Old-Fashioned Cake Doughnuts.

Baking homemade cake doughnuts requires a few important skills.

Love... you must love turning flour, sugar, and butter into crispy, cakey breakfast dessert.

Patience... not to eat every single crunchy, golden brown doughnut as it sizzles and pops to the top of hot oil.

Understanding... that hot oil is really, really hot.

Willingness... to get a little messy, dye sugar pink, and use handfuls of heart-shaped sprinkles with abandon.

Fearlessness... to keep on frying, even if the first doughnut isn't perfect.

Acceptance... that you cannot glaze a hot doughnut without melting the icing off, no matter how hungry you are.

And a promise.

To try these.

To dip them in pink or cinnamon-sugar or chocolate icing.

... and maybe even eat them for dinner.

Old-Fashioned Cake Doughnuts

Printable Recipe

Doughnuts
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
A pinch of salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Vegetable oil for frying

Vanilla Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 to 3 drops red food coloring
2-3 tablespoons milk

Line a baking sheet or work surface with a thick layer of paper towels; set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, salt, and granulated sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, and melted butter; fold into the flour mixture using a rubber spatula until fully incorporated. (I used my hands for this part as it takes a little bit of work to get the dough together). 

Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. 

Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour and turn dough out onto counter. Roll or pat out to 1/2-inch thick and cut using a round 2 1/2-inch doughnut or biscuit cutter. 

Place a candy thermometer in a medium saucepan, pour oil in about 1 1/2 inches, and heat over medium-low heat to 360°F.

When oil reaches temperature, carefully fry two or three doughnuts at a time, for about 1 minute on each side (doughnut holes only need 30 seconds on each side). Remove from oil, let excess oil drain off, then place on paper towels to cool.

Note: Be sure to keep an eye on the temperature. Make small adjustments to the heat as needed and adjust your cooking time accordingly.

When cooled completely, make the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, food coloring, and 2 tablespoons milk.

If glaze is too thick to dip doughnuts in, add another tablespoon of milk. Dunk cooled doughnuts face-down in the glaze, decorate with sprinkles, then set on paper towels or wax paper to set.

Source: Doughnut recipe from Joy the Baker, icing adapted from same recipe.

Hidden Mickey!

I Wish I Was Wearing... Wednesday.

(Dress, Barette, Necklace, Earrings, Shoes, Clutch, Bottom bracelet, Top bracelet, Teal flower clip, Small purple flower clip, Bigger purple flower clip)

Because I...

Spend too much time on Pinterest.

Wish my wardrobe were more sparkly.

Wish I had the legs for short dresses.

Wish masquerades and balls were a twenty-first century thing, for real.

And because sometimes I need a distraction from sugar, butter, and real life...

I may or may not have made collages of sparkly things I wish I had a reason to wear based off whatever movie or book I'd just spent several hours of my life burrowed inside. 

Like so.

(Sparkly flats, Typewriter necklace, Dress, Hair comb, Clutch, Flower ring, Jeweled ring)

It happens.

Things. On a Tuesday.

1. My birthday! It happened.

There were Christmas stores, tiaras, family, cake, and balloons, pastries filled with buttercream, pastries filled with coconut and raspberries, sparkly nail polish, adventures in doughnut-making, and a fancy iPod Touch!

I am officially 25...

And totally into it.

2. Whenever I'm having a bad day, I scroll through this celebration board on Pinterest. Is that weird? Something about staring at four hundred plus photos of fireworks and champagne and confetti that fixes me right up.

3. Speaking of Pinterest, I've just sent my boyfriend an email invite.

So really, what I need to know is:

... do I delete my Weddings board? Start a diamond rings board? Can I still pin photos of puppies in mixing bowls?

I die.

4. Oh Kristin Bell? My hero, no big deal.

5. I've been to two crab feeds in 2012. Do you know what that is? You pay money to sit, eat crab, dunk it in butter, repeat over and over, and at the end they gave you a cupcake.

Um... yes.

Also: why is a cheesecake feed not a thing?

6. And last, but not least, a bit of real life.

My boyfriend and I went to the grocery store last week. That's all. Just kidding.

P.S. This is what his cart looked like after I wandered off for two seconds.

Anyway. I needed whipping cream. After finding it, I headed back through the store when I noticed the little email light flashing on my phone. I looked up, saw my boyfriend, and kept walking with my head down, opening my email, type-type-typing, reading with one hand while putting the whipping cream in the cart with the other.

And then I looked up.

... at the happy couple whose cart I had just walked up to and very nonchalantly dropping my groceries into.

By the way, I blame you. It was a blog comment I was reading.

Happy Tuesday & Happy Valentine's Day!

Snickerdoodle Cookies for Two.

It's here.

It was just New Year's Eve and now... now it's Valentine's Day Eve. 

I'm into it though! I am unashamedly one of those girls who gets especially excited about February 14th, probably because it's three days after my birthday which really means a four day long celebration of presents, balloons, sprinkles, and cake.  

Valentine's Day does have some major strings attached to it though, doesn't it? It's the one day every year when I forget all reason and sink into the pressure. You know what I'm talking about it. That compulsion to do super important things like: 

Send flowers to everyone I know. (Tulips. Always.)

Buy complicated frilly underthings. 

Bake heart-shaped things. And things that are red velvet. And pink velvet.

... and covered in lots and lots of heart-sprinkles. 

Make reservations at a fancy restaurant. Hope for diamonds. Drink champagne. Watch every Nicholas Sparks movie I own. 

Yes, in that order.

Buy conversation hearts. Wear sparkly heels somewhere. Anywhere. The grocery store. 

Expect a fancy date. And romance. Stress over presents. Buy unnecessary greeting cards instead of just saying straight to someone's face, "Hey. I love you. You make my life fantastic."

This year I'm keeping it simple.

Instead of stressing over presents (what present sums up 365 days the most? what present subtly says, hey, no big deal, but we've been dating almost four years, can you please put a ring on it?) I'm going with what he's actually stated in -very specific words- that he wants. Something useful. And manly. Something that is so NOT Valentine's Day that it's totally perfect.

Fancy dates? Dinner? Can I tell you. Our first Valentine's Day we went to the Olive Garden. 

... and we waited an hour and 45 minutes. 

That's love. For real.

But we've put in our time and this year we're keeping it simple. Old-school even. Movie night! And later... an aquarium date. Yeah I said it. 

Oh and the sugar and butter situation? You will not find me painting plastic candy molds with chocolate this Valentine's Day, or trying to figure out mini heart-shaped springform pans. No. Not this year. Chocolate chip cookies. Rice Krispie treats. Snickerdoodles. Classics.

So this Valentine's Day... don't stress it. Don't watch The Notebook. Stay away from the frilly underthings. Relax on the red velvet. Bake tiny batches of cookies, give someone a hug or high five, and be thankful you're not a new couple at the Olive Garden. Seriously.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snickerdoodle Cookies for Two 

Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 heaping tablespoon beaten egg (I know. It's awkward.)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon for rolling in

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the softened butter, oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and egg, until combined.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until no clumps of flour remain. Dough will be slightly soft and tacky, but don't worry... it'll turn into big fluffy cookies in a second.

Like so.

In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon. Divide dough into four parts. Roll each part into a ball, then roll in cinnamon-sugar and place on the baking sheet. Flatten with your hand or with the bottom of a glass dipped in cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until done. Let cool on baking sheet and share them with somebody you love. Bonus points if it's yourself.

Makes 4 cookies.

Source: Adapted from my snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies for two recipes.

 

Old-Fashioned Candy "Milkshakes".

It's February 10th and that means one very important thing:

Breaking Dawn comes out tomorrow.

The Vow comes out today.

It's my last day of being 24!

I'm in full-on celebration mode... which means there's a sparkly purple tiara on my head, which I plan on wearing absolutely everywhere, I'm not even joking, a season of Charmed somewhere about in my room, that I bought and hid from myself two weeks ago, and birthday expeditions being planned that involve spending time with family, hunting down sugary pastries, blowing up balloons, visiting Alcatraz, baking heart-shaped things, maybe some confetti, hopefully some fireworks... and basically spending the entire weekend in my pajamas.

Oh yeah. And somewhere in there are these milkshakes... 

... which fill me with glee and make me crave a strawberry milkshake all at the same time. 

These were so much fun to make and, if you don't super glue M&Ms to yourself and/or buy the wrong size foam ball the first time around, can be put together in less than ten minutes. I'm serious! They're perfect for Valentine's Day, birthday parties, last-minute festive centerpieces or gift-giving... or for absolutely no reason  at all.

Let's do this! 

Old-Fashioned Candy "Milkshakes" 

An ice cream sundae glass 

M&Ms

1 (4-inch, 4 7/8-inch, or 5-inch) white foam ball, cut in half with a sharp knife

Glue dots or a hot glue gun

A straw

Salt water taffy

1 red heart-shaped or round candy (like milk chocolate Lindt balls) for the "cherry" on top

Fill ice cream glass with M&Ms. Eat a handful. You deserve it. 

Cut foam ball in half. Set on top, securing to the rim using glue dots or a hot glue gun if you must. 

I really do recommend using glue dots for a less messy, super easy and low-stress experience. My first attempt at making these ended up with liquid glue dripping into the M&Ms and it was awkward for everybody. I found these clear adhesive 3D dots at Michael's... 

And they pretty much saved my life. 

See? Four dots. That's all you need. No need to go bananas here. 

Plop the fake ice cream on top. Press down lightly to anchor it to the glass. 

Gently poke your straw through the foam (P.S. Heart-shaped straws. Walmart. $.97)... 

... then hot glue or glue dot taffy all over the place (I used glue dots for this part too)! 

I found these Valentine's-colored taffy at Trader Joes. They were festive. I was into it.

Glue a red heart-shaped or round candy on top and look! 

You made a milkshake. 

It's magic, how crafty you are. 

Make someone's day this Valentine's weekend with a candy milkshake... then celebrate with a real milkshake. It's the best thing to do in these situations.

Source: Kara's Party Ideas. 

Triple Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies.

2012. We're one month into this thing. 

... can we talk about New Year's resolutions for a second? Yeah I said it. On the thirty-first of January.

Did you make any resolutions this year? Let's be honest: have you broken them already?

I have. 

I've laughed. I've cried.

I've lost two pounds... then split a brownie fudge sundae with my boyfriend. It happens. 

Luckily broken resolutions are the very best kind. 

January always feels a little like everyone's holding their breath, doesn't it? Like this is your last shot at being the very best version of yourself or the entire year is shot and I guess we'll just try again next year. 

Whatever.

I'm going to tell you a secret. It's top secret and I've sort of just figured it out for myself.  

Breaking a resolution doesn't set you up for 365 days of failure; it sets you up for hard work, second chances,  and chasing after something you passionately want for yourself or in your life. 

Also: it really is still January. 

And no big deal, but this is your year. Because whether you like it or not, you're doing it. Right now actually! You're here. You're living it. I say figure out what you want to see when you look back on 2012 this December and get out there and make it happen for yourself. We got this!

And in the meantime... cookies. Cookies filled with crushed Oreos and white chocolate and chocolate chips and ribbons of Oreo filling. Because some things should never change, no matter what year it is.

Triple Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies

Printable Recipe

1 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips or chunks

12-15 Oreos, roughly cut into quarters

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to the sugar mixture and beat until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, Oreo chunks, and white chocolate chips until incorporated. Scoop out dough and roll into 2 tablespoons-sized balls. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and slightly flatten with your hand. 

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until done. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to cool completely.

Source: Barely adapted from my Double Chocolate Chunk Oreo Cookies and How Sweet It Is. 

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