi

Cast Iron Motive