Honey Lavender French Crullers

Happy Valentines week! It’s also the week that I co hosted an instagram party with @honeyiminthekitchen and we centered it around a Valentines Choux pastry theme #ILoveChoux! It was amazing to see instagrammers/bloggers from all over the world participate in creating amazing desserts using their creativity and Choux pastry. Check out the hashtag to see them all! My contribution was a bit different, in that I used Pate Choux to create these Honey Lavender French Crullers. These are my husband’s favorite donuts. Probably because they fry up super, light and airy so it feels like you’re eating a cloud. Plus a sweet fragrant glaze never hurt anyone! I piped these donuts into heart shapes for the holiday and we were in love! It’s a simple recipe that comes together quickly. No rising required!

This recipe starts out with a basic chop dough. Heat water and butter in a pot until boiling. quickly add in the flour and with a wooden spoon stir like crazy! Really put that arm strength to good use here! Once it comes together and you see traces of the dough sticking tot he bottom of the pot, its ready.

To make the next step easier on my arms, I put the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on and beat the dough bit to cool it down before adding the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time and wait till its fully combined before you add the next egg. With Choux, you have to trust in the dough. It will always look like its about tp fall apart and come loose, but just when its fallen into a million pieces, it will come together. Add in the the egg white at the end and beat to combine into a smooth sticky dough.

Place this dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe circles or hearts onto 4” squares of parchment. The parchment will help you drop the donuts into the oil. Heat up 5 cups of oil in a heavy pot on high to 350F. Once it hits 350F, lower the heat to medium and you’re ready to fry!

Drop the piped crullers into the oil, parchment and all! the parchment will detach itself from the donut once it starts frying. Take the parchment out. Fry the crullers about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack to drain. Once cool, mix the glaze ingredients together with a small whisk and dip cooled crullers into the glaze. Place back on the cooling rack and allow glaze to set.

Eat these ASAP. They are honestly best when they’re warm. But who can say no to a cruller? The sweet, fragrant lavender glaze is the perfect topping to a warm, crips yet light as air cruller! Perfect for an easy Valentines day treat or honestly any day of the week!

Honey Lavender French Crullers

Yields approx 1 dozen crullers

Ingredients

for the donuts:

• 1 cup water

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 tsps sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 large eggs

• 1-2 egg whites, slightly beaten

• vegetable oil for frying

For the glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 1/2 tsp crushed lavender

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or the seeds from one vanilla bean)

• 3 to 4 tbsp water

Method:

1. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a brisk boil

2. Stir in the flour all at once and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporate. When you see a thin film start to coat the bottom of the pan, the batter is ready.

3. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the dough to help it cool before adding the eggs. 

4. Once cool to the touch, turn the mixer to medium speed and add one egg, making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Then add the egg whites a little bit at a time until the dough becomes smooth and glossy and holds a little shape.

5. Spoon the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip.I used the Ateco 826.

6. Pipe the dough into circles onto 3X3 inch greased parchment squares.

7. Heat 5 cups of oil in a heavy pot on high till it reaches 350F. Once it reaches 350F turn the heat down to medium and you're ready to fry.

8. Drop each ring, dough side down into the oil. Fish out the parchment once it slips off.

9. Fry the donuts on each side till it turns a golden brown. Approx 2 minutes on each side. 

10. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

11. To make the glaze, whisk  the confectioners sugar with the honey and water.

12. Dip or spoon glaze over the warm donuts. Allow the glaze to set before digging in!