Tiny Tiny Donuts

For Christmas, my mom got me a few little kitchen toys.Well, everyone got me kitchen toys :) One of my favorites? This Mini Donut Maker from Bella Cucina.

It's such a fun little appliance and works just like a waffle maker: heat, spray with non-stick oil, pour batter in, close and wait 4-5 minutes. Open it up to little donut treats that are made with little to no oil! We have made several kinds of donut in this little machine... chocolate, vanilla, berry plus we have made a few glazes as well. The following recipe is simple and made with no oil (unlike the big old fried donuts). It was part of our Sunday brunch this week and we ate it sprinkled with only a little powdered sugar... delicious!

Simple Mini Donuts

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately then combine and pour onto the hot appliance. Close and bake for 4-5 minutes. Remove to a platter and cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.Sprinkle with powdered sugar just prior to serving.

*I haven't been asked to "endorse" this product. I am simple sharing something fun that I enjoy very much!!

Talkin' Macaron's with Good Morning Utah

I will be on Good Morning Utah Tuesday January 25th between 8am and 9am (channel CW30) chatting about macaron's. It's been said that the macaron is "the new cupcake" and also "one of the 11 foods of 2011". Tune in tomorrow and decide as you watch me show you some pretty fancy macaron's and discuss tips and tricks to these little fancies!

I jumped on the macaron wave a year and a half ago and have never jumped off. I love these little lovelies. The pretty feet, the dainty design, the array of color and flavor, the texture... they have been quite the treat to master and have given me a run for my money in this altitude but I think I've got it and I want to share it all with you! Don't be afraid... they are as afraid of you as you are of them :)

I am including some past posts and a photo of my Christmas Macs today as well as a link to a template I have created to assist you in your baking. Click the link and print off your own template. Slide the template under your parchment paper and trace with your batter and piping bag (go ahead and bake the template... it's safe... I have done it). I am also including my "go-to" recipe. It is no fail and PERFECT for Utah climate/altitude. BarbaraBakes and I came up with this specific recipe and it has never failed me. After my appearance on the show, I will do another post and include all of my tips and tricks plus a few filling recipes and photos (I am hoping I can link my spot on the show too).

Watch CW30 (Good Morning Utah) in the morning and let me know what you think. I am excited to share with you and see what the future holds!

Basic Macaron Shell

2 aged egg whites
3T plus 1t sugar

1/2C finely ground almond meal
1C powdered sugar

With a hand held blender(in a stainless steel bowl), beat egg whites until medium/soft peaks form then add sugar and beat until slightly firmer and glossy. In a separate bowl combine almond meal and powdered sugar and whisk until completely combined and even. Fold half of the dry mixture into the egg white mixture with a rubber spatula (fold gently, pressing against the sides of the bowl). Add the other half and repeat actions until a flowing batter is achieved. Pour mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a #4 large tip. Pipe onto parchment paper placed on top of the template. Allow to rest for 12-15 minutes then bake at 280 for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes on pan then pop off and place on a wire rack. Fill as desired.

*if you have a convection oven: bake at 280 for 10-12 minutes.
*for all other ovens: bake at 250 (placing your baking sheet on top of another, forming a "bubble") for 15 minutes.
*add food coloring and liquid flavoring to the egg whites at the time you add the sugar
*add any dry flavoring to the almond meal mixture prior to adding it to the egg whites

Previous macaron posts you might enjoy:

grease macarons

cloud macarons

valentine macs


I will add some others after the show!

Link to Macaron template

When I was a teenager I was a total sucker for cookies-n-cream shakes (if they were from DQ or Froststop... all the better). I don't have them nearly as much these days but still love that Oreo and vanilla combo so much! This ice cream is the result of a few tries/fails and playing around with ideas to make it creamy and cookie-ey. I like that it's made without egg yolks. I enjoy a custard type ice cream as much as the next girl but don't always want to wait for the mixture to cool... especially when I have two of the most darling faces just smiling and waiting for a dish of ice cream after school!

COOKIES-N-CREAM ICE CREAM

1 Cup 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 Cup sugar
2 Cups whipping cream
1 vanilla bean (split and scraped)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 Cup crushed Oreo cookies

In a stand mixer, combine the half and half with the sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the whipping cream, scraped vanilla bean and vanilla. Combine well. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions. Scrape the frozen cream into a freezer safe bowl and gently fold in the crushed cookies. Serve right away for a soft bowl of frozen goodness, freeze the rest for a more set up bowl later!

Farewell 2010... a holiday cake

I made this light, little beauty over the holidays, got caught up in the magic of Christmas, joy of having my family all home together, blessing of a coming new year and general laziness before realizing I hadn't shared it with you. It is so pretty and all dolled up for a holiday table but can easily be dressed for any occasion! I just sugared some cranberries and mint to make it snowy and wreath looking. It is angel food cake at it's finest and simplest. My mother is not a chocolate fan so this was made for her. The chocolate fiends in the family got brownie-mousse cups. May 2011 bring us all happiness, comfort, hope, friendship and more love than we can all bare!!!

Angel Food Cake

1 C sugar
1 C cake flour
1/2 t salt
10 large egg whites
1 1/2 t cream of tartar
1t almond extract

Preheat oven to 350. Sift the sugar and flour together, twice. Add salt and set aside. In your stand mixer, whisk the egg whites for about 3 minutes, until frothy then add the cream of tartar and up the speed until moist, soft peaks form (careful not to over beat). Beat in the almond extract. Dust a layer of the flour mixture over the surface of the egg whites and fold it in. Repeat until the batter is completely combined. Pour the batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan and bake for 40 minutes. Immediately place pan upside down on the pan feet. Cool thoroughly before removing from the pan. Place on cake plate.

Frosting

1 1/2 C heavy cream
3/4 C sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 C coconut flakes

Whip the cream until very thick, add the sugar and vanilla. Spread with swirls all over the angel food cake then top with coconut, pressing with the palms of your hands so it sticks to all sides of the cake.