Yoinks! I had a scheduling malfunction yesterday; please enjoy today’s spotlight on Jessie Janowitz’s book, The Doughnut Fix (also reviewed here last month): and enjoy a giveaway opportunity (read through to the end of this post)!
Title: The Doughnut Fix
Author: Jessie Janowitz
Pub Date: April 3, 2018
Superfudge meets The Lemonade War in this funny, heartwarming series debut about change, adventure, family, and of course, doughnuts.
Tristan isn’t Gifted or Talented like his sister Jeanine, and he’s always been okay with that because he can make a perfect chocolate chip cookie and he lives in the greatest city in the world. But his life takes a turn for the worse when his parents decide to move to middle-of-nowhere Petersville—a town with one street and no restaurants. It’s like suddenly they’re supposed to be this other family, one that can survive without bagels and movie theaters.
His suspicions about his new town are confirmed when he’s tricked into believing the local general store has life-changing chocolate cream doughnuts, when in fact the owner hasn’t made them in years. And so begins the only thing that could make life in Petersville worth living: getting the recipe, making the doughnuts, and bringing them back to the town through his very own doughnut stand. But Tristan will soon discover that when starting a business, it helps to be both Gifted and Talented, and It’s possible he’s bitten off more than he can chew…
Jessie Janowitz grew up in New York City and is still living there with her husband and three children, all of whom love doughnuts as much as she does.
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound
Rookie Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts*
Parental supervision necessary for frying
Makes 8 doughnuts and 8 doughnut holes
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
1 (8-count) tube of premade, large biscuit dough (found in the refrigerated dough aisle at supermarkets)
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Fill a large saucepan with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch.
Heat oil over medium heat until it reaches 365°F. You can measure the temperature with a cooking oil thermometer. Or, drop a single kernel of popcorn into the oil as it’s heating. When the kernel pops, you’re ready to fry.
While the oil heats, open the biscuit tube and separate the rounds. Use a 1-inch-round cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of each biscuit. Save the holes.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a large shallow bowl.
Add 2 doughnuts to the hot oil at a time. Cook, turning once, until golden brown—about 1 minute per side.
Drain on paper towels and immediately toss in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts and holes.
* Ready to graduate from rookie to experienced baker? You can make the Doughnut Stop’s life-changing chocolate cream doughnuts too. Visit jessiejanowitz.com for the original recipe.
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch of salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
18 ounces semisweet chocolate, in bars
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut parchment paper to cover baking sheets.
Put the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and softened butter into a large mixing bowl and cream together in an electric mixer on medium.
In a small bowl, crack the eggs and mix them with the vanilla extract.
Combine the egg mixture with the sugar and butter mixture and mix thoroughly on medium.
In another bowl, combine the baking soda, salt, and all-purpose flour.
Add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture in the large bowl and mix on low. Don’t overmix.
Break the chocolate bars into chunks.
Add the chocolate, coconut, and walnuts to the mixture and stir with a spoon.
Once combined, scoop the dough out with a tablespoon and place the balls on the baking sheet. Leave about two fingers width between each cookie.
Bake cookies for 12 minutes.
Remove cookies from the oven and leave on the baking sheet for 1 minute. Then, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Want a chance at winning your own copy of The Doughnut Fix? Check out this Rafflecopter giveaway! U.S. addresses only, please. Good luck!
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