Dazzling and Delicious Sufganiyot-Adjacent ‘Donuts’ for Hanukkah

Donuts are to Hanukkah as challah is to shabbat. You can’t think of one without the other. However, you can still mix things up — literally and figuratively — once in a while.

Judy Elbaum, founder of Leave It to Bubbe, identified the perfect ingredient for easy donuts: puff pastry dough. Whether you prefer baking or deep frying, this simple recipe yields a delicious result.  

“These are much easier to make than sufganiyot and they look and taste amazing,” Elbaum told the Journal. “You can then decorate them with various glazes and toppings; they are fun to make with kids.” 

Hanukkah Donuts in Record Time

Makes 16 to 20 donuts

1 package puff pastry (I use Pepperidge Farm), defrosted overnight in the fridge

Dark chocolate, melted

White chocolate, melted

Sprinkles

Powdered sugar

Toasted coconut

For frying: vegetable oil 

Take one sheet of puff pastry out of the package (each package has two sheets).

Unfold it, and using a 2 ½ to 3 ½ inch donut cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible from the sheet of puff pastry.  If you don’t have a donut cutter, use a round cookie cutter for the large circle and a one-inch pastry tube circle for the donut hole.  

For Baking: Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the donut rounds and the holes on it. Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

For Frying: Pour at least 2 inches of oil into a large, heavy-gauge saucepan, and heat the oil to 350°F. Place the donut rounds and the holes in the hot oil, several at a time and fry until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes, turning once. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, and place on paper towels to absorb some of the oil. 

Whichever method you use, repeat this process with all the donut rounds and holes; then repeat the whole process with the remaining puff pastry sheet.

When the donuts have cooled, ice with melted white and/or dark chocolate and top with sprinkles or toasted coconut, or just sprinkle on some powdered sugar.

If you want to stay mindful of what you eat during the holiday season, Sarah Zulauf at Sarah’s Organic Gourmet has got you covered with her sinfully delicious “Fonuts” that use heavenly ingredients. 

“They are gluten-, refined-sugar and seed-oil free,” Zulauf told The Journal. ”For dairy-free donuts, use a thick dairy-free yogurt, such as Cocojune (plain), as there is no oil or butter in this recipe, and the yogurt is what adds to a tender crumb.” Plus, the almond flour adds to the tender texture.

“You’ll need two six-cavity doughnut pans for this recipe, or you can use silicone donut pans,” Zulauf said  

You can also use a 12-cavity mini doughnut pan, but you will need to use two tins, so you don’t have leftover batter.

Sarah’s Organic Gourmet products are sold at Bibi’s Bakery & Cafe, Lieders, Bella Bread & Butter and Lenny’s Casita in Los Angeles.

Sarah’s Fonuts

Dry ingredients:

1 cup gluten free oat flour 

½ cup (55g) almond flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Wet ingredients:

1 cup dairy free yogurt 

3 large eggs

½ cup organic date or monk fruit sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

For Cinnamon Sugar donuts:

1 cup organic date or monk fruit sugar 

1 ½ tsp cinnamon 

1/2 cup maple syrup 

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray two six-cavity donut tins with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Then, in a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Using two spoons (or a pastry bag), divide the batter into the prepared donut cups, filling them three-fourths of the way full. Don’t go over the center, or you won’t get a hole.

Bake the donuts until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15-17 minutes. Let the donuts cool in the pans on a rack for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack and let cool completely.

For cinnamon sugar donuts, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Brush a donut lightly with maple syrup on both sides, then immediately dunk it into the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating it all over. Repeat with the rest of the donuts.

These are very versatile and you can make your own flavors, by coating them with your favorite frosting recipes, such as strawberry, lemon or chocolate.

Notes:

The finished donuts can sit at room temperature for up to six hours. Store the cinnamon sugar donuts on a rack so that the bottom doesn’t get soggy.

The donuts are best eaten the day they’re made but can be frozen without the cinnamon sugar for up to 3 months. Bring them to room temperature, then coat them.

Faith Kramer’s sufganiyot cocktail and mocktail are drinks reminiscent of a jelly doughnut. But how did she create them

“To me the essentials were a jelly filling and a powdered sugar mustache,” Kramer, author of the award-winning “52 Shabbats: Friday Night Dinners Inspired by a Global Jewish Kitchen,” told the Journal. “Then it took a bit of trial and error to find the ingredients that would give me the taste of a sufganiyot in a glass.”

The cocktail version depends on an unusual ingredient: Manischewitz-sweetened blackberry wine, which Kramer found in the back of her liquor cabinet while she was experimenting. 

“One sip, and I knew I had found the “jelly filling” for my drink,” she said.  

The kid-friendly, nonalcoholic mocktail uses vanilla and raspberry syrups and lemon-lime soda or lemon-flavored seltzer to add bubbly fun to a night of dreidel spinning.

Sufganiyot Cocktail

Serves 1

Lemon wedge

Powdered sugar

1 oz. (2 Tbsp) vanilla-flavored vodka

1 oz. (2 Tbsp) citron or citrus-flavored vodka

2 oz. (4 Tbsp) Manischewitz sweetened blackberry wine

Rub lemon wedge around the edge of martini or cocktail glass. Place powdered sugar on a small dish. Dip the rim of glass into powdered sugar. 

Add ice, vanilla vodka, citron vodka and blackberry wine to a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Strain into prepared glass. Serve immediately. 

Sufganiyot Mocktail

Serves 1

Lemon wedge

Powdered sugar

1 tsp. raspberry flavored syrup  

1/2 Tbsp. vanilla flavored syrup 

4 oz. lemon-lime soda, chilled

Moisten rim of champagne flute with lemon. Place powdered sugar in a small dish. Dip the rim into powdered sugar.  Add raspberry and vanilla syrups to the glass. Carefully pour in soda.  Gently stir. Serve immediately.

Notes: 

– Use half lemon-lime soda and half plain seltzer for a less sweet version or try with 4 oz. of lemon-flavored seltzer.

– I prefer the Italian or French syrup brands such as Torani or Monin. Sugar-free syrups and soda will work as well.

Happy Hanukkah!