A tasty treat!
ingredients
HOLIDAY BISCUIT DONUTS
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup buttermilk
5 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup cold unsalted butter (grated on the large holes of a box grater)
3/4 cup cold water (warm, 110ºF)
Canola oil (for frying)
ICING:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 (11 ounce) bag white chocolate chips
2-3 drops blue food coloring
SNOWMAN:
1 recipe white chocolate icing
8-9 marshmallows
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
melting chocolate
black jelly beans (cut in half widthwise)
red or blue melting chocolate
1 large carrot (peeled, cut into small triangles)
silver ball sprinkles
1 package pull apart red licorice
MENORAH DOUGHNUT:
blue icing
reserved white icing
gold ball sprinkles
directions
In a small bowl, add yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add buttermilk to yeast mixture and stir to combine.
In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk to combine. Add the vegetable shortening and cut in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the butter and toss until evenly coated. Fold in yeast mixture until everything is evenly moistened. Slowly add in the cold water until the dough comes together. Remove to a floured work surface and knead gently until the dough forms a ball. Place dough back into bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten with your hands into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Flour the top of the dough and roll into a 13 x 17-inch rectangle. Fold in the top and bottom thirds the way you would fold a letter. Rotate the dough 90-degrees and roll into a 15 x 11-inch rectangle. Fold in thirds again, rotate, and roll to 1/2-inch thickness. The dough should be about 14 x 8 1/2-inches.
Using a floured 2-inch round cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Press straight down with the cutter and cut the rounds as close as possible. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and place the rounds on it, spacing 1/2-inch apart.
Cover the baking sheets with a towel, set aside in a warm area and let rise for 1 hour.
In a large Dutch oven, preheat 6-inches of oil to 365º F. Drop donuts into oil and fry 1 1/2-minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet fitted with a rack. Continue until all dough is fried.
For the Icing: In a small saucepan add the heavy cream and heat over medium heat. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate chips, allow to sit for 5 minutes and stir until smooth.
Divide the white chocolate icing between two bowls. Dye the second bowl blue with a blue food coloring.
For Decorating: Set a baking rack inside of a baking sheet. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
To make the snowman, dip the cooled doughnut into the white chocolate icing and set onto the baking rack. Allow chocolate to slightly set.
Meanwhile, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave at 15-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Dip half of the marshmallow into the chocolate and set onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow to set. This will be the hat for the snowman.
Heat the melting chocolate in the microwave until smooth, stirring in 15-second intervals. Dye with a couple of drops of red or blue food coloring. Allow to cool until easy to mold. Mold into 16 mini mittins.
Place the hat in the hole of the doughnut, chocolate-dipped side up, and place the mittens on the side of the hat to make it look like the snowman is holding the hat. Place the halved jelly beans above as the eyes, small carrot on top of the hat as the nose and three silver ball sprinkles down the bottom center of the doughnut as buttons.
Secure the red licorice around the neck of the snowman, pulling apart at the ends to look like fringe on a scarf.
For the Menorah Doughnut: Dip the cooled doughnuts into the blue frosting and place on the baking rack to set. Place the white icing into a piping bag. Thinly pipe the icing into the shape of a menorah on the doughnut. Place a gold ball on top to act as the flame on the candle.
Tip: Feeling festive? Ice and decorate your donuts to fit the theme of your holiday party!
