Green Glazed Donuts [Step-by-step Recipe]
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Pillow-soft donuts are an inevitable part of my party table. I’m always looking for a good excuse to gather around with my friends and throw a party to remember. Following that, St. Patrick’s day is getting close, and you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate it! That’s why I decided to make green glazed donuts for my party.
Since this is a St. Patrick’s day recipe, we have a green and orange combination. They are pretty eye-catchy, though, especially with the fun decor! When it comes to taste, they are undoubtedly worth attention. I made a perfect fusion of fluffy dough and zesty but sweet cream.
What Makes These Green Donuts Special?
As the title says, they are vibrant green and filled with orange cream. This recipe doesn’t require matcha to achieve a vibrant shade of green. I used green food coloring for the dough and a bit of rum for the taste.
I also made orange-based cream to perfectly pair with the hint of rum. They both have a sweet note, but rum deepens the flavor and adds up to spiciness. I glazed them with regular icing, with a touch of vanilla to enhance the taste. You can’t go wrong with the orange-rum-vanilla combo!
How to Make Green Glazed Donuts?
I always make donuts with my same old recipe, with a few changes to suit the theme. I like to add some twists by making a different cream, as I did here. Here is the list of what you need to make this St. Patrick’s day treat!
- Flour – I used all-purpose, but you can mix it with cake flour in a 2:1 ratio.
- Yeast – Fresh or dry yeast are both excellent.
- Milk – Milk adds up to the fullness of flavor and makes the melt-in-mouth texture.
- Oil – Deep frying is the best method for fluffy donuts.
- Sugar – Besides granulated sugar, I add vanilla sugar to the dough, as well, just for the aroma. I also add orange sugar to enhance the flavors of the filling. For the glaze, always use confectioners’ sugar.
- Eggs – Eggs are there for both taste and texture.
- Rum – A splash of rum to lift the taste and aroma.
- Orange – Freshly squeezed orange juice is an amazing base for the cream, it gives a natural, subtle zestiness to it. You can use bottled juice, as well.
- Instant vanilla pudding – I like to cook vanilla pudding with orange juice, and that makes a superb creamy filling.
- Heavy cream – Adding heavy cream to the pudding will give the silky smooth texture you’re aiming for.
- Vanilla extract – Sweet and warm vanilla goes perfectly with all the flavors.
- Food dye – I used powdered green and orange food coloring to achieve vibrant shades.
Collect all the listed ingredients and let’s prepare everyone’s fav confection!
Step 1: Making the Dough
In one large bowl, sift the flour, add a pinch of salt, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar, and combine them well. Start the yeast by whisking it with lukewarm milk, a teaspoon of flour, and a tablespoon of sugar. Wait for the bubbles to appear, and move to the next task.
Make a volcano-like hole in the middle of the flour and add all the wet ingredients. Pour the rest of the milk, activated yeast, eggs, and rum, then mix it till smooth. I use the mixer with the dough attachments, but you can knead it as well. It needs to be well kneaded, as that’s the key to the fluffy and well-risen dough.
Tip: When you’re using food dye, the donut crust that comes in direct touch with hot oil will change its color. It goes brown really fast, but it’s not burnt, that’s a normal reaction. It will keep a vivid green shade on the inside, though. If that still bothers you, simply leave out the food coloring, as it has 0 impact on the taste.
It should be very soft and a bit sticky. Cover it with a kitchen cloth, and leave it at room temperature to double for about an hour.
Step 2: Forming the Donuts
Dust the kitchen surface with flour generously and spread the dough using a rolling pin. It should be about half an inch thick because we’re going for fluffy donuts with an empty space in the middle. Take a glass and press it into the dough.
Take the rest of the dough and repeat the process. Leave them on the counter to rest for half an hour to 45 minutes.
Step 3: Making the Filling
I love to make the filling from scratch. This time I made an orange-vanilla combination by cooking instant vanilla pudding as instructed. But, I swapped the milk with orange juice for the taste, plus added orange sugar and zest.
If you’re using freshly squeezed oranges like me, don’t forget to strain the juice. I also added a pinch of orange food dye, to achieve that vivid orange shade. Leave it to the side to cool, and add some whipping cream to get a satin-smooth texture and a fuller, creamier taste.
Step 4: Frying the Donuts
Take a large saucepan and pour at least 17 ounces (500 milliliters) of frying oil. Deep frying is a must for soft fillable donuts. Heat the oil on medium heat, as the oil around the donuts needs to simmer lightly so they can fry evenly but not burn.
Check if the oil is ready with the help of a wooden spoon. Dip it in the oil and if the bubbles appear, you’re good to go. Take the donuts and put them carefully in the pan face down. That means that the top side of the donut which is raised last goes into the oil first.
Fry them for about a minute with a lid on. That way heat will distribute evenly and donuts will stay soft and well-raised. Turn them on the other side for about 45 seconds and that’s it. Arrange them on paper cloths to absorb the residual oil. Cover them with a dishcloth so they stay super soft and squeezable.
Step 5: Filling the Donuts
Take the prepared orange cream and transfer it to a decoration bag with a wide filling tip. If you don’t own one, a zip-lock or freezer bag will work instead. I like to fill my donuts from the bottom, as I fancy a smooth icing look at the top. Fill the donuts generously with the cream, but choose the empty side for that task.
I like to detach a small piece of donut, fill it to the top, then camouflage it by reusing that piece. That way cream will stay on the spot as that side goes down when decorating. I also like to do this before glazing them, as the icing is very delicate and tends to crumble.
Step 6: Frosting
I always make a classic icing sugar-based frosting, as I adore that glazed look on donuts. I simply mixed powdered sugar with some food dye, milk, and vanilla extract for the texture. Make sure to whisk it very well, so all the sugar melts well.
It should be runny enough to drip from the spoon, but thick enough for the drop to keep the shape for a moment or two. I use a bowl that is a bit bigger than donuts and just dip them in one by one. The glaze will drip, though, but that’s part of the charm.
Leave them for some time for the icing to stiffen and you’re done!
How to Store Green Glazed Donuts?
You can easily refrigerate donuts for a few days, but they will definitely dry out. To slow that, put them into the airtight container or wrap them well into the plastic foil. They can stay for a few days at room temperature, as well, but in that case, don’t fill them.
You can save some filling in the fridge for a day or two, though. This is a recipe for a smaller batch, so I don’t think you’ll have a lot of leftovers!
Green Glazed Donuts
Equipment
Ingredients
Donut Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (500 grams)
- 2 eggs
- 3 tsp dry yeast (≈10 grams)
- ¼ cup oil (50 milliliters)
- 3 ½ tbsp softened butter (50 grams)
- 4 tbsp sugar (≈60 grams)
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar (≈10 grams)
- a few drops of rum
- 1 tsp powdered green food dye
Orange Cream Filling
- 2 cups orange juice (freshly juiced (≈500 milliliters))
- 1 package instant vanilla pudding (1 ½ oz or 40 grams)
- 3 tbsp sugar (≈40 grams)
- 1 tbsp orange sugar (≈10 grams)
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 7 ounces whipping cream (200 milliliters)
- a pinch of powdered orange food dye
Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (≈200 grams)
- 1 tsp powdered green food dye
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp milk
For Frying
- 17 oz frying oil (≈500 milliliters)
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Sift the flour, add a pinch of salt, granulated sugar, vanilla sugar in a bowl. StarActivate the yeast by whisking it with lukewarm milk, a teaspoon of flour, and a tablespoon of sugar. Wait for the bubbles to appear.
- Make a hole in the middle of the flour and add all the wet ingredients. Pour the rest of the milk, activated yeast, eggs, and rum, then mix it till smooth. Knead until the dough is smooth and soft, then cover and let it rise for an hour.
- Tip: When you're using food dye, the donut crust that comes in direct touch with hot oil will change its color. It goes brown really fast, but it's not burnt, that's a normal reaction. It will keep a vivid green shade on the inside, though. If that still bothers you, simply leave out the food coloring, as it has 0 impact on the taste.
Forming the Donuts
- Dust the kitchen surface with flour generously and spread the dough using a rolling pin. It should be about half an inch thick. Take a glass and press it into the dough.
- Take the rest of the dough and repeat the process. Leave them on the counter to rest for half an hour to 45 minutes.
Making the Filling
- To make the filling, stir together instant vanilla pudding with orange juice, orange sugar, zest, and a pinch of orange food dye. Let it cool, then add whipping cream.
- If you're using freshly squeezed oranges like me, don't forget to strain the juice.
Frying the Donuts
- Take a large saucepan and pour at least 17 ounces of frying oil. Deep frying is a must for soft fillable donuts. Heat the oil on medium heat.
- Check if the oil is ready with the help of a wooden spoon. Dip it in the oil and if the bubbles appear, you're good to go. Take the donuts and put them carefully in the pan face down. That means that the top side of the donut goes into the oil first.
- Fry them for about a minute with a lid on. That way heat will distribute evenly and donuts will stay soft and well-raised. Turn them on the other side for about 45 seconds and that's it. Drain on paper towels and cover with a cloth.
Filling the Donuts
- Take the prepared orange cream and transfer it to a decoration bag with a wide filling tip. Fill the donuts generously with the cream, but choose the empty side for that task.
- I like to detach a small piece of donut, fill it to the top, then camouflage it by reusing that piece. I also like to do this before glazing them, as the icing is very delicate and tends to crumble.
Glaze
- To glaze the donuts, mix powdered sugar, food dye, milk, and vanilla extract to make a runny glaze. Make sure to whisk it very well, so all the sugar melts well.
- It should be runny enough to drip from the spoon, but thick enough for the drop to keep the shape for a moment or two.
- Dip the donuts in the glaze. Leave them for some time for the icing to stiffen and you're done!
