Saturday Down South: University of Alabama-Inspired Houndstooth Pudding Trifle with Homemade Red Velvet Pudding, Cream Cheese Whipped Cream, Crushed Double Stuffed Oreos, + Red Velvet Cake Sprinkles

The Haute + Heirloom blogger has returned, yay!! I know I have been gone for-like-ever and I apologize for that, but I have been extremely busy and my personal life is in shambles. I hate that I haven't posted some of my new recipes, but I'm back, and the recipes are even BETTER. It's a 100% guarantee, mmk? As many of my followers know, we are huge football fans. Obviously, Alabama comes in first in the ranking, and just behind them comes University of Georgia + the Atlanta Falcons. So if you're a Georgia gal like me, this dessert is perfect for all three teams and all of your buddies will love you for making a pan of this trifle during the long day of tailgatin'. Trust me on that one. My usual go-to dessert had always been my Gourmet Banana Pudding, but I wanted something festive to celebrate with... and this is certainly festive. If you didn't know already, Alabama's team colors are crimson + white, but the school has incorporated the pattern of houndstooth into the scheme as well. The tradition of houndstooth comes from the greatest college football coach of all time, Bear Bryant. He wore a houndstooth hat to every single game, and well, it caught on like wildfire. Now it's almost impossible to not see someone with houndstooth on during the game day. So, when I first started concocting this dish in my head, it became clear to me that I wanted the same idea that I use for banana pudding. Instead of creamy vanilla bean pudding, there is a luscious + homemade red velvet pudding. You have to know by now that my obsession with "red velvet desserts"is quite unhealthy and I tend to go overboard, but hey who's counting anyway. Next, I used crushed up Double Stuffed Oreos rather than the homemade shortbread because I needed the contrast of the black + white cookies to represent the houndstooth concept. And hell, who doesn't like Oreos... I sure do!! What's even better about them is that if you let the pudding trifle sit in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours (or overnight if you need to) like we did, the cookies begin to soften to the texture of the Oreos in cookies + cream ice cream. They literally, like, melt in your mouth. Lastly, you have to make the "frosting" type whipped cream layer. It has the tang of a cream cheese frosting (which is what all red velvet cakes must have), the sweetness from the sweetened condensed milk, the delightful cloud-like fluff from the Cool Whip, oh and don't forget that vanilla bean that is added in because that is so much better than vanilla extract. One fun ingredient I found for this dessert are some of Betty Crocker's yummy Red Velvet Cake Sprinkles. And let's be honest, sprinkles make every dessert so much better, it's a scientific fact. To be frank, these are double the fun because they are sprinkles that taste like cake.... woah, woah, WOAH. Mind Blown. These Red Velvet Cake Sprinkles also give the dish a little crunch with each bite. Textures galore here, folks!! I hope y'all enjoy this pudding trifle as much as we did because it's already on our tailgate menu for the Alabama-LSU game in Tuscaloosa in November. So go on, start cookin' it :)

the beginning of making the homemade red velvet pudding

assembling like a beast

check out those layers, guys

The Close Up: Amazing Betty Crocker Red Velvet Cake Sprinkles

And the best shot of them all... a perfect spoonful of every glorious layer :)

For the Classic Pudding Mix:

½C Cornstarch

¼C Buttermilk or Milk Powder (I used buttermilk since it’s a key component in red velvet cake)

1C Cake Flour (AP Flour can be substituted if you don’t have it)

1 ½C Sugar

1t Kosher Salt  

For the Homemade Red Velvet Pudding:

3C Whole Milk, Divided

¾C Classic Pudding Mix (above; you will have leftover mix, but now you can make more of it)

5T Cocoa Powder, Sifted

Generous Pinch of Salt

¼C Sugar

2 Eggs

1T White Vinegar

2T Salted Butter

2t Vanilla Extract

1T Cream Cheese Emulsion

Red Food Coloring (use as much as you want until you reach your desired red color)

For the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream:

8oz Cream Cheese, Softened

1 Can of Sweetened, Condensed Milk

1T Cream Cheese Emulsion

¼C Heavy Whipping Cream

16oz Cool Whip, Defrosted

1 Vanilla Bean, Split + Scraped for Seeds (if you don’t have vanilla bean, sub in 2t vanilla extract)

Generous Pinch of Salt  (or to taste)

For the Houndstooth Trifle:

Prepared Homemade Red Velvet Pudding, Completely Chilled

Prepared Cream Cheese Whipped Cream, Completely Chilled

1 Box of Double Stuffed Oreos, Crushed into Bite Size Pieces

1 Container of Betty Crocker Red Velvet Cake Sprinkles (chocolate sprinkles can be subbed in)

Directions:

1. For the Classic Pudding Mix: Combine the cornstarch, flour, buttermilk powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk the mixture until it is a cohesive mixture is formed. Set this pudding mix aside. If you have any remaining pudding mix left, store it in an airtight container.

2. For the Homemade Red Velvet Pudding: Pour 2 ½C of whole milk into a medium sized saucepan or pot. Turn on the stove to low heat and allow the milk to get hot (with some slight steaming), but make sure the milk does not start boiling! While the milk is heating, get another mixing bowl and whisk together the pudding mix, sifted cocoa powder, sugar, 2 eggs, a generous pinch of salt, white distilled vinegar, and the remaining ½C of whole milk. While whisking, make sure it is a smooth, creamy, chocolate liquid. Once the milk is hot, add in the chocolate liquid to the hot milk and whisk vigorously (so that the eggs won’t cook and curdle). Then add in the salted butter, vanilla extract, cream cheese emulsion, and red dye. Increase the heat to medium or medium-low while whisking continuously because the pudding could easily burn. Cook and whisk until the pudding mixture starts to thicken, this usually takes about 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness that you prefer. During the cooking period, make sure to taste test it to see if it needs more salt or vanilla (do it to taste) When it has reached your desired consistency, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. It will continue to thicken a little more as it cools and sits. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the top of the pudding; this will help the pudding to remain smooth and also prevents it from developing a “skin” on top.  Cool the pudding until it is completely chilled and store in the refrigerator until you need to use it.

3. For the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream: Place the softened cream cheese, vanilla bean seeds, heavy whipping cream, cream cheese emulsion, and a pinch of salt into the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it smooth and slightly whipped, about 1-2 minutes. With the mixer still on, pour in the can of sweetened, condensed milk and mix until it is a cohesive, creamy mixture (also make sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to get any remaining cream cheese that is stuck). This should take another 1-2 minutes. Lastly, gently fold in the defrosted (yet still cold) Cool Whip, so that it is completely incorporated, but still has a light and airy texture. Cool the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

4. Assembling the Houndstooth Pudding Trifle: Get your favorite serving piece (preferably a glass trifle dish, so that you can see every layer) and begin the layering process. Start off with a base of crushed double stuffed Oreo cookies. Next, dollop some of the homemade red velvet pudding all over the cookies and then gently smooth it out, so that the Oreos are completely covered. Following the same method as the pudding, dollop the cream cheese whipped cream on top of the red velvet pudding and smooth the top as well. Spread some of the red velvet sprinkles evenly over the cream cheese whipped cream. Repeat the layering process of crushed cookies, red velvet pudding, cream cheese whipped cream, and red velvet sprinkles until you have run out of all of the different components. 

5. You can enjoy the pudding now, but I personally prefer to let it sit in the refrigerator, so that the pudding and whipped cream have firmed up, while the cookies are soft (think of the softened textures of Oreos in cookies + cream ice cream). You can chill it from 1-4 hours… or even overnight if you want or need to! Besides that, it’s time to chow down on your festive football dessert. And hey, it’s also great for UGA + Falcons fans as well!!

Gourmet S'more Pie with Chunky 'Nilla Wafer-Graham Cracker Crust, Espresso Infused Brownie Truffle Filling, + a Toasted Homemade Vanilla Bean Marshmallow Topping

Look at me, being all crazy-like by talking about how spring is already here and what a glorious season it is... and then one week later, I'm on the summer bandwagon. But when a recipe, like this one, turns out so good that you can't stop eating it, well you just have to post it! S'mores are the absolute... the essential... the ultimate representation of what truly makes summer the best time season of the year. We have made a bunch of s'more inspired desserts, like this over-the-top s'mores layer cake or these gourmet s'more brownie bars, just to name a few. But this version easily takes the cake (or pie) for this summer sweet treat. There are are a few upgrades (because, well, I always like to put my own spin on every dish I make) and I think you'll love 'em just as much as we did! Now when talkin' s'mores, everybody and their grandma know the three necessary components... graham crackers, toasted marshmallows, + chocolate. Let's talk about the crust, baby. Don't get me wrong, I love a graham cracker crust just as much as the next guy, but I wanted a more toothsome + crunchy base to our filling. I know you're asking yourself, "How on earth is this crazy food blogger going to one of the best, classic pie crusts even better"? Well all the magic happens by simply adding in Vanilla Wafer Cookies. I have to insist that you don't pulverize the 'nilla cookies; you want them chunky and almost pebble-like in size. Add the cookie pebbles into a mixing bowl along with graham cracker crumbs (very fine, not chunky at all), a stick of melted browned butter, and a pinch of salt. So for all you naysayers out there upset about my minimal use of graham crackers... just chill a little bit, you will still get that iconic flavor + perfect texture in your crust. Press this mixture into a 9inch spring-form pan (like the one you use to make cheesecake) and work some of the crumbs up the sides until the whole-damn-thang is compacted in there. Okay it's onto the good stuff here, people. It's what y'all have all been waiting on... the espresso-infused brownie truffle filling. Yeah I know, I used so many delicious words to describe the chocolate middle layer. But it's all true, I found the so called "unicorn" of the culinary world. You can thank me later. Back to this crazy brownie filling, it has bittersweet chocolate, butter, dark cocoa powder, espresso powder, heavy cream, and Kahlua liqueur. Once your brownie filling is done + lusciously smooth, you're going to follow my lead and add in about a cup (or more if you're so inclined to do so) of some of those crunchy 'nilla wafer cookie pebbles right into the batter. This gives it a bit of crunch here + there, which I love because it's just like a little present every time you take a bite! After baking it just enough until it perfectly cooked with a semi-crackly top and a chocolate-like truffle filling, let it cool completely. Now, here on H+H, making homemade marshmallows is a top priority and one of my favorite things to whip up. So why not do it for the top of a gourmet s'more pie? This recipe makes a semi-thin layer to completely cover the brownie truffle filling, and that might be just enough for you, but it isn't for us. In the end, I decided to add a rim of good 'ole mini marshmallows (straight from the store). Not only did it give the pie a retro feel to it, but it doubled the ratio of amazing marshmallow goodness, and we all love the sound (and taste) of that. Before you get to toasting the top, you need to let the layer of marshmallow chill and firm up in the fridge. Guess what, you're essentially done, all you have to is melt, toast, or char (or all three) dem 'mallows until you've reached your favorite doneness. But unfortunately, this is start of that dreadful waiting game. As someone who has taken part of this mind game, you'll make it. I mean I did, long enough to tell the tale. All you gotta do next is slice up this masterpiece of a pie and completely inhale, all done respectfully of course. And just a quick trick for those who will be enjoying this gourmet s'more pie for a few days, you can make it taste exactly like the day you made it by heating it in the microwave until the marshmallow begins to melt and gets all-gooey-like. Don't forget because you will regret it!! Enjoy :)

For the Chunky ‘Nilla Cracker Crust:

4C Crushed ‘Nilla Water Cookies (make it a rough texture, for that perfect crisp crust)

10T Unsalted butter, Melted

½C Sugar

½t Kosher Salt

For the Chunk ‘Nilla Wafer-Graham Cracker Crust)

2C of the Chunky ‘Nilla Crust (already prepared above)

1C Graham Cracker Crumbs (pulverized into fine crumbs in a food processor)

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted

Generous Pinch of Kosher Salt

 

For the Espresso Infused Brownie Truffle Filling:

2 eggs

¾C Granulated Sugar

½t-1t Kosher Salt

4.5oz of 72% Chocolate, Roughly Chopped

6T Unsalted Butter, Cut into Tabs

¼C Cake Flour

3T Dark Cocoa Powder

1T Espresso Powder

½C Heavy Cream + 2T Kahlua Liquor

1C of the Chunky ‘Nilla Wafer

For the Homemade Vanilla Bean Marshmallow:

1t Unflavored Gelatin

½C Cold Water (separated into two ¼C)

¾C Sugar

¼C Light Corn Syrup

¼t Vanilla Extract

1 Vanilla Bean Pod, Sliced & Scraped For Seeds 

1 Bag of Mini Marshmallows (optional)

Directions:

1. Beginning of the Crust: Preheat your to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the crushed/chunky ‘Nilla wafer cookies, butter, sugar, and salt. Toss until everything is well incorporated. Set this aside until you are done with the graham cracker crumbs (and if you can wait, preferably 8-12 hours, so the cookies soak up all the butter). This batch of crunchy cookie piecrust yields enough for two pies; so you can save them for a rainy day baking project, press them into muffin tins for mini pies, or just some casual nibbling on the side. Also, make sure to save 1-2C of these vanilla wafer cookie crumbs to add into the brownie filling later on in the recipe.

2. Prepping of the Crust: While you wait for your ‘Nilla wafer crust cookies to soak up the butter and the granulated sugar has each piece nicely coated, place a sleeve of graham cracker cookies into a food processor and have become finely ground (almost like a thick sand). Keep doing this until you have reached 1C of graham cracker crumbs. If you don’t want to go through this process, no problem! Just go buy a box of store-bought graham cracker crumbs.

3. Finishing the Crust: Get out a 9-inch spring form pan (one that you use for a cheesecake) and spray heavily with Baking Pam Spray all around the edges. Combine the 2C crunchy ‘Nilla wafer cookies + 1C of the graham cookie sand together in a bowl. Now, like the crust couldn’t get any better, it’s time to add more butter (YESSSSSS, but shhh, don’t tell anyone). It’s totally worth every calorie. Press the ‘Nilla wafer + graham cracker cookie crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly, evenly, and firmly into the prepared spring form pan. Set this crust aside while you make the Espresso Infused Brownie Truffle Filling.

4. For the Espresso Infused Brownie Truffle Filling: Combine the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and gently melt them together on low for 30-50 second. Use a heatproof spatula to stir them together, working until the mixture is glossy and smooth. Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip together 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow and has reached the ribbon state. Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment. Dump the chocolate mixture into the eggs and briefly mix together on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and paddle the mixture for 1 minute or until it is brown and completely homogenous. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and sift in the cake flour, dark cocoa powder, espresso powder, and a pinch of salt. Paddle this mixture on low speed for 45-60 seconds. There should not be any clumps, if there is, paddle it again for another 30 seconds. Stream in heavy cream + Kahlua on low speed for 30-45 seconds, just until the batter has loosened and the white streaks from the cream have fully mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gently fold in the 1-2C of the chunky cookie crust (these crumbs add a little burst of flavor and texture into the pie filling).

5. Assembling the Pie: Pour the Espresso Infused Brownie Truffle Filling into the base of the chunky ‘Nilla wafer-graham cracker crust. Smooth out the top of the brownies. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the edges begin to puff slightly, yet still remain jiggly in the center. Cool the pie completely before finishing it.

6. For the Homemade Vanilla Bean Marshmallows: Make the marshmallow topping by adding ¼C to the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it stand firm, for about 1 minute or so. Stir together the sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, remaining ¼C cold water, and 1 vanilla bean pod (sliced and scraped for seeds) in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until the dissolved. Keep boiling this mixture until a candy thermometer registers at 260 degrees, roughly 6-8 minutes. Begin beating the gelatin mixture on medium speed, and then carefully pour the syrup in (make sure to keep pouring in a slow steady stream, while trying to avoid the paddle and sides of the bowl). Once all he syrup has been added, continue beating it on medium speed until the marshmallow fluff has tripled in volume. Add in the vanilla and beat it until it has just combined, and then immediately pour the marshmallow on top of the brownie filling. It should be loose enough to evenly spread itself, but if not, use a well-greased rubber spatula or spoon to help aide in the process.

7. Finishing the S’more Pie: Refrigerate the pie for 1 hour, uncovered, and then cover it with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated in Pam Spray. And again, return the pie to the refrigerator and let it chill for 3 more hours. After the long chilling process, preheat the broiler to its highest heat setting. Once the oven is extremely hot, remove the plastic wrap, place the pie onto a cookie sheet, and distribute small mini marshmallows in a circle around the outside edge of the pie. We really love marshmallows, so we wanted to add more and I also love the retro vibe it gives off. Carefully rotate the pie/sheet pan about 3-4inches from the flame until the top is perfectly golden brown and melty underneath. This can take about 3-5 minutes to reach that toasted-charred-marshmallow-goodness.

8. Serving the S’more Pie: Allow the pie to cool for about 10-15 minutes before slicing it. In order to get a good, clean slice, dip your knife into hot water and spray it with Baking Pam Spray. This helps to avoid making a mess and getting all sticky from the marshmallows. Enjoy while it is still warm!  Keep in mind that after you have had some of the pie and have a few slices left, it is still just a delicious a couple days later. Cut a slice, plop it into a microwave (about 30 seconds or so), and your pie will be a dense like a fudge brownie + on top you will have an extra ooey-gooey marshmallow waterfall flowing down the slice. UM YUM!

Spicy Mexican Chocolate Silk Pie with Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée , Salty Cajeta + Cajeta Infused Whipped Cream

Although it’s St. Patrick’s Day… I’m going way out-of-bounds and heading to a completely different area of the world… Mexico. Well, and America, too. Who doesn’t love chocolate? Everyone does. And chocolate pie, well it takes the cake (or pie) for me. This is a traditional recipe turned up a notch by taking Chocolate Silk Pie and making it spicy. It might sound crazy and a little insane, but bare with me a little bit as I explain it. I don’t know if y’all have been to (or heard of) Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, but we sure have. She recently opened up a shop in Atlanta and we nearly go every week. Our favorite flavors are her salty caramel, queen city cayenne, and the buckeye state. So, I took inspiration from two of those to make a pie. Chocolate Silk Pie is great on its’ own, don’t get me wrong. It’s luscious, smooth, and so-wrong-its-right in every kinda way. But why not make it spicy? You truly haven’t lived if you haven’t experienced Mexican chocolate or any spiced chocolate for that matter. So instead of using unsweetened chocolate, I bought some Taza Spicy Mexican Chocolate Discs and added some spices into the pie filling. It warms you deep into your bones and your soul, and well heats your mouth up a bit, but we like that, a lot. The whole thing is put into a pre-baked pie crust, I use my own recipe, but you could easily just do a store-bought crust to save time and effort. But the secret ingredient to this blissful pie is the Cajeta component. Cajeta is a thick Mexican caramel made with goat’s milk, very similar to a can of caramelized, sweetened condensed milk. But wayyyyyy better. We found our Cajeta at Whole Foods; however, you surely can make your own at home. We spread the Cajeta into the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust, so that there was a luscious layer of caramel with every bite. And shhh, we sprinkled a tad bit of sea salt on top to make it a salty Cajeta (and it was so yummy). Then we took it another step forward and infused our whipped cream topping with more Cajeta because, well, why the hell not? It’s practically a Cajeta party, YAY. The pie is finished with just some more of that fabulous spicy chocolate grated over the top. And you, my friend, will be in paradise along with us. You won’t regret making this pie, y’all, you just won’t!! Enjoy :)

For the Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée:

3 ¾C AP Flour (plus extra for rolling)

3 Sticks of butter, Cut into ½inch Cubes & Chilled

1 ½t Salt

1T + 1 ½t Sugar

12-18T Ice Water, Very Cold

3 Vanilla Beans, Sliced & Scraped for Beans

For the Cajeta-Infused Whipped Cream:

2C Heavy Cream

¼C Sugar

½C Cajeta (we purchased some at whole foods)

Pinch of Salt (or to taste)

1t Vanilla

For the Mexican Chocolate Silk Pie:

4oz Spicy Mexican Chocolate, Chopped (we used Taza Chocolate Discs)

1C Salted Butter, Softened

1 ½C Sugar

½t Chili Powder, Cinnamon & Paprika (and a pinch of a cayenne)

4 Whole Eggs

½C Cajeta (to spread in the base of the pie shell)

Pre-Baked Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée, Cooled

Directions:

1. For the Vanilla Bean Pâte Brisée: Start by cutting the sticks of butter into ½inch cubes and placing in the freezer bag, along with the flour, salt, and sugar. Place the bag of flour into the freezer and chill for at least 1-2 hours. In a food processor, pour the frozen flour bag in, as well as the scraped vanilla beans, and pulse 6-8 times until the mixture resembles a course meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1T at a time, pulsing until the mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch of some of the crumbly dough and it holds together then it’s ready. Remove the dough from the machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully split the dough into three equal pieces and shape into discs (save the other two rounds of pie dough in plastic wrap and freeze them for a rainy day). Do not over knead the dough. You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. Sprinkle the discs with a little flour on all sides and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. Remove one of the discs from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12inch circle (1/8inch thick). Place the rolled out disc on to a pie dish, lining up the fold with the center of the pan, trimming the excess. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

2. For the Cajeta-Infused Whipped Cream: The night before you make the pie, heat a small pot over medium-low heat. Add in the heavy cream, sugar, cajeta, & a pinch of salt to taste and whisk constantly until the cajeta has dissolved into the cream and has become smooth (it should be a light khaki color). Remove the heat from the pan and add vanilla extract. Pour cajeta-infused cream into and container and let it chill overnight. Firstly, make sure the cream is thoroughly chilled. Add it into the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip on high-speed until a fluffy, yet thick whipped cream. Season it with some sugar, vanilla extract, and salt if needed (really it’s up to your tastes).

3.  For the Mexican Chocolate Silk Pie: In small microwave safe bowl melt 4 ounces of the Mexican spicy chocolate until you can stir it (about 45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat 1 cup (2 sticks) of regular (salted) butter, spices, and 1½C of white sugar until fluffy (about 1 to 2 minutes). When melted chocolate is cooled, drizzle it over the butter/sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat the mixture thoroughly until combined (on a Kitchen Aid mixer, you will be using the whisk attachment). Turn your mixer to a medium speed and over a period of 15 to 20 minutes add in the four eggs, one at a time, leaving about 5 minutes between each egg addition. Prepare your pie by spreading some of the Cajeta into the base of the pie shell, so that you will have a nice, thick layer of Cajeta when you slice & bite into a slice (and sprinkle a little fleur de sel on top). Once the pie filling is well mixed, pour it into the baked & Cajeta-filled pie shell, scraping every last speck of it out of the bowl. Smooth out the pie filling and place pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours (preferably longer). Plop a heaping mound of Cajeta-infused whipped cream on top of the pie, smoothing it out so it completely covers the chocolate.

4.  Serving the Pie: Cut a slice of the pie and grate some more Mexican spicy chocolate on top and enjoy! 

New Orleans "King Cake" Cronuts with a Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Custard Filling, Toasted Pecan Sugar, Bourbon Glaze, + Festive Mardi Gras Sprinkles

As many of y'all know, my Mountain Man and I made a trip recently to New Orleans for New Years Eve. And although it was the greatest trip... you know the part where I fractured my foot about 30 minutes after leaving our hotel room. Yeah that part sucked, so did the crutches, and being cooped up in our hotel room for three days, but I still was able to explore the city for one day. And that one day drew a bunch of inspiration for future recipes. I know I want to make some beignets, a fried green tomato + shrimp remoulade po'boy, bacon pecan pralines, and a king cake. Well I took all of that food to heart and used it as inspiration for some upcoming recipes. So today we're taking a glance at King Cake, with a delightful twist. For the last year, I think the country has been enamored with the new pastry concoction that marries a croissant with a doughnut. You might know them by name, the infamous "Cronut". I've made about 5 versions at home and featured two recipes on this blog. So what do you get when a Cronut and King Cake come together? A KING CAKE CRONUT. And it's just about as good as it gets when it comes to pastry confections. I started off by making the Cronut dough, which involves making a yeast based dough that is laminated with some sticks of softened butter. I began this process about two days before because I wanted to take my time and not rush any of the components. After all that tedious folding, I used a doughnut cutter to make them into the specific doughnut shape, and then I moved onto everything else. Most King Cake recipes involve the following ingredients... the cake itself, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and bourbon (if you're lucky). So, a filling of a Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Pastry Cream seemed to be a necessity. It is thick, luscious, smooth, and perfectly oozes in between the flaky layers of the croissant. After frying the Cronuts to a crisp, golden brown, I let them cool before I filled them with the pastry cream. Meanwhile, I toasted some pecans in a  pan and pulsed them with some sugar to make a Toasted Pecan Rolling Sugar. Then it was time to fill the insides of the Cronuts with the chilled pastry cream, followed by rolling the entire thing in the pecan sugar. By far the best part of this whole recipe is decorating the King Cake Cronut. I whipped up a thick bourbon-infused glaze to squeeze on top of the Cronut before finishing it with Mardi Gras-inspired purple, green, and yellow sparkling sugars. Not only do they look amazing, but they taste even better!! Just for some advice, two regular ole squeeze bottles with me needed to complete the recipe... one to inject the filling into the Cronut and one for the bourbon glaze on top. Now since I live in Georgia, I went on quite the escapade to find some miniature babies to top the King Cake Cronuts with, but to no such luck. So instead, we did tiny pigs, which seemed fitting considering that we are bacon-fanactics and we were slightly depressed that we couldn't incorporate any pork products into this pastry. Oh well, the pig is there as a stand-in, and might I add, I think they are adorable :) Now I completely understand that this project seems daunting, but every now + then I love to completely challenge myself culinarily, so I really enjoyed the whole process of it all. And hey, getting a real Cronut from NYC is harder than making them at home. Once you finish, just stand back and enjoy the creation you have completed... before eating everything single one!! Enjoy :)

some cronut frying action

the perks of frying cronuts... eating the holes right away :)

a cronut after being injected with the pastry cream

all tossed in some toasted pecan rolling sugar

hereeeeee piggy piggy pig

oink oink

oh yes those layers + pastry cream oozing

For the Cronuts:

¾C Milk, Warmed

1T Active Dry Yeast

1/3C Sugar

2 Large eggs

1t Vanilla Extract

3 ½C AP Flour (divided)

1t Kosher Salt

1 Cup of Butter (or two sticks), at least room temperature  

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Custard Filling:

1 ½C Whole Milk

¾C Brown Sugar

¼C Cake Flour

½t Sea Salt

1T Cinnamon

4 Large Egg Yolks

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

2t Vanilla Extract 

½t Butter Extract

¼t Almond Extract    

For the Toasted Pecan Sugar:

1C Toasted Pecans

1C Granulated Sugar

For the Bourbon Glaze:

2C Confectioners’ Sugar

Pinch of Salt

2T Whole Milk

1T Bourbon

¼t Vanilla Extract

 

For the King Cake Cronuts:

Prepared Cronut Dough, Cut into Doughnut Rounds

Chilled Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Custard Filling (put into a squeeze bottle)

Prepared Toasted Pecan Rolling Sugar

Prepared Bourbon Glaze (put into a squeeze bottle)

Purple, Green, & Yellow Sparkling Sugar Sprinkles, For Decorating

Directions: 

1. Prepping the Cronuts: In the bowl of a standing mixer, stir together the warmed milk and yeast. Stir in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add a cup of flour and the salt, and then gradually add another 2 ¼C of flour, stirring and then kneading for a few minutes, until it’s smooth, elastic, and still a little bit tacky. Transfer to a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, beat the butter and remaining ¼C of AP Flour with an electric mixer for a couple minutes, scraping down the sides of a bowl, until smooth. When the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle that is about ¼inch thick. Spread the butter evenly over the dough, and then fold it as you would a letter, in thirds. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and place it into the fridge for another 30 minutes to an hour.

2. Laminating the Dough: Pull the dough back out and put it back onto the floured surface, with the open sides facing the left and right. Roll it out into another rectangle that is ¼inch thick. Fold the left third over the middle, and then the right third over the middle (this is referred to a “turn”). Chill the dough for another 30 minutes to an hour. Roll, fold, and refrigerate the dough two more times, so that is had been “turned” for a total of four times. Cover and refrigerate it for at least an hour or preferably overnight.

3. For the Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Custard Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium-high heat until bubbles just start to form around the edges but milk is not yet boiling. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and vanilla bean seeds until well combined; slowly whisk in flour mixture until thick and pasty. Remove milk from heat and slowly add to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer egg mixture to saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. Boil, whisking, for 10 seconds, and immediately remove from heat. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a small heatproof bowl; stir in vanilla extract, butter extract, and almond extract. Strain into a plastic squeeze bottle and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

4. For the Toasted Pecan Rolling Sugar: Toast 1C of Pecans in a sauté pan over medium heat. Continuously move the nuts around, so that they will not get burned. Once they have reached a nutty fragrance and slightly browned, they are done! This should only take a few minutes. Place the toasted (make sure to cool first) pecans into a food processor and pulse until small grind has been achieved. Add in the cup of sugar and continue to process until you have a finely ground pecan sugar. Pour into a bowl and set aside until you are ready to use.

5. Frying the Cronuts: Cut the dough, using a doughnut cutter, into rounds (it should make about 12 Cronuts total). In a heavy pot, heat a couple inches of oil to 350 degrees and a scrap of the dough sizzles when you dip it in. Cook the Cronuts in batches, without crowding the pot (because that can cool down the oil), flipping as necessary until they reach a golden brown color. Transfer to a baking sheet, lined with paper towels, and let them sit until excess oil is completely soaked up. Next, move them to a cooling rack.

6. For the Bourbon Glaze: Add all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together until a smooth, cohesive glaze has been made. Pour this white glaze into a squeeze bottle and set aside until you are ready to use it.

7. Assembling the Cronuts: It is now time to start filling the fried Cronuts. I did this “Twinkie-style” by using the squeeze bottle that is filled with the brown sugar-cinnamon pastry cream. Gently poke holes into the bottom of a Cronut and fill them all the way through with cream. Repeat this process until you have about 5-6 cream filling holes in each Cronut. Scrape off any excess cream that begins to ooze out. Now that they have all been filled, roll them in the toasted pecan sugar before placing them back onto the cooling rack (make sure the poke holes are facing up) and squeeze some of the prepared bourbon glaze in a circle around the top of the Cronut.

8. Finishing the Cronuts: Garnish the top of the glazed Cronuts with the purple, green, and yellow colored sparkling sugars, making sure to alternate colors, that way you form bands. Let them cool and enjoy!!