We came across an old recipe from 1976: Timbits. You know, those little donut holes that became especially popular in Canada. Back then, they were seen as the perfect way to use up leftover donut dough – just roll the scraps into balls and fry them. Simple, small, sweet.
We tested the recipe. And honestly? We weren’t satisfied.
The balls weren’t airy, more heavy and dense. One bite and it sticks in your stomach. The vanilla glaze on top wasn’t much better – far too sweet, completely unbalanced.
And as if that wasn’t enough, we couldn’t find our piping bags anywhere (moving boxes always seem to swallow things). So there we were, shaping little balls with an ice cream scoop and dropping them into the oil. Not practical, but inventive.
Fun footnote: this whole experiment took place in a kitchen that’s literally straight out of the 1970s. A kind of time travel within a time travel. Only downside: the result didn’t have the magic we had hoped for.
But that’s cooking. You try something, you hope for magic, and sometimes you just end up with a plate full of disappointment. This was one of those times. Still, we don’t stop there. Every failure brings us one step closer to getting it right.
the recipe we tested
Ingredients
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150 g self-raising flour
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20 g sugar
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1 large egg
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100 ml milk
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8 g melted butter
Vanilla Glaze
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140 g icing sugar
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40 g heavy cream
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30 g melted butter
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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35 ml milk
Instructions
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Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar. Mix well.
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Break in the egg, pour in the milk and melted butter, and whisk everything thoroughly. In less than five minutes, you’ll have a simple donut dough.
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Make the glaze: combine the icing sugar, heavy cream, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
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If you want a thick glaze, it’s ready to use.
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Prefer a thinner glaze? Add the milk and whisk again.
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Normally, the dough would go into a piping bag, but if yours is missing (like ours), just use an ice cream scoop.
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Heat vegetable oil to 165°C (330°F). Scoop or cut pieces of dough and carefully slide them into the oil.
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Fry until golden brown, drain, and then dip them in the vanilla glaze.
So this was the first attempt. Heavy, too sweet, and not what we were hoping for. But still a step forward. We’ll keep experimenting, testing, and adjusting. Because in the end, we want that perfect timbit – light, playful, and just as nostalgic as the idea itself.
This is also part of cooking: daring to fail.
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