Freshly frying up a batch of these doughnuts is one of my absolute favorite ways to spoil my guests. , Without all the kneading, waiting, rolling, and so on, this is an easy treat for a host to put together at the last minute, and also makes a great group activity—it won’t be hard to find recruits to get in on the punching, frying, and glazing action.
Yields about a dozen doughnuts plus the holes
Vegetable oil
1/3 cup almond milk
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon lavender buds
2 tubes, non-hydrogenated biscuit rolls
Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
Fill a Dutch oven, large cast iron skillet, or other large heavy-bottomed skillet with high sides with enough oil to reach 1⁄2-inch up the sides. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350°F on a candy or deep-fat thermometer.
Whisk together the almond milk, confectioners’ sugar, and lavender buds in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and steep the glaze for 10 minutes.
Strain the glaze through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.
Open the biscuit tins and separate the pieces of dough. Using a 1-inch sized cutter, punch out the middle of each round of dough. If you don’t have a cutter, you can use a plastic bottle cap or an apple corer.
Line a plate with 3 sheets of paper towels. Working in batches, fry the doughnuts and holes until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Chopsticks are great for turning the doughnuts!
Drain the doughnuts on the paper towels. Dip them in the glaze and set them on the prepared wire rack to drip dry. Serve immediately.
Chop Secret:
If you don’t have an oil thermometer, use one of the doughnut holes as a test. If it sinks the oil isn’t hot enough, if browns too quickly, lower the oil and wait for it to cool down a bit.
