daring baker doughnuts!

mmmm.... doughnuts... daring baker doughnuts... delish-ious doughnuts... so good i could go nuts... alright i'm done with the corniness, i promise... so... it's that time of month... the daring bakers reveal... this month was hosted by hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up , and i was so excited to hop on this train... i love doughnuts, and this gave me a excuse to pull out my dutch over, heat up some frying oil and get popping!

what was great about this months challenge is that we were allowed to choose from a variety of doughnut recipes, from yeast doughnuts, buttermilk doughnuts, and even some yummy sounding pumpkin doughnuts... i opted for the yeast doughnuts, some topped with a smear of creamcheese frosting, and some slathered in chocolate mascarpone, and filled with kahlua mascarpone cream... mmmmm.... yummm....

yeast doughnuts:
yield: 20 to 25 doughnuts & 20 to 25 doughnut holes, depending on size

ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup shortneing( you can substitute butter, margarine or lard)
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
2 lrg eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
4 2/3 cup flour, plus extra for dusting surface
oil for frying, you want 3inches of oil

directions:
1. place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat just until warm enough to melt the shortening, (make sure the shortening is melted so that it incorporates well into the batter)
2. place the shortening in a bowl and pour warmed milk over, set aside
3. 1n a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let dissolve for 5 minutes (it should get foamy) After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm
4. add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour
5. using the paddle attachment of your mixer, combine the ingredients on low speed until flour is incorporated and then turn the speed up to medium and beat until well combined
6. add the remaining flour, combining on low speed at first, and then increase the speed to medium and beat well
7. change to the dough hook attachment of the mixer and beat on medium speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes smooth, approximately 3 to 4 minutes (for me this only took about two minutes). If you do not have a dough hook/stand mixer – knead until the dough is smooth and not sticky
8. transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
9. on a well-floured surface, roll out dough to 3/8-inch thick, (make sure the surface really is well-floured otherwise your doughnuts will stick to the counter)
10. cut out dough using a 2 1/2-inch doughnut cutter or pastry ring
11. set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes
12. preheat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 365
13. gently place the doughnuts into the oil, 3 to 4 at a time. Cook for 1 minute per side or until golden brown (pay very clos attentions!)
14. transfer to a cooling rack placed in baking pan, and then allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes prior to glazing and/or filling

i wish i had a picture of the filling oozing out of these... but they didn't last after the first photo shoot... but i promise you, they were filled to capacity... i think i was to excited to get them finished so i could gobble them up, that i wasn't paying attention when squeezing the cream into them...

happy baking everyone!

pumpkin mousse pie

well hello everyone :) now, instead of getting into a reason for making this delicious pie, i'm just going to get down and dirty with the recipe and the yumminess... since it's pumpkin season, why not try a little twist on amazing classic pumpkin pie... you see, i love pumpkin pie, but i wanted to try and make it softer, lighter... and so i started with a pumpkin mousee, and i took it from there... soon, everything kind of fell into place, and the result... well... it was AMAZING... it was a delicious collaboration of tastes, textures, and sweetness...

take pumpkin pie, but soften it up mousse style... dress it up with a slightly sweetened and semi spicy cinnamon whipped cream, lay it over a hidden layer of mapley caramel, and topped with the buttery crunch of pecan brittle... ummm... are you on board yet... you better be...

so... if you're looking for a new treat this holiday season... try this one out... it was simply amazing... i hope you like it...

flaky buttery pie crust (this recipe makes enough for 2 pie crusts):
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces, frozen
6 tbsp (or more) ice water
directions:
1. blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor
2. add butter and shortening; cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal
3. add 6 tablespoons ice water and blend just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry
4. gather dough into ball, divide dough in half and flatten each half into disk.
5. wrap in plastic and chill at least 3 hours.
6. butter 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish
7. roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured work surface to 12- to 13-inch round and transfer dough to prepared pie dish and press dough onto bottom and up sides of dish, allowing overhang to extend over sides about 1 inch

pumpkin mousse recipe:
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin
directions:
1. in a chilled mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream, sugar and pumpkin pie spice on medium until soft peaks form
2. when peaks form, fold in pumpkin until mixed evenly
3. cover tightly and chill up to 4 hours

lightly sweetened cinnamon whipped cream:
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
*ground cinnamon
directions:
1. in a well chilled mixing bowl, along with chilled whipping attachment, beat the heavy cream, sugar and cinnamon until medium peaks form
2. cover tightly and chill until needed
*i used about 2 tbsps. cinnamon, but you can use more or less depending on your taste :)

maple cinnamon caramel sauce:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup half and half, or light cream
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
directions:
1. in a small heavy bottomed saucepan, stir together all the ingredients
2. cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly
3. cook for 2 minutes more, then stir in vanilla extract

pecan brittle:
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup pecans
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
directions:
1. grease a large cookie sheet, set aside
2. in a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water
3. stir until sugar is dissolved, stir in pecans, set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking... stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads
4. remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet... with 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches, cool, then snap candy into pieces

happy baking everyone!!

brown butter rice krispie treats :)

well here's a simple and yummy take on an old classic.... browned butter rice krispie treats... mmmm... mmmmmm... mmmmmmm... sweet, salty, krispie, somewhat chewy... and oh so good... and did i mention... these take like 10 minutes to make... and once they are set, you'll have to hold yourself back from sneaking another one...

i came across this recipe from the fabulous "smitten kitchen" when i was looking up some different takes on these homemade classics... and i must say, i haven't made these in like years... and they aren't something i would normally choose to make, but my biggest little guy wanted them, so... i was eager to please... and oh man... soooo yummy... so if you want to try a simple spin on the original recipe, go ahead and butter up a 8 inch square pan, melt some marshmallows and go to town...

browned butter rice krispie treats:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

directions:

1. butter an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides
2. in a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat, it will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty, stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do
3. as soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows

4. the residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth
5. remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together, then quickly spread into prepared pan

be patient while waiting for them to set... then cut 'em up into tiny squares and enjoy...

happy baking everyone!

time to get my fat bottom back to blogging!

hey everyone! sorry it's been like a month between posts... but i assure you within the next few days there will be many new yummy, delicious and exciting posts to share with you all! thanks for hanging in there... i have lots to share... like a pumpkin mousse pie, brown butter and espresso chip rice krispie treats, some more doughnuts, oatmeal cookies and of course cupcakes!! so sit tight, the goods and the blogging will return...i promise!!