Ella’s Holiday Recipe: Sufganiyot

From crispy potato latkes to dark chocolate gelt, Hanukkah has plenty of delicious foods to offer, but sufganiyot tops them all. Sufganiyot are jelly doughnuts topped with a generous amount of powdered sugar. I can say with certainty that my Hanukkah experience would not be the same without these delicious delicacies. Every Jewish family has a different approach to making sufganiyot, but here’s a great recipe from AllRecipes:

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• ½ cup drained cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions: 

1. Dissolve the yeast and 2 tablespoons white sugar in the warm milk.
2. Sift flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, egg yolks, salt, nutmeg, butter, and remaining sugar. Stir flour into center. Once combined, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is elastic. Cover and let dough rise overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Cover and let rise for about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl combine the cottage cheese, egg, 3 tablespoons white sugar, and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
5. Form dough rounds into a ball and insert about 2 teaspoons of cheese filling into each of the rounds.
6. In a heavy pot, pour in oil to about the 2 1/2 inch mark. Heat to 375° F (190° C). Drop sufganiyot (doughnuts) into the oil in batches, turning when browned. Drain on paper towels and roll in confectioners’ sugar.