Chile Spice Cocoa

Serves 2

3 Tbsp Cocoa powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp mild chili powder

1/4 tsp sweet paprika

1/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of salt

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

Whipped cream

Blend the cocoa, spices, salt, sugar, vanilla and butter in a bowl until its a crumbly texture.  Put in a saucepan over medium heat and add the corn syrup.

Blend with a rubber spatula until its a smooth paste, then gradually add the milk, blending smooth with each addition.  Once the mixture is like a thick syrup, add the milk more liberally and blend.  Heat until a light steam is coming off the surface.  Serve with whipped cream

Malinda Russell's Allspice Cake with Boiled Frosting

Pulled from: https://www.npr.org/2014/02/05/271531627/a-meal-to-honor-early-african-american-cookbook-authors

A cake was a natural choice from this pastry shop owner's cookbook. With pangs of guilt, I tweaked this recipe. Russell's recipe calls for brandy, lemon extract and rosewater. To me, those other flavorings got lost with all the spice, so I took them out and slightly increased the sour cream. I also added molasses to the recipe to balance the cake's taste. Russell did not suggest icing this cake, but her cookbook does include a few boiled icing recipes. In tribute to her original, I added the flavorings I took out of the cake to the icing.

Makes one two-layer cake, 10 to 12 servings

Cake:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mace
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg or about 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup molasses
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream

Boiled Icing:

2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar (superfine if possible)
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon rosewater or brandy or 1 teaspoon lemon extract or vanilla

For two 9-by-2-inch cake pans, grease, line with parchment circles, grease again and lightly flour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F on a convection oven or 350 degrees F on a conventional oven.

Sift together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the molasses and mix until combined well.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined and scraping the bowl with a plastic spatula after each addition.

Alternately, add the flour and sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the flour in three additions and the sour cream in two. Scrape down between each addition. Mix just until combined.

Divide the cake batter between the two pans.

Place in the oven and bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Time so it's ready when the cake comes out of the oven. The icing must be used right away before it starts to harden.

With a handheld or stand electric mixer, combine the egg whites, sugar and water in a metal bowl (or your stand mixer's bowl if using). Place over a pot of simmering water, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water.

Whisking constantly, cook for a few minutes until the mixture is white and hot, and the sugar feels dissolved if you quickly dip your finger in to test it. Remove from the heat and beat it with your handheld mixer or the whip (whisk) of your stand mixer until the mixture is cool and fluffy. This will take several minutes. Add the flavoring of your choice and mix to combine.

Fill and frost the cake with the boiled icing, flavored to taste. Or serve each cake dusted with powdered sugar.

Cook Shanty Style Buttermilk Spice Donuts & Double Chocolate Donuts

This makes a large enough batch to divide in half and make two different types of donuts.  The recipe is based off of the famous donuts of Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty in the Wisconsin Dells.  The spice donut recipe is very close to the original flavor and will do if you can't make it to the restaurant.
The chocolate one I improvised after making the spice donuts and they were so good I had to include here.  If dividing, measure & sift the dry ingredients first, then divide by weight.  The measures for spices and chocolate are for a full recipe.  if dividing, be sure to only use half the spices and chocolate amounts.

On halving this recipe: I frequently make half this recipe.  It cuts in half nicely.  But the dough keeps coming out thinner and too loose.  I think that it needs more flour.  For reference, the original amount of flour called for was 570 g. or about 3 1/2 c. of all purpose (a c. of AP flour is ~150g) .  I've tweaked things, such as adding buckwheat, but the amount of flour should work fine when cut in half.  Just bear in mind that the dough needs to be fairly firm.  It can't look goopy, it'll be a mess to work with for kneading and rolling.  If the dough looks too wet, too saggy, add more flour 1/4 c. at a time until it's firm, and holds it's shape well.

Base Donut Recipe:
620 g or 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (optionally, use 520 g. all-purpose, and 100 g. buckwheat flour)
180 g or ¾ cup granulated sugar
 ½ teaspoon baking soda
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 1 teaspoon salt
 2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
 ¾ cup buttermilk (or 3/4 c. milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
 ¼ cup sour cream (next time I am using greek yogurt!)
 ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
 Vegetable oil for frying

Spice Donuts: (for full recipe)

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp cardamon
(optional: ½ tsp black pepper for an interesting twist)

Chocolate Donuts: (for full recipe)
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted over double boiler
1/3 c. cocoa poweder

Chocolate Glaze: (for full recipe)
1 cup icing sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
3-4 tablespoons whipping cream
2 teaspoons corn syrup light or dark
sprinkles optional

Lemon Coconut Donuts: (for full recipe)
1 c. unsweetened coconut flakes (not shredded)
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. lime zest
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract

Lemon Glaze: (for full recipe)
4 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
4 Tbsp. sour cream

1/2 tsp. lemon extract
--Dust with coconut flakes and shredded coconut

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda & powder, salt.  Mix in the wet ingredients, then the flavorings for whichever recipe you're making.  Once thoroughly mixed, the dough should be chilled for 20 minutes.

Turn out dough onto a flour surface.  set a wide frying pan or dutch oven on the stove and fill 1  inch high with corn or peanut oil for frying.  Heat the oil to 370 degrees F.  Use a kitchen thermometer and maintain the heat at that rough temperature.

Roll the dough out to 1/2 an inch thick on a floured surface and cut the donuts out with a donut cutter.  Save the holes for frying last.

Place three donuts in the oil at a time and fry them for 2 minutes, then turn them over with a wooden spatula.  Fry for another minute only then remove from oil and let dry on paper towels.  Repeat until all donuts are cooked.  The donut holes don't cook as long.  They only require 1 minute for the first side and about 30 seconds after the turn.

For Spice Donuts, use a ziplock bag and fill with 1 c. sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Shake the donuts around in the mixture to coat evenly, as soon as they can be handled safely after removal from the oil.

For Chocolate Donuts, the glaze can wait until after you're all done to make and coat them.

Glaze
Start with powdered sugar and cocoa in a mixing bowl and begin blending the cream in a little at a time to avoid lumps.  Add the corn syrup and blend well.  This should be fairly thick, not particularly runny.  If it's runny, it will not dry well and will remain tacky and goopy.  Add more powdered sugar if that is the case.

Dunk the chocolate donuts (the spiced ones could be good in this too) into the glaze and leave on wax paper to dry.  Add sprinkles if you like.

For Lemon Coconut Donuts, the glaze can wait until after they're all made.
add the zests, coconut flakes, juice & extract to the dough and blend until incorporated.

Dunk the Lemon Coconut Donuts in the lemon glaze and sprinkle generously with finely flaked coconut.

OLD FASHIONED SOFT MOLASSES COOKIES

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening or lard (non hydrogenated)
2 cups molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream or Greek style (thick) yogurt
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in a small amount of hot water
6 cups flour (or more)

Cream together sugar and shortening (butter may be used but cookies will spread out more when baked), add molasses, vanilla, sour cream or yogurt, slightly beaten egg and spices. Dissolve baking soda in just enough hot to mix; add to dough.Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough, stirring just until combined.
Cover bowl and set dough aside for one hour in a cool place.
After 1 hour, roll dough out 1/4-inch thick, or slightly thicker, and cut with a large round cutter dipped into flour or cocoa before each cut. (Note: For fancy cutouts, add a little more flour to make a stiffer dough, making dough easier to handle).
Lift cut-out cookies gently with a spatula to a greased cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated 350°F for about 15 minutes or until done.
Cookies should be soft inside.
Spicy Variation: Add 1 tablespoon rum or bourbon, increase cloves and nutmeg to 1 teaspoon and ginger to 1 1/2 teaspoons (very spicy and an acquired taste)