Mint Sour Cream Doughnuts with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

I promised you doughnuts the other day and being a woman of my word; I present to you Mint Sour Cream Doughnuts with Chocolate Dipping Sauce.  Can I get a drum roll please!  Okay that might be a bit much.

I was in an over the top green kind of mood this weekend.  Even though I'm not Irish I love any excuse to join in the celebrating.   At the market I picked up all kinds of green goodies including this cheese I just couldn't pass up.

Seriously, if you see this cheese just grab it you won't be sorry.  I added it to my artichoke stuffing and wow, oh wow.

I'm hoping this makes me at least 1/10th Irish now.  

Even with the corned beef blood bath incident my spirits were still high and I went on to end the evening on a high note enjoying a plate full of warm doughnuts with a warm chocolate dipping sauce.  

Makes 24 doughnut holes

Sour Cream Mint Doughnuts

1 egg 

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1/2 cup sour cream 

5-6 drops green food coloring (optional)  

1 tsp. mint extract 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract    

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

5 to 6 Cups vegetable oil for frying 

In a bowl add the egg, sugar, sour cream, green food coloring, mint extract, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Dough will be sticky.  

Use a teaspoon to extract the dough to form a ¾-inch ball.  I used my smallest sized cookie scoop and that worked really well.  Set aside until ready to fry in the oil. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.  In a large heavy pot heat 4-inches oil until it reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. Fry in small batches about 2 to 3 minutes for each batch and flip the donuts once during the cooking process.

Chocolate Dipping Sauce 

1/2 cup heavy cream 

2 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

4 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped 

Combine in a medium heavy saucepan: cream, sugar, and butter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add in the chopped chocolate. Let stand one minute and then whisk until smooth. Serve warm.

I saw so many good recipes this week I just had to share some of them with you!  I'm liking this Irish thing.

Spearmint Chocolate Truffles for St. Patrick's Day
Brownies with Bailey's Buttercream
Mint Chocolate Mash-Up Cookies
Black and White Irish Cream Cupcakes
Irish Cream Brownies with Chocolate Ganache
St. Patty's Day Vanilla Cupcakes with Bittersweet Chocolate Buttercream

I could go on and on with the sweets, but how about some veggies and bread instead:
Colcannon
Ballymaloe Brown Bread
Ghost Pepper Salted Guinness Pretzels

Enjoy,

Gina

Caramel Apple Doughnuts

Yes you read the title right, and yes the doughnuts are as sticky and decadent as the title!  I was excited to see the arrival of apples at the farmstand, some gravensteins were screaming, pick me, pick me!  So home with mommy they went.

The leap from apples to doughnuts was an interesting one.  My daughter and her friend had a sleepover and in the morning, they were telling me how much they wanted doughnuts; I was in my sweats with no makeup, hair uncombed, you get the idea, no way I was heading to the store.  Halloween has been on my mind already.  Something about apples brings me straight back to when the girls were little; we had a huge Halloween party every year and all the kids loved bobbing for apples.  One of the favorite treats I always made for the parties was caramel apples.  I married the two and made the girls some caramel apple doughnuts for breakfast, they were so happy.

Doughnut Dough

1/2 cup milk, warmed to 105-110 degrees

1/2 cup water, warmed to 105-110 degrees

4 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast (or 2 packets)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

4 cups flour

zest from 1 lemon

In bowl of mixer combine milk, water and yeast.  Let proof for five minutes, till foamy.

This is what your yeast should look like if it's active:

Tip for you:  I put the water and milk together in a glass measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute it's the perfect temp. and my yeast always proofs.  If it doesn't foam up after a couple of minutes, your yeast is old, get rid of it. 

Place bowl with proofed yeast mixture onto mixer and add butter, sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, and flour.  Using dough hook, mix for about 3-5 minutes on low speed till dough is nicely combined and still soft.  Cover dough with towel and let rise for 2 hours till doubled; it should look like it took a breath of fresh air.  You can make the dough without a mixer.  Just mix by hand and knead for a couple minutes.

Apple Filling

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 small apples diced 1/4"

Pinch salt

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. cold water + 1 tsp. cornstarch (dissolve two together)

Heat a skillet to medium heat, add butter, apples, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice, sugar, and dissolved cornstarch mixture.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, till apples are softened and mixture is thickened.  Cool and set aside.

If you want to preserve fall apples so you will be ready for recipes like this all year visit my friend The Mom Chef, she has a fantastic recipe for apple pie filling.

Put flour on your cutting board and add half of the risen dough.  Roll to 1/8" thick and cut out circles with a round cookie cutter about 3-4" in diameter.

Lay circles on cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat and put about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each round.

Create an egg wash; combine 1 egg and 2 teaspoons of water and beat till combined.  Brush outside edges and place another round on top, press lightly to seal and allow them to rise for about 2 hours till they've doubled in size.  You may want to flip them half way through so the outside will form a crust and not be sticky.  It helps so the doughnut absorbs less oil and they are bit easier to handle.

Heat a heavy pot filled half way with canola oil to 375 degrees F.  Then drop a couple in at a time.  Cook till browned on one side and flip till browned on the other, only takes a couple of minutes total.  Lay them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to drain before glazing.

For the glaze melt some Dulche de Leche, you can find it in the market in the Mexican section.  If they don't have any you can make a classic caramel with sugar, water and a little heavy cream.

Enjoy,

Gina