by Jessica Beck
While you’re waiting for your oil to come to temperature, in a large bowl beat the eggs lightly, and then add the milk and sugar until mixed thoroughly.
Next, in a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add the dry mix to the wet, stirring along the way until it’s all incorporated.
Once your oil has come up to temperature, drop the batter into the oil, using either your spoon or even a clean funnel like they do at the fair. Drizzle it over the top of the oil, and after 2 minutes, flip it over to fry the other side. Once it’s fried to a golden hue, remove it carefully from the hot oil and add more batter. If the oil temperature has dropped too much, wait to add more until it comes back up to the desired heat.
Drain your treats on paper towels and then immediately dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with the topping of your choice. You want to eat these quickly, as they aren’t nearly as good by the time they reach room temperature.
Makes 4–12 treats, depending on your allocation of batter per goodie.
Sour Cream Delights
There’s nothing sour about these treats! I have to admit that it took me a while to come around to adding sour cream to my donut recipes, but wow, once I made my first one, I was sold. These have become one of my favorite treats. They have a flavor palette that most donuts hope for but fail to achieve. Great iced, they are also delightful plain, hot or cold, so give them a try! For an added bonus, you don’t have to wait an hour or two to try these. Just mix up the recipe and fry away!
Ingredients
1 egg, beaten
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup buttermilk
1⁄4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt
Canola oil (enough to fry your donuts in, which depends on the size of your pot)
Directions
Heat enough canola oil to 365 degrees in a large pot in order to fry your donuts.
While you are waiting for the oil, take a large bowl and beat the egg gently. Add the sugar, buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla, mixing thoroughly until the texture is smooth.
Next, in a smaller bowl, sift the flour, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together, then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing thoroughly as you go. You can chill your dough for 5 to 10 minutes if you’d like, but it’s not completely necessary.
Roll the dough out until it’s approximately one-quarter inch thick, then cut out rounds and holes with your cutter. Fry the treats approximately 3 minutes, flipping them halfway through the process, or until they are golden brown. Drain them on a rack over paper towels, and then dust with powdered sugar or eat plain.
Makes 5–8 donuts, depending on your cutter size.
Easy Peasy Donuts
Sometimes I just don’t want to go to the bother of mixing up one of the batters or doughs I use to make donuts. We all like shortcuts every now and then, but trust me, using this recipe will not taste like you cut a single corner. Try them when you’re at the end of your rope and you just need a quick fix of delightful goodness!
Ingredients
1 packet Martha White chocolate chip muffin mix (7.4 oz.), split in half, one for the whole milk, the other for the chocolate milk (You can use other muffin mixes as well, as long as you keep the proportions in line, so have fun! See below!)
1⁄4 cup whole milk (2% can be substituted)
1⁄4 cup chocolate milk, whole (2% can be substituted)
Alternative recipe
1 packet Martha White apple cinnamon muffin mix (7.4 oz.)
1⁄2 cup whole milk (2% can be substituted.)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
While you are waiting for it to come up to temperature, combine half the mix with whole milk and the other half with chocolate milk. If you’re making the apple cinnamon muffin mix, use the entire packet with the 1⁄2 cup of whole milk.
It’s literally as easy as that. While some folks may claim that these technically aren’t donuts, my attitude is if you use a pan molded for donutmaking, they are donuts, but if you decide to bake these in regular cupcake pans, they are still delightful!
Pop the pans into the oven once it reaches temperature and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
Put them on a cooling rack and wait as long as you can stand it before popping one into your mouth!
Makes 5–8 donuts, depending on your pan.
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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
Pumpkin Pleas
Floured Felonies
Mixed Malice
Tasty Trials
Baked Books
Cranberry Crimes
Boston Cream Bribes
Cherry Filled Charges
Scary Sweets
Cocoa Crush
Pastry Penalties
Apple Stuffed Alibies
Perjury Proof
Caramel Canvas
Dark Drizzles
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
Cast Iron Suspicion
