PARTNER POST: Discover new ways to incorporate seasonal teas into your holiday cooking and desserts with Celestial Seasonings.
Making homemade donuts is easier than you think. These glazed beauties have a hint of gingerbread spice, thanks to the addition of tea, which is perfect for the holidays.
We’re hosting Christmas for a small crowd this year, so I’m in the process of dusting off not only my presents game but also my holiday decor, party food and general hostess games. That feels like a lot of games at once, doesn’t it? 
Is it becoming obvious why I need donuts in my life at this particular moment?
And something tells me I’m not alone here. Got a lot going on? Maybe grab a donut and a nice cup of tea, and let’s just put our feet up on the couch and chill for a few minutes.
Here are some things I bet you’ve thought a lot about recently: prioritizing the twelve-ity-teen items on your to-do list. What to have for dinner. Maybe some end-of-year charitable giving.
Here’s something I bet you haven’t thought about too much: putting tea in your food. I hate to give you one more thing to do, but I gotta say: you’re going to want to consider giving this a try. I think we all basically understand the magic of tea: it’s everything from a cozy hug to an Arnold Palmer to a veritable Indian Visa — whatever you need at the moment. But did you know it’s also a DONUT?
This recipe, which just tastes like a perfect little donut, has a little bit of Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice Tea steeped into both the batter (via the butter — a cool trick) and the glaze. And after you make the glaze, you’ll literally have a cup of tea waiting for you to drink with your donut. Call me middle-aged (despite my borderline absurd use of “literally,”) but that’s some pretty exciting stuff right there.
Psst…don’t worry. Making homemade donuts is not as big a deal as it might feel like. Not by a long shot, actually. I know deep frying can seem intimidating, but donuts are easy. I swear. And so very (very merry merry) worth it.
Want to try another fun recipe for the season? Check out this Candy Cane Tea Chocolate Bark! Recipe here.
Print
- Yield: 12 doughnuts & 12 doughnut holes 1x
Ingredients
For the donuts
- 1 bag Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice tea
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 cups safflower oil for frying
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons brewed Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice tea
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the donuts
- Snip open the tea bag and pour the contents into a small microwave-safe bowl (or a small pot if you’d prefer to use the stovetop). Add the butter and warm on medium heat until melted. Set aside to let the tea steep in the butter for five minutes. (You’ll strain out the tea solids later.)
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Into the center of the bowl, crack the eggs and pour the buttermilk. Strain the butter into the bowl through a tea strainer or small fine-mesh sieve. Using a fork, beat the eggs a bit and then gently incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet to form a rough dough. Don’t overmix or donuts will be tough.
- Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface. (I sometimes like to roll out dough on a nice big piece of parchment — flour the parchment if you go that route.) Place the dough on the work surface and knead just a few times to bring it all together. Lightly flour the top of the dough and a rolling pin, and roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 3 1/2-inch donut cutter with a 1-inch hole (or similarly sized cookie cutters, biscuit cutters or even an overturned water glass and shot glass) cut out as many donuts and holes as you can. Gather and re-roll the dough one time to make more donuts.
- In a Dutch oven or similar heavy pot with high sides, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. During cooking, adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature as best as possible. Fry donuts in batches, about three at a time depending on the size of your pot. It should take about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side until donuts are golden brown and cooked through. Some cracking on the top before you flip each donut is a good indication that the inside is nicely cooked. Cool donuts on a wire rack lined with paper towels.
For the glaze
- In a wide, shallow bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour in the tea and vanilla and stir until a nice smooth glaze forms. Dip the top of each donut into the glaze and return to rack. The glaze should dry within a few minutes. Serve donuts on the day you make them.
Notes
These lightly sweet, gently spiced treats are good old-fashioned cake-style donuts that you don’t need a special donut dropper to make. The dough comes together quickly and easily, so you can make a batch whenever the mood strikes during the holiday season. Use a candy/deep fry thermometer to monitor oil temperature and a spider strainer to flip and remove donuts from pot. Makes about 12 donuts and 12 donut holes.
- Category: Dessert
