Mini Eggnog Donuts

If you’re like me, you love eggnog this time of year.

But only like one glass. Maybe two at the most.

And if you’re like me, you’re also the only one in your household who likes eggnog. Which means that after said glass or two, you’re left with a whoooole lot of eggnog that is sure to go to waste.

My solution?

Eggnog donuts!

Naturally.

Let’s get one last super indulgent recipe in there before we eat all the green things and juice all the veggies and eat low-carb, low-fat for the next…three weeks? Hah.

The week between Christmas and New Years is like the last hoorah, and I LIVE IT UP. We spend a lot of days in our PJs and eating leftovers from Christmas, including all the cookies and other special baked goods. It is glorious. These donuts fit right in with that plan.

These donuts are ridiculous, in all the best ways. The dough itself is yeasted, which means that these fry up crazy fluffy and soft and will taste like the best damn fresh donuts you have ever had. I mean it. RIDICULOUS.

I flavor both the dough and the filling with eggnog, in an effort to use it all up! The result is lovely. The eggnog flavor is not overpowering at all, but it’s definitely there! My husband does not like eggnog, and he RAVED about how delicious these were.

I like to roll these in nutmeg sugar, to really drive home that eggnog theme. It was surprisingly addictive, and now I’m questioning if nutmeg sugar could live up there with cinnamon sugar in other recipes. It has the same spiced sweetness and crunchy texture, but with a little something different! Nutmeg has an almost woodsy, savory taste to me, and like I said, it surprised me just how much I enjoyed it in the sugar coating.

Like, it shouldn’t belong. But it does!

If you’re like me and loathe frying, please believe me when I say that these donuts are worth the effort. They are special, just like this time of year, and that is one way to convince me to haul out my jumbo size bottle of oil I keep just for such occasions.

They actually fry up quickly and if you use the right size pot, you don’t have to use a TON of oil. You just want something big enough with high enough sides for the frying to be safe. But if you use a smaller pot, you use less oil. This is how I roll with frying at home.

I urge you to try these out. Extend the holiday just a little bit longer!

They are worth every bite and EVERY calorie.

Mini Eggnog Donuts

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 24 mini donuts 1x

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Description

These Mini Eggnog Donuts are the perfect way to use up leftover eggnog from the holidays! A yeasted dough makes these fluffy and light and filled with the taste of the season.

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Ingredients

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For the Dough:

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 3¼ cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ cup eggnog
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 egg yolks
• Vegetable oil, for frying (roughly 4 cups)

For the Coating:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the Filling:

• ⅓ cup eggnog
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Tiny pinch of fine salt
• 3–4 cups powdered sugar

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Instructions

For the Dough:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, and salt in another bowl.
• Once the yeast mixture is foamy, stir in the milk, eggnog, egg yolks, and softened butter.
• Fit the machine with the dough hook and add in the flour mixture. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes, or until a soft, elastic ball of dough has formed. It should cleanly pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes.
• Spray your mixer bowl with nonstick spray (or lightly oil) and return the kneaded dough to the bowl.
• Cover with a towel and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
• Punch down the dough and then divide it into quarters. Cut each quarter into 6 small pieces.
• Roll each dough piece into small round balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that has been dusted lightly with flour.
• Cover the baking sheet with a towel and let the dough balls rise for another 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour the oil into a high-sided pot and fit it with a deep-fry thermometer. Heat the oil to 375°F.
• Carefully place 3-4 donuts into the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown.
• Transfer the donuts to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

For the Coating:

• In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the sugar and nutmeg.
• Roll the warm donuts in the sugar mixture to evenly coat.

For the Filling:

• Once the donuts have cooled, make the filling by beating together the eggnog, cream cheese, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Once the mixture is creamy and smooth, gradually add in the powdered sugar until the mixture is thick and fluffy, similar to a buttercream consistency.
• Put the filling in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
• Insert the tip of the piping bag into the side of each donut and gently and slowly squeeze the filling inside.
• Serve immediately. Donuts will keep, well wrapped at room temperature, for a couple days.

Notes

Dough adapted from here.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus 2 hours inactive rise time)
• Cook Time: 30 minutes