Peanut Crunch Donuts

Have I mentioned before how much I love donuts? I might have posted a recipe (or ten) of my favorites. You can check out my chocolate glazed donut holes, or this super quick recipe, or this trio of tempting treats.

It's really impossible for me to pick an ultimate favorite, but one of my favorites is the peanut-covered cake donut Dunkin' Donuts makes. I don't know if it's because they're more expensive to produce or because Dunkin' wants to avoid a common allergen, but lately it's harder and harder to find these treasures. Desperately craving them the other day, I decided to figure out a way to make them myself.

This was not the easiest or quickest recipe I've ever made, but it was totally worth the effort. These things were GOOD, and the recipe made a ton, so there's plenty to share (or not, I won't judge!) Even better, while most donuts taste stale the next day, these still tasted fine a week later (stored in an airtight container). When I finally finished them off, I was ready to make another batch!

If you can enlist an assistant to help, the process goes smoother and quicker, especially when it comes to the glazing and peanut-ing.

Peanut Crunch Donuts 
Total time: 90 min
Serves 20

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 Tbs butter, softened
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
6 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups of peanuts, finely chopped(
(plus oil for frying)

For the glaze:
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar


With a mixer, cream 1 1/2 cups sugar and softened butter. Add milk, egg, 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; mix well. Mix in an additional 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour to form a soft dough that can be rolled out.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. (Make sure it's 1/2-inch thick--thinner doesn't develop a tender cakey inside, and thicker will lead to insides being undercooked.) Use a donut cutter to cut rounds, flouring the cutter between each cut. Gather up dough scraps and re-roll; cut additional donuts. (Re-roll only once, as over-worked dough results in tough donuts.)

Preheat deep fryer or large Dutch oven filled with at least 1 inch of oil to 360°F. Once oil is at temperature, carefully drop in three to five donuts. Fry until light golden brown all over, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, turning with tongs or a slotted spoon once or twice during cooking. Line a baking sheet or wire rack with a double thickness of paper towels. Remove cooked donuts from oil and place on the paper towels to drain and cool. Repeat in small batches. Don't forget the donut holes!

For the glaze, combine the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and heat on low until warm. Gradually sift the sugar into the milk mixture, whisking gently and continuously, until well-combined. Remove the saucepan from the stove and place in a bowl of warm-hot water so that just the base of the saucepan is submerged in the water. If the glaze is so thick that it is starting to harden in parts, continue whisking it while very slowly dropping in hot water using a spoon until the glaze is just smooth without clumping or hardening as you whisk.

Take each donut and quickly dip it in the glaze on both sides and immediately roll the donut in the peanuts. Let cool then store in an airtight container.

Alternately, you could leave some donuts plain, dip some in glaze but not peanuts, or roll some in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. I did some of each, and they were all great.

386 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Maple Pecan Apple Pie Bars

My husband's ex-pat aunt and uncle were coming to visit us from Mexico this week, so I was trying to pick a crowd-friendly dessert to make for them. Since it's officially fall (even though tomorrow is forecasted to be 97°!) my first thought was something pumpkin, but apple seemed like a safer choice. My husband reminded me there's nothing more American than apple pie, so that settled the debate.

Normally, I prefer to make new and creative things, not the same old, same old. And apple pie, while delicious, is kind of boring. But this recipe was just different enough to spark my interest. The inclusion of maple extract in the glaze, something I was eager to try, was the clincher. So, I added a new bottle to my collection of extracts and got baking. (I found maple extract at Walmart, but if you can't find it, vanilla extract would do.)

This recipe turned out to be a huge hit with everyone, and they devoured the whole pan in two days. They pleaded for the recipe, so I promised I'd add it to my blog ASAP. Here you go, Aunt Patty!

Maple Pecan Apple Pie Bars 

Prep time: 15 min Bake time: 40 min
Serves 20

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, chilled
1 egg, slightly beaten

Filling:
1/2 cup flour
3 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (I used candied pecans since I had some on hand)

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.



In a large bowl combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder and mix well. Cut in butter with pastry knife or two forks or until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Add egg and mix to combine. Press dough into prepared pan.



To prepare the filling, combine apples and flour and toss to coat. Add brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon and stir to combine. Spread over crust. (Alternatively, you could use a 21 oz. can of apple pie filling.)

Bake 40 minutes. Let cool completely.

For glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and maple extract and whisk until smooth. Pour over cooled bars. Top with chopped pecans. Allow glaze to set before cutting bars. Store in airtight container.

200 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Chili Mac

• I love a good bowl of chili, and I love a good bowl of mac and cheese. When you put them together, you get something totally different but just as good! This simple-but-delicious one-pot dish calls for ingredients I always have on hand, is ready in less than half an hour, and makes a full meal all by itself. Sure, you could serve a salad on the side, but I prefer a second helping of this instead! You could easily sneak in some green peppers or zucchini if you really want some extra veggies.
• 
  
  
• Chili Mac
• Cook time: 20 min
• Serves 6
• 
  
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes (I used Italian seasoned)
• 1 (14.5-oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 4 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces elbow pasta
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (plus more for topping, if desired)
• 
  
• Season ground beef and onion with salt and pepper. Cook in large pot until beef is browned, about 3-5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain off excess fat.
• 
  
• Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, chili powder and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir in pasta. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13-15 minutes. Add a little water if mixture gets too dry.
• 
  
• Stir in cheese until melted. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese, if desired.

554 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

London Broil

Have you ever heard of London Broil?  It's an old-fashioned meal that sounds kind of fancy but it's actually just a made-up name used to make a cheap cut of meat sound high class.  It wasn't created in London, and from what I've read, they haven't even heard of it over in England!  You'll find packages of meat in the store labeled London Broil, but the name is really a method of preparation, not a cut of meat.  Typically, it's thick-cut flank steak or top round steak.

The dish may be a fraud, but I don't mind because it's so darn yummy.  Because it uses a tough cut of meat, the secret to great London Broil is marinating the meat and cutting thin slices against the grain.  Do that, and you'll have amazingly tender and flavorful strips of meat that are great plain or on a sandwich.

London Broil

Prep time: 5 min (plus 24 hrs marinating time) Cook time: 20 min
Serves 6

1.5 lbs London Broil
1 (10.5 oz) can beef consommé
Hoagie buns (if desired)

Marinade:
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp Accent seasoning
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbs minced garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup oil

Prick both sides of meat with a fork.  Combine marinade ingredients in a gallon ziploc and marinate meat for 24 hours.

Remove meat from marinade and grill or broil 8-10 minutes on each side.  Meanwhile, combine leftover marinate and consommé in a large saucepan and heat to boiling.

Slice beef thinly against the grain and return to the marinade to serve.

Summer Squash Lemon Bread

Ah, squash. That tasteless, mushy vegetable that grows in abundance in every neighborhood garden. Does anybody really like that stuff?  Not me, that's for sure. Believe me, I've tried to like it.  I've baked it, sautéed it, even breaded and fried it. I've seasoned it with every spice in my cupboard. I've even hidden it in casseroles and skillet dishes. But no matter what I do with it, I still find it disgusting.

Well, then why do I keep buying it, you ask? I don't! People keep giving it to me! Friends, neighbors, coworkers, clients--everyone seems to think squash is an appropriate gift for a girl like me. I don't know what I do to give them this impression.  Do my fashion choices say, "squash enthusiast?" I do not understand this.

Did you know there's even a national "Leave some zucchini on your neighbor's porch day?"  I think that's because nobody likes squash, and everyone is trying to get rid of it!

Now, I can accept that a nice, buttered slice of zucchini bread is a good use of that particular variety, but what about the bland, yellow squash? What are you supposed to do with that? Well, turns out, you can do pretty much the exact same thing!

Now, I'm over 40 years old, and I've eaten a lot of zucchini bread in my time, but never once have I even heard of summer squash bread. But it's a thing! And it tastes amazing! The method and final outcome are similar to zucchini bread, but the taste is very different. With the addition of lemon juice and zest, this gives lemon pound cake a run for its money.

Have it for breakfast, have it for dessert, have it for a midday snack. Don't worry if you eat it up fast. More squash is coming.

Summer Squash Lemon Bread
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 60 min
Serves 16 (makes 2 loaves)

1 cup melted butter
2 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup plus 2 Tbs lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 ½ cups grated summer squash

Glaze
2 Tbs butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbs lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two loaf pans with baking spray.
Combine the sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a mixing bowl. Melt the butter. Add the butter and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the batter is light and fluffy, (about 2-3 minutes.)
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and barely combine into a batter. Add the grated squash and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.
Let cool until the pan is just cool enough to handle, then remove from pans.
While the bread is cooling, make the glaze. Melt 2 Tbs of butter. Add the 3 Tbs of lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Add the powdered sugar and whisk to combine. Add water to thin to the desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the loaves.

370 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!