Chocolate Caramel Doughnut Holes Recipes

Steps:

• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, buttermilk, butter, and eggs until thoroughly combined. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture just until a smooth dough forms.
• On a lightly floured work surface, pat dough flat and lightly flour. Roll out dough to a 1/3-inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter (to lift rounds from work surface, use a thin spatula). Reroll and cut scraps.
• Place a caramel in the center of each round, pinch dough closed around it, and gently roll into a smooth ball.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Fill a wide shallow bowl with 1 inch sugar. In a large heavy pot, heat 4 inches oil until it registers 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. In batches of 4, fry doughnuts 5 minutes, turning once with a slotted spoon and adjusting heat as needed. Transfer doughnuts to prepared sheet; let rest 4 minutes. Roll in sugar to coat. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a small saucepot set over medium heat, add the sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and 1/8 teaspoon sea salt and cook until the sugar starts to bubble and turn brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the saucepot from the heat. Add the heavy cream slowly and carefully to the caramel mixture (it will bubble up). When the bubbling slows, stir with a wooden spoon and add 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Let cool enough to taste, taste and add more salt if necessary.
• For the doughnuts: Combine the cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, eggs and orange zest, and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepot set over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees F.
• Scoop the dough using two spoons to make one tester ball, then carefully drop it in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly and taste, then add more granulated sugar and orange zest to the dough if desired. One at a time, scoop the remaining dough into balls (6 to 8 total) and carefully drop into the oil. Fry, turning occasionally to ensure all sides cook evenly, until golden brown and floating, about 4 minutes.
• Remove the doughnut holes from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel-lined-plate to absorb any excess oil.
• Transfer the doughnut holes to a platter and dust them with confectioners' sugar. Serve with the caramel sauce on the side.

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a small bowl, combine the milk, yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons sugar with the flour and salt. Stir in yeast mixture and egg, and knead it in the bowl a few times to incorporate the liquid. Tip the dough onto a work surface and knead it until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, a bit at a time, and continue to knead the dough until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, another 5 minutes. The dough will be sticky.
• Gather the dough into a neat ball. Grease the inside of a large bowl with butter and add the dough. Cover with plastic and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 2 hours. (After the dough has doubled, you can punch it down, wrap it well and refrigerate it for up to 2 days.)
• Tip the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and pat the dough out into a 7-by-4 inch rectangle. (You can work with the dough directly from the refrigerator if it has been chilled.) Divide the dough into 14 even pieces using a bench scraper or a knife and slightly flatten each. Add 1 chocolate fève or about 1 teaspoon of chocolate to the center of each piece of dough, wrap and pinch the dough to enclose the chocolate, and roll it into a neat ball. Transfer the dough pieces to a floured rimmed baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with two layers of paper towels. Clip a candy thermometer to the edge of a large pot. Heat the oil over medium-high until it reaches 350 degrees.
• As oil heats, make the cinnamon-sugar mixture: Mix 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon in a large bowl.
• Working one at a time, carefully transfer dough to a spider or slotted spoon without deflating it. Then transfer the dough to the hot oil. Add up to 4 pieces of dough at a time. Maintain the temperature of the oil by increasing or lowering the heat as necessary, and allow the oil to return to temperature between batches. Cook the doughnuts until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, then using the spider, transfer the doughnuts to the prepared sheet.
• Repeat with the remaining dough. Toss the warm doughnuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cover baking sheet with parchment; spray with cooking spray. Combine nuts and crushed apple chips in small bowl; set aside.
• Microwave caramels and apple juice concentrate in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. to 1 min.15 sec. or until caramels are completely melted and sauce is well blended when stirred.
• Dip 1 end of 1 lollipop stick into caramel sauce; then insert dipped end into 1 donut hole. Repeat with additional lollipop sticks and remaining donut holes.
• Spoon caramel sauce over donut holes, 1 at a time, turning to evenly coat all sides of donut hole with caramel sauce. Gently shake off any excess caramel sauce, then dip bottom of donut hole into nut mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
• Refrigerate 30 min. or until caramel sauce is firm.

Steps:

• Using tape, cover cone with paper. Place cone on turntable if using.
• Arrange 1 ring doughnut holes around base of cone, placing as closely together as possible. Insert toothpick through each doughnut hole into cone to attach doughnut hole to cone, leaving end of toothpick sticking out (you'll push it in later with thimble).
• Attach second ring of doughnut holes above first, again packing tightly and staggering so doughnut holes in second ring are not directly above doughnut holes in first ring.
• Continue in same manner to attach remaining doughnut holes. For top tiers, if desired, slice off small amount of each doughnut hole on side facing toward cone to make shape more tapering. Finish covering cone with 1 doughnut hole attached to top of cone.
• Using thimble, push in toothpicks until not visible.
• Decorate by pushing candies and leaves into gaps between doughnut holes. If candies won't adhere, dip in corn syrup-water mixtur before attaching.
• If desired, drizzle with chocolate or caramel sauce. Croquembouche keeps, covered loosely with aluminum foil and refrigerated, 2 to 3 days.