This is what I’ve been working on lately:
It’s a Diclectin tree.
Sorry for being M.I.A. lately- I’ve been quite sick with this lil baby in my ute!! I’m sure I’ll be back to blogging soon! Thanks for all the loooove 😉 Can’t wait to share what I have ACTUALLY been working on!
~Dot
Okay- I really am not much of a fan of sweets- but this pregnancy I am going nuts for them. (Oh, dear God, I hope that means I’m having a girl- for my daughter’s sake- she has THREE younger brothers!) So move-over craft tutorials for a bit, because I have been getting creative in the kitchen like a madwoman.
I made the most delicious peanut butter cups. And they HAPPENED to be peanut-free. You can definitely make this recipe with real PB, but for all those allergics out there like me, you will be so surprised at how real these taste! I’ve tricked many a person with these babies!
Oooooh, Aaaaah. Now, let’s make these!
You only need 3 ingredients for these: Smooth peanut butter (I used wowbutter peanut-free PB which I bought from walmart), Icing sugar, and Chocolate chips (I used dairy-free chocolate chips, but you can use any chocolate chips or chocolate melting wafers.)
Step one: Mix up 1/2 cup of PB and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
Step 2: Melt about 1 cup of chocolate chips (for melting instructions, check out my peppermint patty tutorial here) and paint the melted chocolate into into the bottom and up the sides of a candy mold (I was lucky and found a pile of different molds at a thrift shop- but you can buy them at a craft or cake decorating store) you could also use some sturdy cupcake liners- just fill them about 1/3 of the way. Make sure not to leave any spaces uncovered!
I even pulled out my turtle mold, more on that later 😉
Allow the chocolate to harden in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Form the PB dough into little patties that will fit nicely into their new chocolate homes. Refrigerate for a few minutes if you want them to be easier to work with.
Step 4: Now put those PB patties in their place!
Step 5: Use a small spoon or pastry brush to paint a good amount of chocolate over the PB blob. Make sure to reach the sides of the chocolate with your top layer! Stick those in the refrigerator for another 5 minutes, then pop those bad boys out!
Like so.
Step 6: Cut one in half and stage a photo shoot, to ensure that your tutorial will make it onto Foodgawker, as you have become obsessed with not being rejected by them 90% of the time. so you can share your glorious recipe with even more lucky people!
Oh. My. Goshhhhh. Don’t you just want to shove that in your face?!?!!?
Check out my lil turtle. Ain’t he cute? But something was missing…
YES!!!! I am totally going to be making sets of four of these lil guys- Next time I’ll pipe the Ninja Turtle details with some royal icing.
Another easy way you can make these is just by dipping balls of the PB dough into the melted chocolate- skip the whole mold step- just made sure you refrigerate the PB balls for a good 10 minutes before dipping them. This recipe made around a dozen small cups and 8 turtles, which are basically the same size as 12 mini cups… so let’s say it made 24 small cups.
Well, what are you waiting for? With only 3 simple ingredients and 15 minutes you can create something SO delicious and comparable to any PB cups you can by at the store 🙂
Happy chocolate dipping!
~Dot
What’s a pregnant gal to do when all she craves is a Krispy Kreme donut, but lives on an island where none are to be found? Well, after a good cry, she makes ’em herself!
I think it’s no coincedence that donuts are shaped like halos 😉
I saw this video recipe for mock Krispy Kreme’s and then I spent a good hour hunting for other options, because the guy in the vid seems pretty…untrustworthy… sorry 99cent chef! BUT his recipe was so different from the others and I could tell that his technique would result in an airy, delicious, melt-in-your-mouth donut, rather than a cakey chunk of chunk.
‘Krispy Kreme’ Donut Recipe (Courtesy of The 99 Cent Chef):
Fry in a wide skillet or pot with vegetable oil 1/2 inch deep
The dough is pretty wet- which America’s Test Kitchen has taught me is a really good thing- if you’re making a yeast dough, try to only add as much flour as you absolutely need to keep it from being unmanageable. Sticky dough results in a less-tough end product!
Let the dough rise in a covered bowl for an hour. Stupid hour 😡
I didn’t even need a rolling pin to roll this out- I just plopped the dough on a pile of flour, then floured my hands and pressed it until it was about 1/3- 1/2 an inch thick.
To cut the donut shape, I used a cup with around a 3 inch diameter, and I used a large piping tip  to cut out the centers. Just dip the cutters in flour if they get too sticky. I cut out around 20 donuts and 40 holes with this recipe!
Cut extra holes out of the leftover dough. Next time I make these, I think I’m gonna just cut the leftovers into random strips and fry them- these were so darn good and there is no need to waste any of this precious dough!
Let the cut donuts and holes rise again for about 1/2 an hour. While they are rising, make the glaze!
Sugar Glaze:
Now to fry! Check out the video I posted if you are unsure about deep-frying. I used to be afraid of it because I tried to put an oil fire out with water when I was dumb 19, which resulted in a trip to the emergency room…heh. But over the years I’ve gotten the hang of it, and it is way less intimidating than I thought! You can’t get around deep-frying if you want to make a Krispy Kreme donut!
I used one of the donut holes as a tester to see if the oil was ready for frying- If you drop the hole in the oil and it starts bubbling a lot but not spitting, Â you are good to go!
These lil fluff angels (heh) only take about 20-30 seconds per side to cook, so make sure you have everything ready- these babies go from perfection to overdone in seconds!
Don’t over-crowd the pan either- stick to max 4 at a time!
Flip dem babies.
Let them drain on a paper towel-lined plate while you plop the next batch in the oil.
While your next batch is cooking, dip the drained, but still hot donuts in glaze. Make sure to dip both sides! Shake off the excess glaze, then place them on a serving dish.
Don’t forget about those donut holes!
I just dumped the holes into the bowl of leftover glaze. They enjoyed their bath thoroughly.
DONUT SUCCESS!
I had to take a picture of the cross section- These things are 50% air- and that means they are healthy! Oxygen is an important vitamin that we tend to overlook in our diets 😉
Now give a donut to the cutest little taste-tester in the world.
🙂
Well, I hope you will be making these soon! I am soooo happy with the result- It is such a good recipe and the only thing I changed about it was swapping the milk for coconut milk! I have actually only had a real Krispy Kreme donut once before, so I’m not sure if any fanatics out there will have a problem with the comparison, but all I know is that I need more of these in my belly. In fact I am having a donut-making party today- I’m gonna triple-batch this up!
I’m a donut maker,
Dream maker, love taker
Dont you mess around with me!
Happy donut making!
~Dot
Busted Button 