There’s nothing quite like a warm slice of banana bread with a nice smear of butter.  It’s as if the heavens looked down on the creation of butter and said, “Now we must create a perfect platform upon which to show off this butter.”  When made properly, banana bread is moist and loaded with flavor.  It’s pretty much a big, bread-shaped muffin.  Best of all, banana bread is so easy to make… it’s “nuts!”   Just kidding.  It’s totally “bananas!”

In this article, I’ll show you my favorite banana bread recipe and share a couple of tips for getting great tasting bread every time.  I’m also excited to present my latest cooking video.  Last week, I watched the movie The Artist.  It was cute.  But you know what it was missing?  A good banana bread recipe.  Here’s a few scenes that would have made it perfect:

Video:  “Mr Breakfast Makes Banana Bread”

How To Make Excellent Banana Bread

For the printable version of this recipe, click here.

The only real trick to making good banana bread is using really ripe bananas.  Just when you think it might be time to toss a banana in the compost bin, that’s the perfect time to use it for banana bread.  The reason is that bananas develop more sugar as they ripen.  The banana flavor becomes more pronounced as the fruit ages.

I’ve seen some recipes that try to extract more flavor from bananas by microwaving them and cooking down the liquid produced to a syrup.  That’s fun if you want to try it, but it’s unnecessary.  Ask anybody’s grandma… the old way is the best way.  Very ripe bananas yield very good banana bread.

When I make banana bread, I use two mixing bowls: one to mash the bananas and the other one for mixing.  Cream 1 softened stick of butter and 1 cup of sugar together until fluffy.  Stir in 3 medium mashed bananas and 2 beaten eggs. Then, slowly stir in 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a couple pinches of salt.  If you like, you can add a teaspoon of vanilla or a few dashes of cinnamon at this point.

Lastly, fold in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts and then pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees and that’s all there is to it.  This recipe makes one 9 1/2″ X 5″ loaf or three 6″ X 3 1/2″ inch mini loaves.

The only note of caution with this recipe is to watch the cooking time.  40 to 50 minutes is a decent approximation, but every loaf of banana bread has its own distinct cooking time.  The ripeness and size of your “medium” bananas both impact the cooking time.  I’ve had one loaf take exactly 40 minutes and another with the same recipe take nearly an hour.  Both turned out great despite the significant difference in cooking time.  Just be sure to test that the bread is done with a toothpick or a skewer.  If you stick it in the middle of the loaf and it comes out clean, the bread is done.

I hope you have as much fun and success with this recipe as I’ve had.

This post is based on the following recipe on MrBreakfast.com:

Easy Banana Bread

If you’re not that bananas about banana bread, but you’re totally pumped about pumpkin bread, check out this Pumpkin Bread Recipe.

As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, many people are looking forward to healthy (size-wise) portions of corned beef, cabbage, Irish whiskey and Guinness.  While I plan to partake in all those great things, I’m most excited about St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.  Every year, I try to find new ways to incorporate green into my omelets, pancakes, waffles and other morning dishes.

One of my St. Patrick’s Day breakfast dishes was so green that it was literally unbelievable.  I submitted a photo of my Green Egg Scramble to the popular food picture site FoodGawker and they wouldn’t accept it.  They said it “looked overproccessed.”  I can see how they thought that, but seriously, it was food coloring and green peppers – not Photoshop.

Today’s featured St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast recipe is festive but not quite as over-the-top.  It’s a basic breakfast casserole with accents of distinct green from spinach, green pepper, green onion, chopped jalapeno and a garnish of parsley.

You can get the original, printable recipe here, but please note in the comments how I included a few extra ingredients to add in more green.

The ingredients for this Green Egg Casserole are eggs, pieces of bread, milk, Monterey jack cheese, spinach, green pepper, green onion, jalapeno and parsley.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk together.   Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the cheese and parsley) and mix well.  You don’t have to use multiple bowls like I did.

Pour the ingredients from the mixing bowl into a lightly greased casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then, sprinkle cheese over the top and bake 20 minutes more until the egg is completely set.  You can test for doneness with a toothpick.  Insert it into the center of the casserole.  If it comes out clean, the casserole is done.

To serve, cut into squares and garnish with lovely green chopped parsley.

To make this breakfast even more appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day, do what I did.  Serve it with Potatoes O’Brien and coffee with a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream.  If you happen to have little plastic clover sticks that say “Happy St. Patrick’s Day”, awesome!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This post is a companion piece to the following recipe on MrBreakfast.com:

Green Egg Casserole

Other St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast Ideas:

Green Eggs & Ham

Green Egg Scramble

This donut was a huge success last St. Patrick’s Day.  All year whenever I told friends I was thinking of making donuts, they’d say, “You should make the ones you made for St. Patrick’s Day again.”

This recipe uses my proven, kitchen-tested, yeast-raised donut base (which you can use for a multitude of different donuts).  The topping is a chocolatey, coffee-infused mocha icing and the filling is a vanilla buttercream that’s been transformed into a taste of the Emerald Isle by a shot of Irish coffee liqueur.

There’s an old Irish proverb that says, “Hunger is a tasty topping.”  That may be true, but I think you’ll prefer this mocha icing.

To Make The Yeast-Raised Donuts:

• 1 package dry active yeast
• 2 teaspoons malt syrup
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 and 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons soy flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• 1/2 level teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 Tablespoons shortening
• 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup mashed potato
• canola oil – for frying

In a small bowl or cup, stir the malt syrup into warm water (110 degrees) until it dissolves.  Stir in the yeast.  Let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy on top.

Sift the all-purpose flour, soy flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg together into a large bowl. Add the vanilla to the milk.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the shortening and sugar together. Add the egg yolks one at a time – mixing on low – until well combined.   Add the yeast/water mixture, the mashed potato and half of the flour.  When mostly combined, add the milk and remaining flour.   Mix on low until combined then switch to medium until dough comes together and starts to pull away from the mixing bowl.  Change to the hook attachment and knead the dough for 2 minutes.

Transfer dough to a well-greased bowl.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise to double its size – about 90 minutes.

Turn the  dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Dust top with flour.  Roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the donuts and transfer each one to a parchment-lined baking sheet – leaving an inch of space between each doughnut. Let the donuts set until almost doubled in size – about 45 minutes.

Fry in batches in 3 inches of hot canola oil (360 degrees).  Fry one side to golden brown (about 1 minute and 5 seconds).  Flip and cook other side to golden brown (about 50 seconds). Transfer cooked donuts to stacked paper towels to drain off excess oil.

For The Irish Buttercream Filling:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon powdered egg white
• 3 Tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the butter, shortening, powdered sugar and powdered egg white together until well blended.

Add Irish cream and vanilla.  Beat on medium to blend and then on high until light and fluffy.

For The Mocha Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon meringue powder
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 Tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ounces chocolate chips
• additional water as required

Dissolve the instant coffee granules in the hot water.

Sift the powdered sugar and meringue powder into a shallow mixing bowl.

Combine the coffee-infused water, butter, milk and corn syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat.   Stirring often, cook until butter is melted and ingredients are combined. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce heat to low and add the chocolate chips.  Stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Add chocolate mixture to powdered sugar and whisk until very smooth.

If icing thickens at any point, add more water – a teaspoon at a time – to thin it out.

Once donuts are cooled, fill each one with Irish buttercream and dip the top of each in the warm icing.

For other Irish-inspired breakfast ideas, check out last year’s St. Patrick’s Day post called Top O’ The Mornin’ Lads And Lassies: Green Egg Casserole.

“May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.”  – Another Irish Proverb

Today, we’re eating waffles with Barack Obama, flipping pancakes with George W. Bush and picking out donuts with Bill Clinton. It’s a trip though U.S. history as we examine American Presidents and their favorite breakfast foods.

In part one, you’ll find images of recent Presidents ordering, making and eating breakfast.  Part two is a study of our Presidents and what they ate for breakfast, going all the way back to George Washington.

The Presidential Breakfast Image Library

Candidate Barack Obama with a box of Dunkin’ Donuts and a jug of coffee. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

A montage of President Barack Obama enjoying breakfast.

George W. Bush flipping pancakes on the campaign trail in 1999.

President George W. Bush showing off a pancake as he eats with the troops.

President Bill Clinton selects a doughnut.

Bill Clinton, then governor of Arkansas, having breakfast with ABC’s Charlie Gibson in 1992. (Credit: ABC News)

George H.W. Bush (candidate for President in 1988) having coffee at the Three Brothers Coffee Shop in Homewood, Illinois with Arnold Schwarzenegger (AP Photo/Scott Applewhite via thejournal.ie).  It’s been reported that H.W. was a great lover of hot sauce which he would use to spice up eggs.

Ronald Reagan having a breakfast of Broiled Grapefruit (or possible a small melon) in 1980 with Vice President George H.W. Bush and Detroit Mayor Coleman Young. (AP Photo/Walter Zeboski via thejournal.ie)

Ronald Reagan having breakfast with his family in 1959.  At that time, Reagan was an actor and the host of TV’s General Electric Theater. (Credit: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library via architecturaldigest.com)

President Jimmy Carter having breakfast in The White House with Senator Henry M. Jackson and Senator Sam Nunn in 1977. (Credit:  University of Washington Libraries)

President Gerald Ford toasting English muffins in 1974. (Credit: National Archives, Gerald R. Ford Library)

Congressman Gerald Ford and family having breakfast in the kitchen of their Alexandria, VA home before he became Nixon’s Vice President. (Credit: Clover College Park Civic Association)

Richard Nixon as a Vice Presidential Candidate reflected in a mirror after eating a bowl of cereal. (Credit: Life Magazine via art.com)

President Richard M. Nixon enjoying breakfast with his children and his wife Pat.

President John F. Kennedy having an adorable breakfast with his daughter Caroline in the White House in 1961. (Credit: Charles Del Vecchio, Washington Post)

Dwight D. Eisenhower having breakfast on a plane with auto executive Paul G. Hoffman circa 1959. Notice the small boxes of Wheaties cereal. (Credit: allposters.com)

Dwight D. Eisenhower eating what appears to be a box of donuts in 1954. (Credit: Sealtest Southern Diary)

President Harry S. Truman having breakfast with the troops.

Five years after his Presidency, Harry S. Truman enjoys his pipe at an Ole’ Missouri Country Ham Breakfast at New York’s Waldorf Astoria in 1958. (Credit: hosttotheworld.com)

American Presidents & What They Ate For Breakfast

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

President Reagan usually had breakfast everyday at 7:45AM.  His most common breakfast was bran cereal with skim milk, fresh fruit and decaf coffee.  Once a week, he’d have eggs – either scrambled, poached or soft-boiled.  Whole wheat toast and homemade muffins were also common at the Reagan breakfast table.  For special occasions, Reagan would indulge in an old family favorite called Monkey Bread. ¹

Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

President Carter would typically wake up around 5:30AM.  He’d start the day with coffee and fresh-squeezed juice.  A couple of hours later, he would have a light breakfast – usually fruit and buttered toast.  Occasionally, eggs or cereal would take the place of his regular fare.  Sunday breakfasts tended to be more indulgent.  Some of his favorite heavier breakfasts included country-style ham with red-eye gravy, scrambled eggs, corn bread, hot fried apples and grits.  Carter loved grits.  They were included on The White House breakfast menu on his first day in office.  He also named his dog Grits. ¹

Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

Like Carter, President Ford ate light on weekdays and went bigger on the weekends.  His typical weekday breakfast included toasted English muffins with jam, fresh fruit and fresh juice.  On Sundays, Ford loved a good waffle which he would top with strawberries and sour cream.  German apple pancakes also topped his list of heavier breakfast fare. ¹

Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

President Nixon’s typical breakfast was quite light – usually yogurt, cottage cheese and fresh fruit.  The most unusually thing about a Nixon breakfast was that he liked to top his cottage cheese with ketchup.  That alone might be an impeachable offense.  It’s been reported that his final Presidential breakfast before he left office was cottage cheese and pineapple. ²

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

President Johnson’s most common breakfast was chipped beef covered in cream with a cup of hot tea.  He was also known to enjoy a good steak for breakfast, as well as for lunch and dinner. ¹

John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

President Kennedy was known to start his day with 2 poached eggs on toast, crisp bacon, additional toast with jam or marmalade, milk, orange juice and coffee.  He was also prone to enjoy corn muffins.  Kennedy took his coffee with cream and sugar. ³

Harry Truman (1945-1953)

President Truman had a regular breakfast menu that he rarely deviated from:  hot cereal during cold months and cold cereal during warm months.  He would augment his cereal with wheat toast, milk and orange juice (sometimes grapefruit or tomato juice). ⁵

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945)

FDR was known to take breakfast on a tray in his bedroom.  His favorite items were creamed chipped beef, corned beef hash with poached eggs and fried corn-meal mush with maple syrup.  He was particular about his coffee.  It was a dark French roast made in The White House kitchen from green coffee beans.  Roosevelt was also fond of kippered herring and salt mackerel for breakfast. ⁴

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

President Coolidge favored a hot cereal made with 3 parts whole wheat and 1 part whole rye.  The grains were not ground before they were cooked, so you can imagine it was a hearty concoction. ⁵

Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)

President Harding’s favorite breakfast items were hot cereal, scrambled eggs, bacon, wheat cakes with maple syrup, corn muffins, grapefruit and toast.  He was also a very big coffee-drinker. ⁵

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

It’s often been reported that President Wilson regularly had a Rocky-style breakfast of two raw eggs in grape juice.  This conflicts with Wilson’s own words, “I am very fond of country hams, peach cobblers, butter and buttermilk, fresh eggs, hot biscuits, homemade ice cream and plain white cake.”  There are records that Wilson’s first breakfast in The White House consisted of oranges, cereal with cream, bacon, eggs, steak, hot cakes, toast, tea and coffee. ^{5, 6}

William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

President Taft was a steak and potatoes kind of guy.  For breakfast, his steak would usually be broiled and his potatoes were usually presented in the form of hash browns.  We know that on one particular trip to Savannah, GA, Taft had a breakfast consisting of grapefruit, potted partridge, grilled partridge, broiled venison, waffles with maple syrup, hominy, hot rolls and bacon. ⁵

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

President Teddy Roosevelt was pretty set in his ways when it came to breakfast.  He’d have hard-boiled eggs and homemade rolls.  He insisted that the eggs be cooked until solid throughout.  Medium or soft-boiled eggs wouldn’t cut it.  As for the rolls, they had to be fresh and there had to be a lot of them.  In the rare times that he’d deviate from his routine, it was usually in favor of hominy with butter and salt. ^{7, 8}

William McKinley (1897-1901)

President McKinley’s morning menu consisted of eggs, steak or chops, hot breads, potatoes, fruit and coffee. He would occasionally throw fish into that mix. ⁵

Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)

A journalist named Frank Carpenter observed President Cleveland’s morning routine and described it like this: “At eight, he is ready for breakfast. This is not a large meal… oatmeal, beefsteak, eggs or a chop, with coffee to wash it down.” ⁵

Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)

President Arthur was known to eat his breakfast as he dressed. It was usually a very simple meal consisting of only coffee and a roll. ⁵

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

President Hayes had coffee for breakfast and tea for lunch.  He was fond of cornmeal batter-cakes. ⁵

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

President Grant’s favorite breakfast items included steak, broiled Spanish mackerel, bacon, fried apples, flannel cakes, buckwheat cakes and strong black coffee. ⁵

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

President Lincoln had simple tastes when it came to food.  It was said that his favorite beverage was water.  When it came to breakfast, The Great Emancipator preferred a single egg, a piece of toast and a good hot cup of coffee.  Many mornings, he would be satisfied with only an apple. ^{5, 9}

James Madison (1809-1817)

According to the book James Madison: A Biography by Ralph Ketcham, President Madison “breakfasted at nine o’clock on ham or salt fish, herring… coffee or tea, and slices of toast or untoasted bread spread with butter.”

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

In her book The First Forty Years of Washington Society, Margaret Bayard Smith made the following account of having breakfast with President Jefferson, “Our breakfast table was as large as our dinner table… we had tea, coffee, excellent muffins, hot wheat and corn bread, cold ham and butter.”

George Washington (1789-1797)

We get an idea of what President Washington had for breakfast from Henry Wansey, an English manufacturer who had breakfast with Washington on June 8, 1794.  He wrote, “Breakfast seems to have been the only meal in the Presidential house that was relaxed. Mrs. Washington made tea and coffee for them; on the table there were two small plates of sliced tongues and dry toast, bread and butter, but no broiled fish, as is generally the custom.” Washington was also said to be fond of hoecakes, cornmeal pancakes that were cooked on a fire-heated hoe. ^{5, 9}

Sources Used For This Article:

¹ The White House Family Cookbook, Henry Haller, 1987

² “How Nixon Lives, What He Likes,” Marie Smith, Washington Post, January 17, 1969

³ The White House Chef Cookbook, Rene Verdon, 1967

⁴ The Presidential Cookbook: Feeding the Roosevelts and Their Guests, Henrietta Nesbitt, 1951

⁵ The Presidents’ Cookbook, Poppy Cannon and Patricia Brooks, 1968

⁶ First Wilson Family Breakfast at the White House – The Economy Administration Cook Book, Susie Root, 1913

⁷ The President’s Table: Two Hundred Years of Dining and Diplomacy, Barry H. Landau, 2007

⁸ “What the President Eats: Mr. Roosevelt Corrects and Epicurean Syndicate Story,” Washington Post, June 26, 1906

⁹ “Lincoln’s Favorite Foods” and “Washington’s Favorite Foods”, TheQuestingFeast.com

Happy Presidents Day!

Today, we’re making two kinds of Breakfast Cereal Valentine’s Treats.  The first is classic Rice Krispies Treats in the shape of a heart (with several decorating options).  Next, we’ll apply the technique of making Rice Krispies Treats to any other cereals you might have lying around the house.

You start with the Classic Rice Krispies Treats Recipe. Melt about 3 Tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add a 10-ounce bag of marshmallows and stir until they’re completely melted.  At this point, I added 2 drops of red food coloring so my final treats would have a pink hue.

Take the pan off the heat and add the Rice Krispies.  Mix it up really good.

Lay out a big piece of wax paper.  Turn out the Rice Krispies mixture and mold it into a rectangle about 10 x 12-inches.  Let this set and firm up for about 20 minutes. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out heart-shaped treats.

Now the fun part… decorating the hearts.

I used a reliable donut icing recipe to make icing for the treats.  It’s just 2 cups of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla and enough water or milk so that an icing forms when stirred (usually just 3 or 4 Tablespoons of liquid).

Dip part of each treat in the icing and then sprinkle with jimmies or small candies like Red Hots.

Other decorating ideas you might try: 1) Use icing to drizzle words on the hearts like “Be Mine” or someone’s name;  2) Embed one of those conversational heart candies in each of the treats; or 3) Stick a stick in each heart to make Valentine’s Cereal Pops.

Once you know the recipe for Rice Krispies treats, you can start using other cereals to make super unique Valentine’s treats.

I randomly grabbed some Whole Hearts, Cinnamon Jacks and FiberOne 80 Calories Chocolate Cereal for a Valentine’s Day treat made with love and fiber.

The marshmallow mixture is exactly the same.  I used about 5 and 1/2 cups total cereal and the treats held together wonderfully.

For these, I thought a chocolate icing might be a little more apropos. So, I took the icing recipe mentioned above and just added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips that were melted with 1/3 cup warm milk and used that for the liquid component of the icing.

That’s all there is to it.  If you’ve got a couple marshmallows and a half-empty box of cereal, you can make somebody’s day!

Recipe Realities:

Rice Krispies Treats can actually be frustrating to prepare.  They’re sticky and there’s usually a moment after you combine everything where you’ll worry the treats will never form a cohesive shape.  Don’t worry.  Have “heart” – it works 97% of the time, even if your marshmallow to cereal ratio is off.

To avoid frustration, make sure that your pan is quite large. If you don’t have a big sauce pan, mix the melted marshmallows and cereal pieces together in a large mixing bowl.

To get a nice pre-cut block of treats to work with, I’ll usually transfer everything to a 13 x 9-inch baking pan and then invert the pan onto waxed paper.  This gives you a starter-rectangle to work with.  Use another large sheet of wax paper on top of the cereal block to press the ingredients to the dimensions you want.  Everything will be sticky, but the wax paper will help considerably.

Have a couple small biscuit cutters standing by.  The treats won’t work like a dough where you can clump the remnants back together. I was able to get six 4-inch hearts from each batch and also eight small round treats (which worked great for pops).

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This year’s featured Valentine’s Day recipe is for heart-shaped, yeast-raised donuts with strawberry buttercream filling and vanilla icing.  The secret ingredient is… as usual… love.  I decorated some with sprinkles and others with a decorative pink icing that I made by simply combining the leftover filling with the leftover icing.

I won’t sugar coat it.  Raised donuts take time.  All together, you’re into it for at least 3 hours, probably 4.  Much of that is just waiting for dough to rise, but you can’t really hurry the process.  Don’t be fooled by TV shows like “Donut Showdown” where gourmet filled donuts are made in under an hour.

If you have the time, these donuts are actually fun to make – especially during the decorating phase.  If you have someone special to make them with, all the better.  For as great as they are to make, they’re 1,000 times more fun to eat.  Let’s get to work…

To Make The Raised Yeast Donuts:

• 1 package dry active yeast
• 2 teaspoons malt or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 and 1/2 cups + 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons soy flour (use additional all-purpose flour if you don’t have this)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• 1/2 level teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 Tablespoons shortening
• 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup mashed potato
• canola oil – for frying
• special equipment: 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter

This recipe makes 16 donuts.

In a cup, stir the malt syrup into the warm water (110 degrees) until it dissolves.  Top with the yeast.  Let it set for 5 minutes until foamy on top. Sift the all-purpose flour, soy flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg together into a large bowl. Add the vanilla to the milk.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the shortening and sugar together. Add the egg yolks one at a time – mixing on low – until well combined.   Add the yeast/water mixture, the mashed potato and half of the flour.  When mostly combined, add the milk and remaining flour.   Mix on low until combined then switch to medium until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the mixing bowl.  Change to the hook attachment, knead dough for 2 or 3 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl that’s been coated with cooking spray.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow dough to expand to double its size – about 90 minutes.

Turn the  dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Dust the top with flour.  Roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the donuts and transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let the donuts set until almost doubled in size – about 45 minutes.

You can tell the donuts are ready for frying when you poke one gently with your fingertip and it holds the indentation.  If the dough bounces back quickly, let the donuts rest for a few more minutes.

Fry in batches in 3 inches of hot canola oil (360 degrees).  Fry one side to golden brown (about 1 minute).  Flip and cook other side to golden brown (about 50 seconds). Transfer cooked donuts to stacked paper towels.  Allow them to cool completely before filling.

For The Strawberry Buttercream Filling:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 and 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/3 cup (non-chunky) strawberry jam
• 1 Tablespoon heavy cream or milk

In a large mixing bowl, mash the butter and powdered sugar together with a wooden paddle.  Add all remaining ingredients and beat on medium with an electric beater until fluffy and frosting-like – about 3 minutes.  Transfer to a pastry bag with a long tip and fill the donuts.  You could also pierce each donut with a paring knife and add the filling using a small stirring spoon.

For The Vanilla Icing:

• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 or 4 Tablespoons milk

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 Tablespoons of milk.  Stir until a frosting like texture is formed.  This may take nearly a minute.  Add additional milk by the teaspoon to achieve desired constancy.  Test by inserting a spoon in the bowl.  The icing should coat it and drip off slowly like a thick syrup.

I usually stir my icing in a bowl over a hot water bath.  I find that the icing comes together more easily without having to add as much milk.  That equates to icing that firms up faster and firmer on the donuts.

Dip the tops of the cooled, filled donuts into the bowl of icing.  Twist donuts as you remove them to coat completely and to help the excess icing drip away.

Place the donuts on a wire rack and allow the icing to set.  If adding sprinkles, do that as soon as the donuts are iced and well before the icing has a chance to set.

For The Pink Decorative Icing:

I went rogue for this part and didn’t use any recipe.  I simple combined my leftover filling with my leftover icing and stirred in more powdered sugar until the consistency was just a little thicker than softened butter.  Then I transferred the mixture to a piping bag with a thin tip to decorate.

You Might Also Like:

Last Valentine’s Day, I made Heart-Shaped Breakfast Cereal Treats, including classic Rice Krispies-style treats and others made with random breakfast cereals.  You can revisit that post right here.

Let me sign off with a Valentine’s Day joke:

What did the icing say to the donut?  Answer: I’m sweet on you.

I’m sweet on you for reading this post.  Happy Valentine’s Day Everybody!

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Elvis Presley having a breakfast of eggs, bacon and French fries in 1956 at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA. (Photo: Alfred Wertheimer)

Another image from Elvis’ 1956 breakfast in Richmond, VA. (Photo: Alfred Wertheime)

Elvis having breakfast with Colonel Parker at Fort Chaffee in March of 1958.

Three shots of The Beatles eating breakfast together.

Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison sharing the breakfast experience.

John Lennon eating breakfast in Tokyo in 1966 (Photo: Robert Whitaker) and four images of Lennon having breakfast in Amsterdam during his famous bed-in for peace in March 1969 (Photos: Nico Koster).

George Harrison eating a donut, spreading jam on toast and sharing coffee with a minor.

Ringo Starr having breakfast in the hospital in 1964.

Mick Jagger enjoying a special meal with Andy Warhol and William S. Burroughs. (Photo: Marcia Resnick)

Mick Jagger chowing down in 1965 and sometime in the mid 70’s.

Keith Richards making breakfast in 1975 at Andy Warhol’s house in Montauk, NY (Photo: Ken Regan) and Richards eating pancakes with Mick Taylor in Manchester in 1973 (Photo: Laurens Van Houten).

How does a sleepy Bob Dylan perk up in the morning? The answer, my friend, is… coffee.

Bob Dylan in a diner with Johnny Cash. Dylan’s coffee suggests they may be about to have breakfast.

Jim Morrison (The Doors) having Huevos Rancheros and beer for breakfast at the Lucky U restaurant in West Los Angeles in 1967. (Photo: Bobby Klein)

Elton John enjoying the morning with orange juice, a big pastry, USA Today and two beautiful dogs. (Photo: Deborah Anderson)

David Bowie eating a donut early in his career and having a full English breakfast (I think) on a train with Mick Ronson in 1973.

Pete Townshend and Keith Moon of The Who enjoying what appears to be pancakes or waffles. (UPDATE: It’s been pointed out in readers’ comments that the guy on the left is actually Phil Daniels, an actor from the film Quadrophenia.)

“Mama” Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips of The Mama’s And The Papa’s having some in-flight breakfast and a few laughs.

Alice Cooper having breakfast with Groucho Marx. (Photo: Neal Preston)

Bruce Springsteen at a McDonald’s in New Orleans in 1975. Could it be that he’s eating an Egg McMuffin? Probably not, but one can dream. (Photo: Barbara Pyle)

Art Garfunkel (of Simon & Garfunkel) is shown having breakfast on the cover of his 1979 solo album Fate For Breakfast. Fate? Looks like a croissant and a sunny-side-up egg to me. (Photo: Edie Baskin)

Ozzy Osbourne and Slash (Guns N’ Roses) eating together at the Dorchester Hotel London in 2008. (Photos: Dave Hogan/Getty Images Europe)

In all likelihood, Freddy Mercury of Queen is just eating a biscuit (British cookie) in this picture. I really like Queen and wanted to include a picture. So let’s assume that it’s a Quaker Breakfast Cookie or a BelVita breakfast biscuit. This photo was taken at the Ealing College of Art around 1969.

“The Corn Flakes Series” by photographer Bobby Grossman. Here we see David Byrne of the Talking Heads, Debbie Harry of Blondie and David Johansen of The New York Dolls.

Madonna seductively peeling fruit in a low-cut top perfect for a relaxed morning breakfast or an afternoon brunch with friends. (Photo: Steven Klein)

Michael Jackson gives a thumb-up to breakfast circa 1984.

Rod Stewart enjoying breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien in Studio City, Los Angeles (more) and having coffee and croissants with his family on the French Riviera (more).

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith enjoying breakfast at West Hollywood’s Urth Cafe in January 2012. Dude looks like he’s hungry. (more)

Bonus: Jennifer Lopez being fed a donut (more), Justin Bieber eating bacon and Rihanna having fruit.

Monkey Bread is a sort of variation on a cinnamon roll recipe that’s very easy to make. Basically, you chop up some biscuit dough, coat it with cinnamon and sugar and then top it with melted butter and brown sugar.  Bake, invert and presto… Monkey Bread.

You can eat it like an elegant gentleman with a knife and fork.  But it’s best to eat it with your fingers like a monkey.  According to Wikipedia, that’s how the bread got its name.

For the complete recipe, you can check out the original Monkey Bread Recipe page on MrBreakfast.com.  Or check out the Monkey Bread Recipe Cheat Sheet above.  Or better yet, check out our Monkey Bread Recipe Tutorial Video below.

I made the bold choice to have a monkey named Randy teach the tutorial.  As for what the pig is doing there… you’ll see.

_{Video: How To Make Monkey Bread w/ Randy The Monkey}

As a breakfast expert, I recommend that you only have this for breakfast on special occasions.  It’s extremely sweet (but ohhhh… so tasty).  I hope you give it a try.  Let me know how it goes.

Yikes! Christmas is coming too soon!  Where did the time go?  Eek!  No time for a flowery introduction.  Gotta make the donuts!  Let’s jump right in.

The decorating techniques shown here can be applied to any donut with a hole… baked, raised or cake.  I went with cake donuts.  Here’s the recipe:

Basic Cake Donuts

• 2 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 Tablespoons shortening
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup mashed potato
• canola oil for frying

This recipe makes about 20 donuts.

Sift the flours, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon together into a medium bowl.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the shortening and the sugar.  Mix on slow until the mixture resembles coarse sand.  Add the egg and mix on slow until well combined and uniform in color.

Add the potato, a third of the flour mixture and a third of the milk.  Mix on slow until just combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.   Continue adding the flour and milk in intervals.  Stop when just combined. Try not to over-mix.

Transfer to a shallow casserole dish that’s been coated with cooking spray.  Press the batter down to an even layer.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Heat 3 inches of canola oil to 360 degrees in a fryer or a heavy pot.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Sprinkle the top lightly with flour.   Pat the dough down to a ½-inch thickness.  Cut out donuts and donut holes.  Gather dough remnants into a ball and pat down again to make more donuts.

Carefully slide 2 or 3 donuts at a time into the oil.  As soon as the donuts float, flip them over using two chopsticks.  Cook until the underside is lightly browned (about 40 seconds).  Flip and cook the other side to golden brown (about 30 seconds).

Transfer completed donuts to stacked paper towels.

Be sure the oil is at 360 degrees again before frying another batch.

Make sure all donuts have cooled to room temperature before icing.

This recipe explains the homemade donut making process in rather simple terms.  Refer to the end of this article for more detailed instructions.

Snowmen Donuts

For these snowmen donuts, I used a simple vanilla icing.  You can get the recipe for that (and some icing tips) from a post I did a couple weeks ago called Christmas Cake Donuts: Chocolate With Crushed Candy Canes.

The mouth and eyes are chocolate chips and the nose is a Reese’s Pieces candy.

I made snowman faces.  If you wanted to make a full snowman body, just ice 2 donuts with no other decoration and use those to make a body for your snowman face.

Christmas Wreath Donuts

To make these, I used the leftover vanilla icing from the snowmen and stirred a couple drops of green food coloring into it.  To make the flavor more interesting, I stirred in a handful of melted white chocolate chips.   Instead of dipping the donuts in the icing, I put the icing in a piping bag and applied it that way.  Green and red jimmies added a beautiful final touch.

Reindeer Donuts

I wish I could take credit for the design of these cute little guys, but I’ve seen many variations on the internet in different shapes and sizes.  The antler are broken mini-pretzels.  The eyes are white chocolate chips.  The nose is red peanut M&M.  For the icing, I used my go-to chocolate recipe…

Chocolate Icing

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ounces chocolate chips
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• additional milk or water as required

Combine the butter, milk, corn syrup and vanilla in a small sauce pan over medium heat.   Stirring often, cook until butter is melted and ingredients are combined.  Reduce heat to low and add the chocolate chips.  Stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Add chocolate mixture to powdered sugar and whisk until very smooth.  If icing thickens over time, add more liquid to thin it out.

For all these donuts, make sure you adhere the decoration (eyes, sprinkles, etc.) before the icing has a chance to set.  (I keep my bowls of icing warm over pans of hot water so I’ll have plenty of time to work before the icing hardens.)  The only exception is the reindeer pretzel antlers.  I let the icing completely set on those so I wouldn’t smudge the icing while poking the pretzels in.

I hope you’ll have fun making your own Christmas cake donuts.

May your days be merry and bright… and may all your Christmas donuts be white… snowmen, green wreaths or chocolate reindeer!

This concluded the article for the casual reader.  For those really into making great donuts, I think you’ll find the following tips helpful…

Cake Donut Cooking Notes:

If you have it, try replacing 2 Tablespoons of the all-purpose flour with soy flour.  With that that small amount, you’ll notice that the donuts absorb less oil when they fry.

I suggest having your better chill in a casserole dish rather than a bowl (as other recipes tend to advise).  This is so that the dough is already partially flattened and shaped when you turn it out later.  The less you have to work the dough right before frying, the better your chances of success.

When cutting donuts, I uses a 2 and 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to make the donuts and a 1-inch cutter to make the holes.  I have a small bowl of flour near my work station and dip the cutters into the flour between cuts to prevent sticking.

I like to cut the dough in two batches, so half of the dough remains chilled and firm in the refrigerator as I work the first half.  Once the donut batter gets warm, it becomes sticky and difficult to work with.

When you gather the dough remnants to get more donuts from the scrap, you’ll need to incorporate a bit more flour for the dough to be workable.  Add only as much as you barely need.  If you add too much flour, the donuts become more biscuit like in texture.  However, they they will still taste great and look as pretty as the first batch when they’re decorated.

When frying,  be sure not to overload the fryer or pot.  If it’s a large pot, you can certainly make more than 2 or 3 at a time.  I like to use a 10-inch x 12-inch Le Creuset French Oven cast-iron pot which comfortably cooks 4 donuts at time.

I flip my donuts in the oil using 2 chopsticks.  It’s the best tool for the job, but a couple of table knives work fine as long as you work quickly so they don’t get hot.  To remove the donuts from the oil, I like a wire skimmer – a kitchen tool that looks like a small basket attached to a handle.  Metal tongs will work if you don’t have a skimmer.

I’ve tested the recipe above dozens and dozens of times.  I actually wear a stop watch around my neck because I’ve become extremely confident in the cooking times detailed.  When you start making donuts at home, you’ll have a tendency to want to overcook them – to feel safe that the insides cooked through.  Rather than overcook them, try the recommended times, make a batch and then rip into one donut from the first batch (when cool enough to touch).  You’ll find the inside fluffy and completely cooked.

Beware of other cake donuts recipes that list frying times in minutes rather than seconds.  Over-frying makes crusty, dry donuts.

The only difference between this Christmas Cake Donut recipe and the cake donut recipe I use for other applications is a slight increase in the amount of cinnamon.

For the icing, I stir 1/4 teaspoon of meringue powder in with the powdered sugar.  That ingredient isn’t required, but it does help the icing set firmer.

Don’t blow your holiday budget on expensive coffee drinks from Starbucks and The Coffee Bean.  It’s ho-ho-horrendous how much they charge.  You can make those same delicious pick-me-ups at home for about 1/4 the price.  Here’s a couple of my favorite homemade holiday coffee drinks. I ho-ho-hope you like them!

Peppermint Mocha Frappe – At Starbucks, they call this one a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino.  The one at the Coffee Bean is called an Ice Blended Peppermint Mocha.  The beauty of this homemade version is that you make the components ahead of time as ice cubes and then blend anytime a craving hits you.  Get the recipe right here.

Christmas Cocoa Cappuccino – This is a cross between an Eggnog Latte and a Mocha Cappuccino.  Espresso-strength coffee is infused with chocolate syrup which is then layered with eggnog-infused frothed milk.  Get the recipe here.  You might want to also check out the Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies pictured above.

Gingerbread Latte – Big name coffee shops use special gingerbread syrups to make their concoctions.  I use ginger, molasses and other simple ingredients you probably have in your cupboard. Get the recipe here.

Also Try:

Christmas Coffee

This is basically homemade hot cocoa mixed with coffee.

Get the recipe here.

Eggnog Coffee

The simplest holiday coffee drink.  Just use eggnog as creamer.

Get the recipe here.

Special Equipment Used For This Article:

To make espresso-strength coffee, I used the Ninja Coffee Bar.  You can read my review of that product right here.  To blend iced coffee drinks, I use the Nutra Ninja.