Inspired by Mexican hot chocolate (coarsely ground cocoa flavored with sugar and cinnamon), these Hanukkah donuts pair a spicy-sweet chocolate glaze with the classic hot cocoa accompaniment: marshmallow crème.
Special equipment: You will need a 2-1/2-inch round cutter to stamp out the dough rounds.
You will also need a candy/fat thermometer for frying the donuts, as well as a 12- to 18-inch pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip to fill them.
Game plan: The dough can be made in a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment if you prefer. Place the yeast and sugar in the stand mixer bowl and proceed with the recipe, mixing at medium speed until the dough comes together and forms a ball that is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 5 minutes.
When deep-frying the donuts, make sure the oil stays at a constant temperature, adjusting your stove’s heat as necessary.
Kosher-keepers looking for donut recipes that can easily be made parve should try our Sufganiyot with Ginger-Lime Curd or our Chai Sufganiyot with Orange-Pumpkin Buttercream.
This recipe was featured as part of our Jelly Donuts Reinvented: Creative Sufganiyot for Hanukkah.
- Yield: 34 to 36 donuts
- Difficulty: Medium
- Total: 1 hr, plus 2 1/2 hrs rising time
Ingredients (21)
For the donuts:
- 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- Vegetable oil, for coating the bowl
- 1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), cut into 8 pieces and at room temperature
For the marshmallow filling:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 cup marshmallow crème, such as Kraft Jet-Puffed
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese (2 ounces), at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 5 tablespoons whole milk
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To finish:
- 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
For the donuts:
- Place 2 1/2 cups of flour, the cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to aerate and combine; set aside. Coat a second large bowl with vegetable oil; set aside.
- Place the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a medium bowl. Add the water, stir to combine, and let sit until the mixture is foaming, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, milk, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add this mixture to the reserved flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and begins to form a ball.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Scatter the butter pieces over the dough and knead until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup of additional flour as needed if the dough is sticky. Form the dough into a ball, place it in the oiled bowl, and turn to coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Punch down the dough, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, and roll it out until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2-1/2-inch round cutter, stamp out as many dough rounds as possible and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 1/4 inch apart. Gather the dough scraps into a ball and roll out and cut again. Discard any remaining dough scraps.
- Cover the dough rounds loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place until puffy and about 1/2 inch thick, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling and the glaze.
For the marshmallow filling:
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula until completely smooth and combined. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip; set aside at room temperature.
For the glaze:
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth; set aside at room temperature.
To finish:
- Place the oil in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot and set it over medium heat until the temperature reaches 365°F on a candy/fat thermometer. Meanwhile, fit a wire rack over a second baking sheet; set aside.
- When the oil is ready, add 4 of the dough rounds and fry until golden brown, flipping halfway through, about 2 minutes total. (If air bubbles appear in the donuts, pierce them with the tip of a paring knife.) Remove the donuts with a slotted spoon to the rack. Add 4 more dough rounds to the oil. While these dough rounds are frying, use tongs to pick up a donut from the first batch, dip the bottom into the chocolate glaze, and return the donut to the wire rack glaze-side up. Repeat frying and glazing the remaining dough rounds.
- When the donuts are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to puncture the side of each to form a pocket in the center. Place the tip of the piping bag into the pocket and pipe about 1 heaping teaspoon of marshmallow filling inside. Serve warm or at room temperature.
