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There are two kinds of crullers: hand-twisted cake doughnuts, which are more akin to maple bars; and French crullers made with pâte à choux, which are lighter than air, with all sorts of nooks and crannies to hold onto their glaze. These strawberry cardamom crullers are the latter.
How to Make Strawberry Cardamom Crullers
To make these crullers, you start by making a basic choux pastry. Choux pastry is made on the stovetop by cooking flour, butter, and water (and sometimes milk) until a dough forms. The cooked dough is then cooled slightly before eggs are added. This is done using a stand mixer in my recipe, but you can easily do it by hand using a wooden spoon. The eggs transform the dough into something truly magical, making it glossy and smooth. The mixture is then piped into circles with a large open star pastry tip and fried immediately. There's no need to rest the dough.
To make the strawberry cardamom glaze, you start by making a simple coulis. Cooking the strawberries on the stove with a little bit of sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, releases their sweet, delicious juices. You then give that mixture a quick blend and cook til thickened, then stir in the cardamom and set it aside to cool. Then you'll mix some of the coulis with powdered sugar and a splash of milk until it's a proper glaze consistency. Talk about easy!
Crullers are delicious when glazed, and this strawberry cardamom glaze is UNREAL... but they're also tasty freshly fried, and simply tossed in cinnamon sugar.
Tips for Making Strawberry Cardamom Crullers
- Have an extra whisked egg on hand, as you want to add eggs until the batter is glossy and shiny, and sometimes this may mean you need some (or all) of the extra egg.
- Once you've piped your crullers, place them in the freezer while you wait for your oil to heat to the correct temperature. Just 10 minutes in the freezer will help them keep their defined ridges/shape.
- Fry more than one cruller at a time, as this will help your oil stay at temperature (as opposed to getting too hot), but don't overcrowd the pot.
Looking for more donut recipes? Check these out!
Chocolate-Stuffed Churro Donuts
Baked S'mores Donuts
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Vanilla Bean Honey Glazed Crullers
Strawberry Cardamom Crullers
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Cardamom Coulis:
- 225 g strawberries hulled & coarsely chopped
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
For the Crullers:
- 120 g milk
- 120 g water
- 85 g unsalted butter
- 15 g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 120 g all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs plus one extra whisked egg, if needed (see below)
- canola oil for frying
For the Strawberry Cardamom Glaze:
- 120 g powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon strawberry cardamom coulis
- 1½ teaspoon milk
Instructions
- Make the strawberry cardamom coulis: Combine the strawberries, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, until sauce slightly thickens, stirring often. Use an immersion blender to puree strawberry sauce. (If you don't have an immersion blender, use a regular blender or a food processor.) Remove from heat, stir in the cardamom, and allow to cool completely. (I place it in the refrigerator to cool down quicker.)
- Cut parchment paper into about sixteen 4x4-inch squares, set aside.
- Make the crullers: Place the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporated.
- Place the pan back over medium heat and continue to cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to steam away as much water as possible. (The more moisture you can remove, the more eggs you can add later and the lighter your pastry will be.) The mixture is ready when a thin film coats the bottom of the pan.
- Move the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for about 1 to 2 minutes to allow it to cool. Then mix on medium speed and add the first egg. Let it mix in completely and then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, and mix in completely until the paste becomes smooth and glossy. If the consistency is right, when you pull the paddle up the dough sticking to the paddle should hang down in a V shape ribbon that slowly breaks off. If your batter isn't the right consistency, add some of the additional whisked egg. Once your dough is the right consistency, transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
- Pipe circles onto the parchment paper squares, ending each with a little flick of your wrist and place on a baking sheet.
- Fry the crullers: Heat at least 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until a thermometer registers 360-370°F (180-190°C). Working in batches, place two crullers at a time into the oil paper side up. Remove the parchment paper with tongs. Fry on each side until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove fried crullers with tongs and drain on a paper towel. Repeat with the rest of the piped crullers.
- Make the strawberry cardamom glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, coulis, and milk together in a medium bowl until smooth and combined. Add more powdered sugar if the glaze is too thin or more milk if the glaze is too thick.
- Dip cooled crullers in glaze and set on a wire rack until the glaze has set.
Nutrition
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