Who doesn’t love fried foods and what better way to enjoy than an entire holiday devoted to them! These donuts, or sufganiyot as they are often called (though don’t ask me how to pronounce that), are a delicious addition to a Hanukkah feast. The recipe is simple and once you get your frying temperature right you’ll be done in a flash. Then comes the fun part of deciding what to fill them with. We work with so many wonderful makers of homemade caramel sauces, jellies, jams and fudges that we went wild. The result was a delicious smorgasbord of sweets that were still hot from the frying with crunchy outsides and fluffy, rich insides. It was as fun making them as eating them so this recipe is great to get family or friends involved. We hope you enjoy as much as we did!

 

Hanukkah Donuts (Sufganiyot)

Adapted from Quick & Kosher by Jamie Geller

Makes about 14 donuts

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

2 (8-ounce) cartons Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs

6 cups canola oil

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)

 

Filling:

Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce

Fudge Sauce

Afternoon Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jalapeño Jam

 

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, yogurt, sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and eggs. Knead mixture until thoroughly combined and a sticky, doughy batter is formed.

2. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, Heat 6 cups canola oil in a 6-quart stockpot, over medium heat.

4. When dough is ready, test oil by dropping in 1 tablespoon of batter (ideally you want to be able to cook the donut 1 minute per side and have it be a golden brown color. If it darkens too quick or can’t last a minute per side then your oil is too hot. Allow it to cool before you do another test. Similarly if the batter stays a pale tan and doesn’t turn golden in a minutes time, your oil is too cool- turn up the heat and test again in 5 minutes).

5. To fry donuts, scoop out a tablespoonful of batter and drop in oil. (Don’t make the doughnuts too big, so they can cook through.)

6. Once your oil is the correct temperature, you should be able to fry about 7 doughnuts at a time. Using a slotted spoon, turn doughnuts when halfway browned, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

7. Fry for another 2-3 minutes or until entire doughnut is deep golden brown and cooked through.

8. Remove doughnuts and let cool on paper towel-lined plates.

9. Repeat with remaining batter.

10. Fill a squeeze bottle with your desired filling and inject a little into each doughnut. Roll each doughnut in confectioner’s sugar. Serve up to your guests!