Donuts & Chocolate Malt Milkshakes

Remember when I said there were 3 winners for the last poll?  And I said I would post them all?  Yeah, I got a little busy with slurries of Making A Blog Video, Celebrating Andy's new job, and just life in general.  So you guys get a double feature today with the other 2 winners (the 1st one was the Samoas!).

Now some might argue that Donuts and Chocolate Milkshakes don't go together, but I beg to differ.  Most people drink milk with donuts, right?  I know we do, at least.  So why not amp up the milk and add some ice cream and have yourself a milkshake?  Sounds pretty darn compatible to me!  Hehe.  Either way, both of these recipes are winners, whether you keep them separate or share them together!

Hope you guys have a really awesome weekend!  I know we will... starting with tonight's dinner at The Village Anchor!  And don't forget to vote in the new poll... I'm in an ice cream mood!


Donuts:

Ingredients:
Adapted from My Kitchen Snippet's Recipe

1 & 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
powdered sugar, optional

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.  Combine well.

Slowly pour in the milk and mix until a sticky dough is formed.  Then incorporate softened butter into the dough.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a couple of minutes until it is smooth and elastic.  Place in a clean, greased bowl and cover with a warm kitchen towel until slightly risen, about 1 hour.  My dough didn't rise that much, or well... I was a little antsy and didn't want to wait that long for it to double.  You can let it rise longer if you want, but my finished product turned out pretty delicious, so if you're impatient like me, then this is fine.

Pull off small pieces of dough and form small 1 inch round balls.  Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Cover with warm kitchen towel and allow to slightly rise for 1 more hour.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat 2 cups of vegetable oil under medium high heat.  You'll know when the oil is ready when you can add a small piece of dough and it sizzles.

Add dough balls in batches (I did about 5 per batch) and fry for about 1-2 minutes per side, or until donuts are golden brown on both sides.

Transfer cooked donuts to paper-towel lined bowl to cool slightly.

When all donuts are complete, take a paper bag (or you can place them in a large bowl to toss) and add donuts to bag.  Pour desired amount of powdered sugar in bag and close.  Shake until you coat the donuts all over.

I loved how the powdered sugar sort of melted on the still-warm donuts.  It was perfect.  They were very reminiscent of a funnel cake in donut form.  And we all know how much I love funnel cakes.  Next time I may try filling these babies with jelly or chocolate cream or something delicious!


Chocolate Malt Milkshakes:
Adapted from Smells Like Home's Recipe

Chocolate Malt Sauce:

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons chocolate malt Ovaltine
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For milkshakes (makes 2 - perfect for when your fiance refuses to share):

1 pint chocolate ice cream
5 tablespoons chocolate malt sauce
2/3 cup milk


Whipped Cream:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla

For the chocolate malt sauce, add cream, corn syrup, Ovaltine, brown sugar, salt, and 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to a small saucepan under medium heat.  Bring to a boil and stir until chocolate has melted.  Turn heat down to low and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.  Let the sauce cool for about 10 minutes.

To store extra sauce, cool the sauce completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.  Reheat in a microwave or over low heat on the stovetop.

For each milkshake, I added 1/2 the ice cream, desired amount of chocolate sauce, and milk to a cocktail shaker and used my immersion blender to blend it up until smooth.

Drizzle some chocolate sauce on the inside portion of some chilled glasses (we got a little messy with this) if you want and pour blended shakes into each glass.

Quickly whip up some fresh whipped cream (or use some pre-made - I won't judge!) by whisking heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla together in a bowl until soft peaks form.  Top each shake with the cream and get ready to fully indulge in a glass of happiness.

I could see Andy's permanent smile just glow on his face as he ate this.  He loved every bite and even tried to sneak a bit of mine after he finished with his!

So yeah, lots of good treats that can prep you guys for some good times this weekend!  And I just realized a genius idea for the remaining chocolate sauce (because yes, you will have leftover chocolate sauce unless you just load your milkshakes with it!) - it would be perfect drizzled over those donuts or inside as a gluttonous filling!  See... I told you milkshakes and donuts go well together!  Don't forget to vote in the poll!

I want ice cream.  And ice cream sundae, to be exact.  So help me decide what flavor ice cream to use and I'll surprise you with a delicious sundae!!  Have a great weekend guys!