A crispy exterior with a soft and light interior all topped with a sweetened glaze, these are the best and easiest homemade French Crullers!
French Crullers | What are they?
A cruller is essentially a French donut made from a pastry dough called pâte à choux (this is the same dough used to make cream puffs and eclairs). This dough is then fried up to create a crispy exterior and light interior. You can top these with powdered sugar, cinnamon-sugar, or a glaze! We obviously opted for the glaze, I mean, look how gorgeous they came out? Anyways these are way easier and faster to make than a yeasted donut, so if you’ve never had a Cruller before, I highly encourage you to go and make these today!
Main Ingredients Needed
This cruller recipe calls for a pâte à choux pastry dough, basically a fancy French concoction made from 5 ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butter + Water – these two start out the dough with fat, flavor, and moisture.
- Flour + Salt – to that flour and salt are added to fill out the dough and for some flavor enhancement.
- Eggs – the eggs are added one by one and are used for structure and texture.
- Vegetable Oil – this light oil is used to fry this dough up! You could also use canola oil here. I would stay away from olive oil for this recipe.
For the Glaze
- Powdered Sugar – to sweeten and thicken the mixture.
- Milk – to thin out the glaze in order to get the consistency you want.
- Vanilla + Lemon Extract – both used to flavor. Feel free to leave out the lemon extract or replace it with an extract you prefer (rum, coconut, almond, etc.)
You could also opt out of glaze all together and top these babies with cinnamon-sugar or just plain powdered sugar!
How to Make French Crullers
For full details on how to make these amazing Crullers, see the recipe card down below 🙂
1. Make the Dough
In a small pot bring water and butter to a boil. Stir in flour and salt until combined. Remove from heat and cool for three minutes.
In a small bowl, crack your eggs (this ensures that no eggshells get into the dough). One by one mix eggs into the warm mixture until the batter is completely smooth.
2. Pipe + Freeze
Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large fluted tip. Pipe circles onto parchment paper-lined sheets. To achieve thicker crullers, pipe a circle twice over. Then freeze for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat Oil
In a large pot with high sides, pour enough vegetable oil in so it is at least 3 inches high. Heat oil between 325-350 degrees F.
4. Make the Glaze
While the oil is preheating make the glaze. Simply stir together all ingredients for it until it is smooth and runny (about the consistency of school glue). Too thick? Add more milk. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar.
5. Fry
One by one, drop, now frozen, crullers into the hot oil. Fry for 1 minute on each side or until lightly golden. Remove from oil and place onto a paper towel-lined plate to drip off any excess grease.
6. Glaze Crullers
Dip into or drizzle on the icing then place onto a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath it. After a little while any excess icing should have dripped off and the remaining glaze should have hardened onto the crullers. Serve immediately!
More Recipes to Try!
If you happen to make this recipe, we’d love to see it! Go ahead and tag us on Instagram @bestdessertrecipes.
Cheers, friends!
French Cruller Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- vegetable oil for frying
for the glaze-
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract optional
Instructions
- In a small pot bring water and butter to a boil. Stir in flour and salt until combined. Remove from heat and cool for three minutes.
- In a small bowl, crack your eggs (this ensures that no egg shells get into the dough). One by one mix eggs into the warm mixture until the batter is completely smooth.
- Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large fluted tip. Pipe circles onto parchment paper lined sheets. To achieve thicker crullers, pipe a circle twice over. Then freeze for 30 minutes.
- In a large pot with high sides, pour enough vegetable oil in so it is at least 3 inches high. Heat oil between 325-350 degrees F.
- While the oil is preheating make the glaze. Simply stir togehter all ingredients for it until it is smooth and runny (about the consistency of school glue). Too thick? Add more milk. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar.
- One by one, drop, now frozen, crullers into the hot oil. Fry for 1 minute on each side or until lightly golden. Remove from oil and place onto a paper towel lined plate to drip off any excess grease.
- Dip into or drizzle on the icing then place onto a cooling wrack with parchment paper underneath it. After about 40 minutes any excess icing should have dripped off and the remaining glaze should have hardened onto the crullers. Serve immediatley!
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