Homemade (and Healthy) Donut Recipe

These are what I call my "healthy" donuts. It's so easy to change and customize the flavors. And my six-year-olds actually prefer these "healthy" donuts because it means they get to eat more of them without any complaint from me!

Now, yes, I realize they're covered in sugar, sprinkles or icing... but I figure they're still way more healthy and filling than most of the breakfast stuff out there.

What You Need:  
(Yield: 1 1/2 dozen large donuts, about 3-4 dozen small donuts)
For the Donuts:
2 large eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek yogurt best)
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons melted butter

For the Icing:
4 Tbsp. Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
2 Tbsp. Butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk
splash of vanilla extract

*Note: See end of recipe for many variations

Donuts for Dads Week

This week on the blog, I'm going to feature a number of different homemade doughnut (or donut) recipes... as well as some tricks and tips to make many flavors quickly and easily.

Now, I admit that I am a raised or yeast donut girl at the donut store, but those are so putsy to make, and in the morning, for breakfast, I do not want to have to do that much work. So, I will be focusing on cake donuts. They're easier, faster, and don't always have to be fried!

I'm going to start with what you need to get started: the pans and donut makers.

S'Mores Buffet - The Best Cookout Dessert EVER

My new favorite summer dessert plan: S'Mores' Buffet!
SO. MUCH. FUN!
I hit the candy aisle at the grocery store... found some fun crackers and cookies... even some leftover Girl Scout Cookies (highly recommend those!)... it was awesome!

The kids, of course loved it, but after the kids went to bed, the adults had a great time trying so many different options.

The biggest hits involved the Girl Scout Cookies, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and Peppermint Patties.

If you come over for a cookout this summer... this will be the dessert. No question. LOVE IT! So easy, so many choices, perfect for all!

Click the Links Below to See:
S'Mores Cupcakes
S'Mores Cake 
More Spring/Summer Ideas 

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Lemon Curd {Recipe}

This lemon curd is one of my favorite things. I love it. It's awesome with scones, in pies, as a filling in cakes and cupcakes, and as I recently discovered, in icing!

What You Need:
1-2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2-4 lemons)
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter (cut into chunks)

Candy Coal for Stockings {Recipe}

Is anyone in your house on Santa's Naughty List?
Someone here is. And this candy coal will be inside of his stocking this year.

But I'm also planning to give these little bags of coal to friends, too, because.. well, they're funny. AND they're good. Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, covered in black sprinkles. What's not to like??

What You Need: 
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy, but whatever you like.)
1 package of graham crackers, crushed (1/3 of a standard box of graham crackers.)
1 cup powdered sugar
1- 12 oz. bag chocolate chips or Chocolate Candy Melts
Black Sanding Sugar (sprinkle sugar)*

*Note: Black Sanding Sugar isn't terribly easy to find after Halloween, if you don't have a good cake supply store nearby. Online, it is, of course. But if you're in a pinch and want to make these right now, like I do, check out this blog post on Sugarbelle's Blog. 

Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce {Recipe}

I have always been intimidated by anything related to caramel and fudge making.
There. I said it.
Candy making... it scares me.

But I love, love, love this Caramel Buttercream Icing. And I really wanted to get the caramel sauce going better for it. The times I've made it, I've struggled, and not done so well on the sauce.

So, I asked some friends who've touted their caramel-making abilities to me... and consulted Chef Google. I failed... again... but then... I succeeded, and now, I think I can share some of that success with you!

What You Need:
2 cups sugar (not brown sugar or natural sugar)
1/3 cup water
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter - at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream - at room temperature
Helpful equipment:
Candy or Instant Read Thermometer
Wire Whisk
Silicone Spatula or heatproof spoon

Chocolate-Vanilla Tuxedo Cheesecake

Sometimes, things don't turn out as you'd planned. This cheesecake is a perfect example.
But I was able to take a very imperfect dessert, and turn it into deliciousness, even if it wasn't as pretty as I'd hoped.

What You Need:
For the Crust:
2 pkgs graham crackers (crushed)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter, melted
For the Cheesecake:
4- 8oz. bricks of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 whole eggs plus one egg yolk
1-2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream
For the Chocolate Topping:
4 oz. dark chocolate
4 oz. (1/2 cup) heavy cream

Leftover Halloween Candy Brownies

With two six-year-olds in this house, we have entirely too much Halloween candy left over long after the holiday.
Last year, I made cupcakes with the candy. This year, I went simpler-- boxed brownies and chocolate frosting all mixed with a healthy dose of leftover chocolate.

I took these to a meeting over the weekend, and they went over like gangbusters. A lot better than the bowl of leftover candy someone else brought. (Somehow people just want the candy more when it's baked into something else!)

What You Need:
Leftover Candy (I used a total of about 15-20 candy bars, M&Ms, etc.)
Box of brownie mix
Eggs, oil (or butter), and water according to package directions
Chocolate Icing (you could use a canned icing here, too, to make it easy)
  (I used some leftover cream cheese icing, and added about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder)

Mini Apple Hand Pies

It didn't occur to me until I started writing this post that my nephew refers to the city in which I live (well, okay the metro area in which I live) as "Mini-Apples, Mini-Donuts." But that makes these little pies even better.

What You Need:
Pie Crust (I recommend this recipe, but you can also use store-bought) 
2-3 apples (diced small)
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar
butter (optional)
1 egg (beaten)

Yield: 1-2 dozen mini pies, depending on how big you make them

Creme Brulee {Recipe}

Creme Brulee is my favorite "fancy" dessert. Even though, really, there's not much too fancy about it, and it's not all that hard to make!

Now that I know how to make it -- I'm not kidding, it's so easy! -- I will have something to do with all of those leftover egg yolks when I made my favorite icings!

What You Need:
2 cups half & half
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar (plus more for topping)

Yield: Six medium-sized custards

Picnic-Perfect Portable Pies {Recipe}

I set out to make some single-serve pies on a stick. They turned out okay, but I couldn't find food-safe popsicle sticks to save my life, I didn't like these "corn skewers" I tried, then I realized, why do they need to be on sticks?

So, I made them without sticks, and you know what? I like them better as "hand pies." Perfect. Portable. Pies. What could be better?

What You Need:
 For the Filling:
2 cups rhubarb (chopped into small- 1/4-1/2"- chunks)
1 cup strawberries (chopped)
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. vanilla
For the Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. butter (cut into small pieces)

Yield: 12-15 (3" round) Hand pies or Pies on a stick

Graduation Cap Candy Pops {New & Improved}

It's graduation season, so when I first tried making my Homemade Peanut Butter Cups as Graduation Caps, I thought they were pretty tasty. Eating them, however, without making a total mess... not so easy.

Then, it occurred to me... Put them on a stick! And use different flavors of filling. So, when I paid a visit to my old friends at the local TV station, that's exactly what I did.

But I didn't feel like I got a chance to fully explain it all, so this post is a better explanation (hopefully).

What You Need:
12 oz. bag of Chocolate Candy Melts or Chocolate Chips*
Lollipop Sticks
Mini-muffin pan
Mini-cupcake liners
Food-safe paintbrush
Colored Tootsie Rolls (Buy in bulk if you want a specific color. I wanted yellow and the bag had one yellow one. Just one. But you could also use Starburst candy or licorice ropes.)
M&Ms
Filling:
- Marshmallow Cream & Crushed Graham Crackers
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Filling
- Cooled Chocolate Ganache
- whatever else you can dream up! Icing? Fruit? etc...

*Note: I use a combination of Wilton's Light Cocoa and Dark Cocoa Candy Melts. If you use chocolate chips, you will need to either temper the chocolate, or try to keep the treats refrigerated. You can also use any other color of Candy Melts to match with your school's colors. 

Graduation Treats on Fox 9

I visited the local news this weekend to share some graduation treat ideas. I shared two ideas, cake pops and homemade peanut butter cups. Here's the video:

If it won't play, try the Fox 9 Website: www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/18635225/in-the-kitchen-grad-party-treats

One is a variation of these Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Graduation Caps.
*Update: I didn't get a chance to show you how to get them on the stick, but you want to insert the stick after you put on the top chocolate layer, and before you refrigerate them. Once they set, the chocolate will allow the stick to be stuck.
I made a new batch showing how to put them on sticks and with the various fillings, check them out here: Graduation Cap Candy Pops. 

Another are these Graduation Cap Cake Pops.
*Update: I will do a complete tutorial on these early next week, I promise. (See the Cake Pops tab above for all of my cake pop tutorials.)

Homemade Chocolate Graduation Caps

These easy candies make a cute little treat for any graduate - Preschool graduates included.

I made them with a batch of my Homemade Peanut Butter Cups and some chocolate squares.

What You Need:
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups (or Mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups)
Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Candy Melts to make the squares (or Ghiradhelli chocolate squares)
Starburst candy or Flavored Tootsie Rolls
Mini M&Ms
Food-Safe Paintbrush

Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Recipe

I got a recipe similar to this from my aunt in a little book she put together for me for my wedding. I altered it a bit to make it a smaller batch, but I love the texture and flavor of these peanut butter cups.

And if you want, you can also make them in a pie-sized piece. I've made them mini-cupcake size, standard-cupcake size and in those little mini foil pie tins.

What You Need:
1- 12 oz. bag chocolate chips (I recommend milk chocolate.)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy, but whatever you like.)
1 package of graham crackers, crushed (1/3 of a standard box of graham crackers.)
1 cup powdered sugar

Yield: About 3 dozen mini cupcakes, 2-3 of the mini foil pie pans.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Peanut Butter and Chocolate... like a match made in Heaven (or the Reece's factory - either way). It's also one of my baby sister's favorite food combos. And since she's graduating from college tomorrow, I made these for her. (If they make it through airport security.)

What You Need:
Brownie Mix
 - oil, eggs, water (or whatever you need according to the box)
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1 package graham crackers (crushed)
1 cup powdered sugar
6 oz. milk chocolate chips (or candy bars), melted
2 Tbsp. Butter

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

I love, love this sauce on top of homemade vanilla ice cream. The best part about it is how easy it is to make. It only takes about 15-20 minutes start to finish!

What You Need:
4 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1" chunks
2 cups strawberries, quartered
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. corn starch
1 Tbsp. vanilla (optional)

Homemade Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

You can make this crisp with any fruit, really. You may need to adjust the amount of corn starch you use as a thickener if you have really juicy fruit, or kick up the flavor by adding some chopped nuts or extra cinnamon to the crust, but I've done it with cherries, apples and a combination of strawberries and rhubarb. It's very versatile.

What You Need:
1 cup oats, toasted
3/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1-2" chunks
Optional: 1-2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root

Rhubarb 101

When my husband and I bought our house in Iowa about 8 years ago, we didn't know that something in the back yard would change our lives... it was rhubarb. I'd never eaten it, and hardly ever heard of it before.

So, when I saw (what I called then) "These Jurassic Plants" in the backyard, I wanted to get rid of them. (In my defense, look at those leaves. They are Jurassic!)
I'm not sure who told us that it was rhubarb, and we should try it... but whoever you are... THANK YOU!

I did keep it, and now it's one of my favorite things to bake with in the summer. We were lucky that we got an especially good variety of rhubarb. That stuff has been divided, transplanted, moved and has made it with us to two more houses. It's great!

But, if you're like I was, and you don't know a thing about rhubarb, let me help.
Here's my Rhubarb 101:

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

The first time I tried these yummy treats at a meeting, I demanded the recipe. Ever since, I've been in love!

What You Need:
For the Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (cold)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk

For the Topping:
4-5 cups chopped rhubarb (I prefer it to be thin/small for these bars.)
1 6-oz. or 2 3-oz. packages of strawberry Jell-o
2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (cold)