12 Days of Christmas Recipes: Eggnog Glazed Doughnuts

Can you believe it's December?  Me either.  There are a lot of things I love about this month.  Snow. Baking.  Family.  Eggnog.  Christmas music.  Christmas lights.  Friends.  Cookies.  We haven't had much snow yet, but we're enjoying plenty of everything else on the list. 

I have a long list of recipes I want to try, so I'm challenging myself to post about 12 of them again this year.  Last year I was cooking up these.

So, when I found myself making doughnuts this weekend for my friend's birthday (Hi Holly!) I decided to try some with an eggnog glaze.  If you love everything eggnog like I do, you'll understand.  Make sure to roll the doughnut holes in cinnamon and sugar.  It's the only way. 

Eggnog-Glazed Doughnuts
doughnut recipe adapted from Baked Explorations

Doughnuts
3 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 c buttermilk
1/4 c. yogurt
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
vegetable oil for frying

Eggnog Glaze
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp eggnog

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and yogurt.  Add the melted, cooled butter and mix again.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until a sticky dough forms. 

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it out until it is about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut with a doughnut cutter or two different sized circle cutters. 

Pour about 1 inch of oil into a deep skillet.  Heat slowly over medium-high heat until it is about 365 degrees.

Make the glaze while your oil is heating up by combining the powdered sugar and eggnog.

When the oil is hot,  place 2-3 doughnuts into the skillet at a time.  Once they have browned (about 2-3 minutes) turn them over and cook one more minute.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.  Dip the doughnuts into the glaze and decorate with sprinkles. 

thanksgiving weekend

We celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday Thursday through Sunday.  Several days full of family, food, laughs, and blessings upon blessings.  Thursday was spent with Ryan's parents and grandparents.  Then my family came on Friday and spent the weekend here.  It was so much fun to all be together.  The weather was beautiful.  We spent Friday morning at the park and did a little shopping in town before my sister and mom arrived.  After dinner, two of my cousins came over and we got out the yarn and crochet needles.  On Saturday the cousins played and played before we all at our Thanksgiving meal at my aunt and uncle's house. 

 

Emma helping with the pie dough.

 

Mason helping Grandpa with a project.

 Puzzle time!

Mason snuggles.

After everyone left today we went and cut down a Christmas tree.  The house is officially decorated.  Mason keeps insisting that it is going to snow because it's Christmas time.  Our shopping is done except for two things (I think this is the earliest I've ever said that.) I have a few projects left to finish up and then I'm hoping to wrap everything up.   I'm searching for new recipes to try, activities to do with the kids, and just plain enjoying the season. 

fingerpainting

I've decided you can tell a lot about a person's personality by the way they approach fingerpainting. 

 

Take Mason for example:

 

 

Careful, meticulous, precise. Don't you dare mix the colors or get too messy.  It's all about the details.  Take your time.  Plan it out. 

 

Then there's Emma: 

 



 

 

Go all in!  It's all about having fun and making the biggest mess possible.  The sooner you finish the sooner you can get to the next thing.  The more paint you get on your hands and in your hair the better.  See?

weekend moments

So much to be thankful for this weekend. I love my job.  I love my 3-day weekends even more.  I consider it a blessing to spend Monday through Thursday with my precious second graders.  My days are full to the tip top.  Each morning begins with a quiet time (sort of...depending on which early riser climbs into my lap as the sun rises and we study the bible together) and then it's a mad scramble to get showers, breakfast, kids dressed, myself ready for the day, sometimes packing lunch and dinner to bring into town depending on the day and what we have going on after school and we're out the door.  After a super fun day with the kiddos at school it's dinner, bible study, Awanas, cousins, baths, books, singing, dancing, playing and bedtime.  Repeat.  But come Friday, I'm ready to soak up the blessings of our slower pace and lots of family time. 

 

Sweet girl snuggles with daddy.

 

Reading books on top of the coffee table, where else?

 



Giggles and grins at every turn.

Making thanksgiving banners and then cutting "spaghetti" with the extra yarn.

My cracker-making helpers.

Checking out snowplows for our new truck.

Also on tap this weekend: a wedding celebration complete with cupcakes, a great visit with the great-grandparents, and a wonderful message at church and dinner with friends.  Hope your weekend is just as blessed.

wordless wednesday

apple challah

Craving something full of apples and cinnamon?  I came across this recipe in my bread machine cookbook and since we have an abundance of apples around I decided to try it out. 

 

There are three sections of dough braided together.  Each section of dough is like a apple cinnamon roll...the apple filling is rolled up inside. 

 

 

The result is a pretty braid full with apples, cinnamon, and honey in every bite.  



Apple Challah
adapted from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook

Dough:
3/4 c. water
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. oil
3 c. bread flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. yeast

Combine the ingredients in a bread machine and select the dough cycle.  Or, make the dough with any other method you prefer. 

Filling:
3 medium appkes, peeled cored and sliced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl.  Divide the dough into three equal sections.  Roll each portion into a 12 by 3 inch rectangle.  Brush with melted butter and place 1/3 of the filling down one side.  Roll up jelly-roll style and pinch the seam.  Place the 3 ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid together.  Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (about 45 minutes).

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

seasons

We're not really sure what season it is at our house.  We had snow over the weekend, our house is filled with pumpkins, cinnamon, and apples and we're still enjoying fresh tomatoes from the greenhouse.  

 

I love these goofy kids.  Mason wanted to wear his awana vest.  Then of course Emma needed a vest.  And with the vest always comes a hat.  I love those tomatoes too.  They are some of the best ones we've had yet. 

pumpkins

On our way to visit my little nephew, we stopped for a bit to visit with my best friend, Mindy, and her family.  We started the morning with coffee at quite possibly the most crowded Starbucks I've ever been too.  Luckily we scored a huge table out of the way where the kiddos could sip their hot chocolate while we visited.  Then it was off to the pumpkin patch.  

 

 

 

 

They were totally into the smaller pumpkins that they could carry all by themselves.  Livvie was also very into the goats and spent most of her time feeding them.  Mason and Emma weren't about to get close to them, which was a little amusing. 

 

 

 

 We are so thankful for this sweet family and the special times that we get to spend together. 
 

little nephew

Last weekend we set off to visit the newest member of our family, our sweet nephew, Cody William.  He is just too adorable.  I love this picture of him and his pretty mama.  She didn't actually get to hold him much while we were there because everyone else wanted a turn!  

 



 

 We packed those two short days with as much cousin love as possible. 

 

We cracked up at Emma's don't-you-dare-try-to-talk-to-me-I'm-holding-the-baby  face.  She literally didn't move a muscle until I tried to steal Cody back and then she let you know that she was NOT done holding him yet. 

 We played trains.  Lots and lots of trains.

 We tore up the house with countless rounds of ring around the rosie.  Lots of giggles, squeals, and screams.  Jackson had so much fun playing with his cousins.  My sister couldn't believe how loud everyone was.  I just smiled and said "welcome to my world."  Oh how I love my sister.  I loved chatting about going from one to two and all the changes it brings.  

We tried on our new snow gear.

 We tried to get a picture of all four of them.

We played outside.  Enjoying the sunshine while playing in the sandbox and raking the leaves at Nana's house.

Such a fun weekend punctuated with the longest drive home ever.  I think Mason stopped to go to the bathroom about as much as we stopped for coffee.  I can't wait until we can do it again!

wordless wednesday

in the kitchen

We've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately.  Which is nothing new.  It's one of our favorite places to be.

 

Last Friday it was english muffins.

 

Then Wednesday it was letter crackers with Grammie. Mason loved spelling (and eating) his name.

And Wednesday night it was apples.  Oh the apples!  We ended up with way more apples than we were planning on.  We bought the winter banana (weird name, but they are sooo good) apples on the back counter from an older couple in a nearby town.  The three huge boxes on the table were given to us for free a few days later from another family with extra apples from their trees.  So, that means many evenings will be spent putting them up.  Applesauce, apple pie filling, and apple chips will soon be filling our pantry. 

This morning it was pumpkin bread.

 

 

I love my little helpers!

little sis

 I just love watching these two play together.  Mason can be so sweet and gentle with his "little Emma."    He is always looking out for her (except for those moments when he is tackling/screaming at/tormenting her of course.) 

 

 

 

When I went to pick them up from daycare today they came walking into the house holding hands and smiling.  I can't help smiling too.