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

by Jessica Beck

  RECIPES

  COW, SPOTS, AND MOOSE DONUTS

  This recipe, and the one that follows just below, are for the many fans of Emily Hargraves and her beloved stuffed animals, who are alive to everyone who truly sees them. Cow, Spots, and Moose are, in real life, three stuffed friends my daughter had when she was growing up, and though she has since graduated college and moved out on her own, Spots is still with her to this day. Don’t feel bad for Cow or Moose, though. Spots always travels home with my daughter when she visits, so there are reunions all of the time. In our circle, if you don’t buy into the fact that the three of them are alive, you don’t get very far with any of us. I could go on and on about them, but they are already quite pleased with themselves for making it into this series in the first place, and anything more would be just too much.

  So, why is this recipe called Cow, Spots, and Moose Donuts? That’s easy. Like the cows, they are white with black spots, or is it black with white spots? The story changes every time they tell it, so I was forced to do two recipes for this book. This one features a white donut mix with semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed into the dough.

  I hope you enjoy them as much as the guys seem to!

  INGREDIENTS

  DRY

  4 cups bread flour

  1 cup granulated sugar

  1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

  1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

  1 teaspoon nutmeg

  1 teaspoon cinnamon

  2 dashes of salt

  WET

  1 egg, beaten

  1 cup buttermilk

  1/3 cup sour cream

  For the glaze:

  1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate

  1/2 cup heavy cream

  For the white spots:

  White icing

  For the antlers:

  Broken mini-pretzels

  Oil for Frying

  Canola or peanut, about 6 cups

  DIRECTIONS

  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 powdered 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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