Sharing the Sweets

It’s so great to be home at my parent’s for the holidays—we’ve been enjoying each other’s company being that this is the only time during the year where I am home for a whole month. I always feel sad to leave my apartment and all my college friends, but spring semester will come soon enough, so I’m not worried.

I’ve been enjoying everything Christmas related, besides just cookies of course. Like shopping, and taking random mall photos. This actually went on my cards this holiday season!!

This year, instead of buying individual gifts for all my college friends, I decided to spend a whole day baking away and give them goodie bags—after all, who doesn’t like a supply of sweets to help pound through the last week of finals. So here’s what I put into the bag..

• Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies (recipe here)
• Cinnamon Roll Popcorn (recipe below)
• Pumpkin Donut Muffins  (recipe below)

Responses were..

• “Best popcorn ever!”
• “Can I have all the recipes?”
• “Can you make more of those cookies?”
• “Did you make those donuts, or buy them?”

Needless to say, the recipes were all a great success.

Pumpkin Donut Muffins

 

Ingredients:

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 14 ounces)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (original recipe uses nutmeg and allspice)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (This is almost the entire 15-ounce can of pumpkin)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. I used mini muffin pans. Spray the pan with Pam with Flour, or butter and flour the cups.
3. In a bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
4. In a small bowl or measure cup, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree.
5. With the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
6. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
7. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture. Do not overmix.
8. Spoon into batter. I baked the mini muffins for 10-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. While the muffins are baking, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.
10. After the muffins sit for 5 minutes, remove muffins and brush the entire muffin with the melted butter. Toss and coat in the sugar mixture. Eat warm or let cool completely.
11. Hint: I wore disposable gloves and my left hand held the muffin for the melted butter basting and my right hand mixed the muffins in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
12. I got 46 mini-muffins from this recipe. The original recipe yields 12 regular size muffins. I think the mini-muffins are the perfect size...like donut holes.

Food Librarian

 Cinnamon Roll Popcorn

Ingredients:

· 12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)*

· 1 C roughly chopped pecans

· 1 C brown sugar

· 3/4 t cinnamon

· 1/4 C Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)

· 1 stick real butter (1/2 C)

· 1/2 tsp. baking soda

· 1 tsp. vanilla

· 3 squares almond bark

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F

• · Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. And by large bowl, I mean like, twice as big as you think you really need.

• Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Like a 2-quart bowl or Pyrex measuring bowl. Again, use a bowl larger than you think you need to avoid scorching hot caramel goo accidents. It's really important to incorporate the cinnamon into the brown sugar at this point. For some reason, if you don't it does crazy things. I don't know why. Try it and then email Alton Brown and ask him if you really want to know.

• Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything.

• Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine.

• Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.

• You can microwave it a little longer, but just beware that if you over cook it, it will reach the hard candy stage and you'll end up with a giant clump of tasty concrete-like substance with little popcorn pieces stuck to it.

• · Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.

• Pour it right over the popcorn and pecans. Stir right away, and stir lots. Take too long and the caramel will harden on you. Keep stirring until everything is well coated.

• Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.

• Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

• After 30 minutes, take a piece out and let it cool. "Sample." If it's not crunchy enough, bake for another 5 minutes. "Sample" again. This will not be the end of "sampling."

• When it's done, give it a final stir and let it cool off for a bit while you melt your almond bark (just nuke it in the microwave according to the package directions).

• Now, just use a fork and drizzle the melted almond bark over the popcorn mixture.

Baking Bites

Stay tuned for a cookie-a-day till Christmas!

What treats do you make for your friends and family?

Meet My New Man, George

I don’t often invite men into my kitchen much..number one, it’s my space, number two, they always seem to want eat everything before it’s actually ready, and number three, they are times when it’s just better off for them to be on the couch or manning the grill! But I had to make an exception with George, because not only did he help me out, but he became the new star of my kitchen. Confused? Let me explain…

This is George.

This is what George delivered.

“This” as in the Lean Mean Spin Frying Machine (aka Deep Fryer).

Take a short minute to watch the commercial on this gem..

Pretty cool, huh? So you better believe I’ve been rounding up some great deep-fried recipe to try. It took me awhile to actually decide to buy this due to some of the bad reviews I read online, but I like to give everything at least one chance. Some of the biggest complaints were:

• Too many parts to clean, I found that, yes, it does take more time to clean. but not anything outrageously difficult.
• The spin cycle warps your food, I found that spinning for 2 minutes on low doesn’t cause any damage to the shape of your food.
• The magnetic plug can be bumped easily and unplug mid-frying, I put the fryer up on my counter and kept the cord out of the way. It’s basically common sense not to put it where you’ll hit it.

So overall, I would give my new kitchen appliance 9 out of 10.

• It still gives you the great flavor and texture of deep fried foods.
• No more greasy fingers or draining on paper towels…by the way, I put some fried foods on the paper towel, and just like the commercial shows, there isn’t a trace of leftover grease.
• It does a good job of keeping the “fried” smell from overpowering your house with the vent and cover.

So George and I would like to present to you….

Mini Donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup milk, I used buttermilk
¼ cup water (110F/45C)
3.5g / ½ package dried yeast
½ cup sugar     2 tsp cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4½ to 5 cups of plain, all purpose flour
¼ cup / ½ stick of butter, melted
Glaze:
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

• Warm the milk in a saucepan until bubbles appear around the edge.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 110F/45C.
• In the meantime, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes.   Stir in the milk, sugar, salt, beaten eggs, and 1 cup of the flour.  Beat the mixture until smooth.  Add 2 more cups of flour and continue to beat.  Continue until the dough is glossy.
• Add the melted butter and stir well.  Add a further 1 ½ cups of flour and continue to beat well.  Stir in the remaining ½ cup of flour bit by bit until the dough is stiff – you may not need to add it all. 
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, cover and let rest for 15 minutes.  Then knead the dough lightly until it is smooth and glossy.  Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, lightly spraying the top of the dough with oil to prevent drying.  Allow to double in size, about 1½ to 2 hours.
• Punch down, and let rise again until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

• 1/2 batch of above dough recipe will yield approximately 25 doughnut holes.

• After the second rise, divide the dough into 25 equal portions.

• Allow-to proof for 20 minutes.
• Heat up a small saucepan of neutral flavored oil (vegetable, canola) to 370F / 190C.  Or preheat a deep fryer to 375 F. I used canola oil as well.

• Cook 4-6 doughnut holes at a time for 1-2 minutes, turning as you cook to ensure they are evenly browned.

• Allow to drain on absorbent paper.  Once slightly cooled, toss in cinnamon sugar.

*Tasted just like the ones you would get at the fair!! And when using the Lean Frying Machine…so much healthier!**

 

Do you deep fry foods often? If, so what?

Have you heard of the George Foreman Deep Fryer?

I Think It’s Fair to Skip the Fair Food!

 

One of my favorite things about the summer months is definitely the county fair! I like it for numerous reasons including the bright, flashy lights, the nostalgic feeling it brings on from memories of going since I was knee high, all the animals, and basically a cheap way to have fun for 5 days of the summer. Of course many people go for just the food and splurge on fair favs such as..

• Fried Bread
• Funnel Cakes
• Gyros
• Giant Pizza Slices
• Anything on a Stick
• Corn Dogs
• Cotton Candy
• Fried Delicacies
• Mini Donuts (my fav!)

[[Hey did you know the MN State Fair is 2nd in the country for size? I went last year and we barely covered half! Have you been to your state’s State Fair? Did you like it?]]

So when all the rides are taken down (sadly I can’t do any rides anyway..motion sickness!), all the animals hauled away, and the last cotton candy is sold, what’s a poor girl (or guy) to do? Of course you can always try making your own to survive the 11 other months out of the year-hey I did it and it worked!

Can you tell the difference? Honestly? =)

Okay, okay so mine don’t have the deep fried hue to em’, but that’s because they’re baked! Plus mine are sugar free, a hint of banana flavor, an array of spices(cinnamon/nutmeg anyone?)and a little secret ingredient that seals the deal. I am going to experiment with some different flavors and do a little measurement rearranging and such, so I can’t share till the recipe is 100% perfected. I can tell you this much—one of these little gems clocks in at just under 25 calories! What? Yes, you can eat a whole bag guilt-free my friends.

Couldn’t have done the job without my new best friend.

Isn’t he just stunning and shiny?

Don’t be too jealous, you can get one here!

Ok, gotta go munch one of the mini marvels!

*CHOMP!*

 

Good for You Goodies: Holey Donuts

*The Good for You Goodie: Assorted donuts, donut holes, and cinnamon buns.


*The Company:Holey Donuts



*My Chew Review: When I think of donut companies, I tend to think of Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme. And when I think of donuts I generally think of them as a once in awhile treat that really isn't all that good for you. They can be loaded with unhealthy trans fats, artificial sweetners, and all that other not so good for you stuff. So what if I told you there's a company that provides donuts free of trans fats, artificial sweetners, etc. You'd probably say, "Ok, but I prefer a real donut, not some cardboard fake donut." But remember guys, this feature is called Good for you Goodies, stressing the "good" factor as being good tasting and good for you. Holey smokes I think I found a winner people! Holey Donuts is a company I discovered online(and really everyone SHOULD know about it), and they so graciously offered to send a sample my way. Fortunately, their sample stocked my whole freezer with tons of tantalizing donuts. I have been eating donuts almost every day for the past week--guilt free! And in no way could I tell the difference between their healthy donuts and a standard everyday donut. You could have literally blindfolded me and there's not a difference. Other than the Holey Donuts need to be kept in the freezer upon arrival and microwaved or thawed at room temp before consumption. They have a huge selection of donuts, donut holes, and even cinnamon buns for all you Cinnabon fans, and their prices are suprisingly cheap for all the work they go through to make these suckers healthy for consumers. The donuts are made by hand and require 22! steps till they are shipped out to you. Talk about major company dedication, eh? I could not rave enough about these and their distinct yet comparable taste to a unhealthy donut. So scroll down to view my thoughts, and ohh you can drool at the glorious donuts too!

*Low Fat Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes
Let's just say, good things can come in small packages! They may be small, but once I popped em' the microwave, a warm cinnamon scent lingered as I bit into it. I wasn't sure what to expect with a "low fat" donut, but this was exactly like I was at Cinnabon, in a smaller, perfect for after lunch dessert. If you like cake donuts in a donut hole shape with a layer of sweet icing and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, I suggest you get these stat!

*From left to right--Raspberry Graham Cracker, Coconut Cream Pie, Banana Cream Oreo Cookie
Unfortunately the Raspberry Graham Cracker donut has not been tested yet; so many donuts, so little time!(But I will update when I do try it!) The Coconut Cream Pie was filled with a decadent bavarian creme filling of some sort topped with a hefty layer of frosting topped with a generous amount of coconut, for a nice tropical touch! And finally the Oreo one is not skimping on Oreos at all. Since no one in my house(including myself)is too fond of Oreos(my dad likes em', but he won't eat a donut unless it's completely chocolate--grr!), so I enlisted my grandpa to test this one out for ya guys. He said it was great! I liked his little twist--he left it out to thaw and when he ate it the inside was still a bit frozen and he said he liked it that way because it was more like an ice cream sandwich--now that's what I'm talkin about! Plus I like how they incorporated both Oreo and banana for an insane good taste.

From left to right: Low Fat Caramel Crumb, Low Fat Vanilla Crumb & Low Fat Chocolate Crumb
These were all basically the same as far as texture goes. But each had a little different taste to them of course. The picture really doesn't do justice, because they are still in a frozen state. Any ways, when you pop em' in the microwave, the topping magically turns to a thick flavored icing topped with a really fun crumb layer! It totally makes the donut! Rather than having just a icing, the crumb is what makes it more fun!

Jumbo Reduced Fat Cinnamon Buns

Okay, the peeps over at Holey Donuts are not lying when they state that these buns are JUMBO. One could easily be split in two and provide a great snack or dessert. The secret of these buns, which is why they can't be compared to Cinnabon, is that they replace all the icky bad-for-you stuff in the bun with an apple/spice filling! Definitely a new twist for your cinnamon bun taste buds, but heck, it's actually better! I need to get the recipe...or just buy some =)

I'll leave ya with this last bit; a bit of donut that is! It's a peek inside the Vanilla Crumb donut after it's been microwaved and before I devour it. Check out that hefty texture and that ooey gooey topping. Now stop dreaming and go order a dozen..or two!