Indulge in decadent cookies and cream donuts
From our childhood days watching hot cinnamon donuts dropping into sugar at the local donut shop, to our more recent discovery of the hybrid cronut, those warm doughy delights have been a lifelong obsession. Fortunately, it seems our affection is shared, as dining establishments have begun to add gourmet donuts to their menus and Brisbane is eagerly anticipating the arrival of Chester Street Bakery’s new shop Doughnut Time. Sydney-based recipe writer and food stylist Tracey Meharg has recently published her ode to the dessert, Donuts. The cookbook shares recipes for 50 incredible creations, from baked to fried, and decadent to paleo. Let yourself off the healthy hook this weekend and indulge in these divine cookies and cream donuts.
INGREDIENTS
Donuts
250 ml lukewarm milk
3-1/2 teaspoons dried yeast
3 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
a good pinch of fine sea salt
1 egg, at room temperature, lightly whisked
30 g unsalted butter, melted, at room temperature
vegetable, canola or rice bran oil, for deep-frying
To serve
1 cup mini cream-filled chocolate biscuits, roughly crushed
Chocolate cream icing
1 cup icing (confectioners’) sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
80 ml thickened cream
Cookie cream
500 ml thickened (whipping) cream
1-1/2 cups mini cream-filled chocolate biscuits, finely crushed
TO MAKE
Whisk the milk and yeast together in a small, heatproof jug. Add 1 teaspoon of the flour and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and whisk until well combined. Leave to stand at room temperature in a warm spot for 10–15 minutes, or until frothy.
Place the remaining flour, remaining sugar and the salt in the bowl of a standmixer. Attach the dough hook and mix together on a medium speed until well combined.
With the motor running, slowly add the egg, melted butter and the yeast mixture. Mix for 8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic (the dough should feel slightly sticky).
Using very lightly floured hands, scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a piece of baking paper then a tea towel (dish towel). Set aside to rest at room temperature in a warm, draught-free spot for 1–1-1/2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Generously flour a work surface and gently tip the dough out. Using a floured rolling pin, gently roll out to a 1 cm thickness. Using a floured 8 cm round cookie cutter, cut out 10 rounds from dough, making sure you cut them as close together as possible. Use a floured 3 cm round cookie cutter to cut out holes from the centre of each donut. Transfer the donuts to prepared trays in a single layer. Cover with tea towels. Rest for 40 minutes at room temperature or until doubled in size.
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based saucepan over a medium–high heat until it reaches 180°C. Deep-fry the donuts in batches, turning occasionally, for 2–3 minutes each, or until puffed, golden and cooked through. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then allow to cool.
Whisk all the ingredients for the chocolate cream icing together until well combined and smooth. Spread the icing over the tops of the donuts then transfer them to a wire rack set over a baking tray. Sprinkle with the roughly crushed biscuit and leave to set.
For the cookie cream, beat the cream until soft peaks form then fold through the crushed biscuit. Spoon into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a 1 cm star nozzle. Pipe the cookie cream into the donut centres, then serve.
Recipe and images via Donuts by Tracey Meharg. Published by Murdoch Books.
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