Dulce De Leche Churro Doughnut Holes

It's not very often where I get to brag about a recipe that only includes 5 ingredients. While I am firmly against the obnoxiousness of tasty videos that re-purpose cheese whip and boxed cake mix I can appreciate that every once in a while we need to cave and use pre-made ingredients out of necessity. When we must, using quality products is key. Okay here I am blabbering about quality ingredients that were about to caramelize, deep fry and coat in sugar, so I'm obviously not that serious about the most pristine foods but I do feel that it should be mentioned. And also tasty videos are usually obnoxious. Entertaining as hell, but obnoxious. 

Anyway, when Seasons contacted me and told me they have cholov yisroel condensed milk hitting the shelves I knew we had reason to celebrate. And since it's the holiday season we're gonna celebrate Chanukah style. Doughnuts! Also better than doughnuts, doughnut holes! Because they are small which means you can eat like 8 of them and no one will notice. And it's stuffed with dulce de leche- can you get better than that? Oh! Yes you can because it only takes 5 ingredients to make these. How's that for convenient?
You can add a pinch of cayenne to make a spicy version and add a bit of salt to balance all that sweetness!

Dulce de leche Filled Churro Doughnut Holes
Note: The dulce de leche can be made and stored in the fridge for 3 weeks ahead.
Tip! If you don't have a pastry bag or squeeze bottle try using a kids medicine dropper. You will have to pull up the dulce de leche and clean the tip before each insertion but it totally works!
Makes about 25 doughnut holes
Ingredients:

• 1 bottle condensed milk*
• 1 lb pizza dough or challah dough
• 6 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• Oil for frying
• Kosher salt (optional)  
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Remove all labels from the bottle of condensed milk.
2. In a large stockpot place the bottle of condensed milk on its side (so it doesn't bounce). Add water to cover it by 1-2 inches. Place on a medium-low flame and bring to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for about 2 hours. Check back every once in a while to make sure the water still covers the can by 1-2 inches. If it does not, add water.
3. After two hours, remove the bottle from the water carefully and allow it to cool completely before opening. When you are ready to use it transfer to a squeeze bottle or pastry bag fitted with a narrow round tip.
4. Fill a large wide pot 1/4-1/3 way with oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. The oil is ready when you drop a piece of dough into the oil and the oil bubbles around it and the dough floats to the top.
5. While you wait for the oil to heat, cut the pizza dough into 1 1/2 tbsp portions. Roll into balls and allow them to rest covered for 10 minutes.
6. In a wide bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and salt and cayenne, if using.
7. Prepare a cooling rack with a paper towel underneath so that you won't mess up the counter.
8. Add the dough balls about 3-4 at a time and allow for them to brown for about 30 seconds on each side or until they are golden brown. Remove the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and place on to the cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
9. Roll the doughnut holes in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
10. Using the squeeze bottle or pastry bag, insert the tip into the doughnut and squeeze until the doughnut feels heavy and the dulce de leche starts coming out on top. Repeat with remaining doughnut holes. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon sugar if desired.

*For cholov yisroel condensed milk visit Seasons
Thank you Seasons for sponsoring this post.

Drunk Brownies with Questionable Morals AKA Time To Celebrate!

Okay so lets pretend that I’ve been religiously posting to my blog all summer and that I haven’t been severely neglecting creating new recipes. Also let’s pretend I didn’t just have the worst semester of life where I was expected to know the pathophysiology of every disease known to man and how to treat it in the teeny tiny time frame of 12 weeks. (It was hell. But I got all A’s thanks to my amazing supportive family and very helpful classmates). We’re going to pretend this didn’t happen because secretly I have been writing up a bazillion recipes and jotting down ideas wherever I can find a scrap of paper. I guess stress fuels creativity.

Despite all that, somehow I still managed to reach 10,000 followers on Instagram! It’s amazing how many of you have been there all along the way encouraging me, and supporting me. I think in the 3 years that I have been posting (though its only been a little more than 1 year since @Cookinginheelss started) I have not had one negative comment. That’s incredible! (Also, as I have mentioned, my memory is terrible so could be I am totally wrong on this…) Thank you all so much for being amazing!!

This recipe, is one of my most groundbreaking, history making, earth shaking, ideas. Despite being on the clean eating diet- which is working out fantastically for weight loss and reducing migraines (12 lbs. down and 4 to go! Whoop! BUH Bye baby weight!!)- And not being able to taste this I have full confidence that this recipe is incredible. Why? How? And any left for me to try?, you ask?

Let me describe the face my tasters made. They hold the sticky brownie in their hand, fingers glistening with caramel sauce, and simultaneously swallow to reduce the salivation that has accumulated in their mouths, eyes wide with anticipation. That first bite, the soft fudgy brownie spreads over the surface of the tongue and sticks to the roof of the mouth coating its entirety in absolute bliss. There is a moment hesitation, where my heart stops beating, “is it bad? Do they like it?” Then their eyes roll back and a moan escapes their lips as they allow themselves to be consumed by its complexity, its warmth, and its perfection. I kid you not. This is how every single person reacted. Unless you ask my brother in laws who gave me the ultimate teenage boy compliment of “Ahhhhwe-some!” If that isn’t confirmation, I don’t know what is. Also, in response to that last question, sorry, they are all gone. Go make your own.

So where did this inspiration come from you ask? Or quite possibly didn’t ask but who cares cuz I’m going to tell you anyway. So I’ve heard of Brownies with questionable morals, tittered at the name and tasted their deliciousness. But if you know me, I always want to go bigger and better. #Winning! Also, I kinda wanted more moistness in there just cuz a fudgy brownie is way better than a cakey one.  Then, I saw some caramel stuffed brownies on Instagram (wish I could remember who’s account it was on so I could give the guy credit.) Anyway, this guy said in order to keep the caramel from smooshing into the brownie, he lightly piped the top layer over the caramel. GENIUS! And that was when it clicked!  I should put caramel in between the layers!!! Make great even better!!!

Then, I was like, hey! You know what is better than Brownies with Oreos and Cookie dough?? DRUNKEN brownies with Oreos and Cookie Dough! YAAAAASSSSS! That’s the kind of thing you bring to a party! Giving all the deliciousness away for FREEEEE! Let’s spike the caramel and make this into a party!! MUUUSSSSTTTT!  Thanks brain for being the trashiest food junkie imaginable.

For those of us bringing this to nice parties, you may call these Intoxicated Eishes Chayil (Good Wife) Brownies or just The Most Amazing Awesomeness You Have Never Tasted! Or don’t bring them anywhere. Just hide in the closet and polish off the pan by yourself. It’s probably safer that way right? *wink wink*

Momofuku Milk Bar Marshmallow Cornflake Crunch Cookies I.E. Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover!

I don't know how many of you have heard of Momofuku Milk Bar but it's one of the most genius places in the world. It's not a kosher place, but it's a bakeryish kind of place in Manhattan (and Toronto). Christina Tosi is the brains behind it all. With the revolutionary idea to put milk powder in her products, she has created a cult-like following that has people from around the world flocking at her doorstep. Her amazing creations range from Cereal Milk Ice Cream to Compost Cookies with miles of delicious innovation in between. 

I would never have known what I was missing, and worse than that never would have added this recipe into my monthly cookie round up had it not been one of those late night-scroll-through-the-internet-instead-of-sleeping kind of searches. I magically found these cookies and, though I'm not sure what possessed me to try them, I put it on my ever growing to do list. 

The truth is I'm pretty shallow when it comes to food. I'm one of those people who believes you eat with your eyes first. It's always super important to me to wipe the plate, arrange artfully, and sprinkle something green and necessary on my food (herbs or spices). I know I'm not the only one. The entire basis of Instagram is eating with your eyes. Until they invent Instagram smell you are all guilty of judging books by their covers! So ha!

The crazy part is, it's such a big part of human nature to "eat with the eyes" that food photographers actually have a challenge creating the vision our mind expects to see in a photograph. In reality, milk isn't pure white and thick and maple syrup isn't super drippy and golden colored when it's poured. Food photographers actually have to replace milk with Elmer's glue and maple syrup with motor oil to create the image we want to see so that we want to buy or make that product. It's a waste of a perfectly good pancake in my opinion. 

The point of all of this is that these cookies, as crazy delicious as they are, are ugly. Butt ugly! the first time I made them the house smelled unreal! My entire building had this heavenly aroma of butter and caramelized sugar and I couldn't wait to try these cookies!!! Until I saw them. They were these flat puddles of brown almost burnt looking messes. ugh! I was tempted to chuck them but the smell convinced me otherwise. I kept them but didn't try them. I sent them to my sister (who sick at the time) as a get well present. (Ya, I'm evil like that.) 

The next day, I got report back from my family, "What were those amazing cookies and when could we get more?" As shocked as I was,  I decided I should at least try the cookie and see what the hype was about. I did. I nearly died. 

My favorite cookie texture isn't usually crispy but the crunch of this cookie was both delicate and hearty at the same time. The flavor, don't get me started on the flavor. The carmel-malted milk-with-a-hint-of-chocolate flavor is unreal! It's like all I want to do is put these cookies on top of and into everything I've ever made. 

For a while I would walk around with bags of these cookies in my purse and share them with friends. I loved watching their faces as they bit into this unassuming cookie and their eyes would go wide with surprise. One friend told me she loved that they were so ugly because that way no one even asked for one and she didn't have to share it, until someone tasted it.  

Despite the long weird name and the ugly first impression, these cookies have earned me loads of late night request texts and a few stalkers. If you aren't ready for that, these cookies aren't for you. But if your ready for a whole new world of delicious indulgence like you have never had before, I suggest you double the cornflake crunch recipe and keep it in your freezer. I don't lie when I say these cookies run out fast!! 

Note: These cookies use milk powder and therefore can only be made dairy. You are welcome to substitute powdered coffee creamer but I have not yet tried this and cannot vouch for the results. 

Cornflake Crunch Cookies

Cornflake Crunch 

5 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup milk powder
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted 
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
In a medium bowl, use hands to crush cornflakes to a quarter of their original size.
Add milk powder, sugar, and salt, and toss lightly.
Add butter and toss to coat (the butter acts as the glue and will create small clusters).
Spread the cornflake clusters onto a parchment/silpat lined baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes tossing midway so they don't burn-until they look toasted, smell buttery, and crunch when cooled slightly.
Cool completely before storing or using in a recipe.

Cookies 
2 sticks (equals 1 cup or 16 tbsp. or 8 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature (Must be full fat! Don't try to substitute here)
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups Cornflake Crunch (recipe above)
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup mini marshmallows

Preparation:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add egg and vanilla extract and beat 7-8 minutes.
On low speed, mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until just combined (1 minute max.). Don't step away from the machine/over-mix!
Scrape down sides and, still on low speed, paddle in the cornflake crunch and chocolate chips until just incorporated (30-45 seconds), then stir in the marshmallows as well.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Measure 1/3 cup portions of dough (using a 2 oz. ice cream/cookie scoop) onto the pan. Rolling them with wet hands will help them stay together better. Pat tops of dough mounds flat. Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 week. (Do not bake at room temperature!)
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees and arrange the chilled dough onto parchment/siplat lined baking sheet(s) at least 4 in. apart.
Bake about 15 minutes, until browned around the edges and beginning to brown in the center. Cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. If they seem pale and doughy on the surface, leave in the oven for about 1 more minute. 
Cool cookies completely on pan before moving them to a plate or an airtight container. At room temperature, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days-in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.