Emoji Donuts

A classic donut recipe filled with vanilla cream and decorated with royal icing to look like emoji faces!

Makes 5 to 6 donuts

Things you'll need

Ingredients Dough
  • 3/4 cup warm milk
  • 1 packet active dry yeast
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ vanilla bean
Filling
  • 1 box vanilla pudding mix
  • 2 cups cold milk
Icing
  • Powdered sugar
  • Lemon juice
  • Yellow food coloring
Equipment
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Hand mixer
  • Rubber spatula
  • Whisk
  • Dry pastry brush
  • Rolling pin
  • Cookie cutter ring
  • Candy thermometer
  • Spider
  • Baking sheet lined with paper towels
  • Skewers
  • Decorating bag fitted with a #2A tip
  • Black and red royal icing in decorating bags fitted with #2 tips
  • Small paintbrush
  • Pink luster dust
  • Frying oil

Let's get started!

  1. In a small bowl, mix warm milk, yeast and sugar and allow to sit for 10 minutes to activate.
  2. In a large bowl, combine yeast mixture, egg yolks, butter, vanilla bean, and almond extract. Mix until well combined.
  3. Slowly mix in flour, and then add salt half way through adding flour.
  4. Once all the flour is mixed in, knead for a few minutes.
  5. Place dough into a greased bowl and allow to sit until it has doubled in size.
  6. Place rested dough into a floured surface and carefully form it into a flat disc.
  7. Use a ring cookie cutter to cut out 5 or 6 donuts. Cover the donuts with a towel and let them rest about 10 minutes.
  8. Heat oil to 350°F, keeping track of the temperature with a candy thermometer.
  9. When the donuts have set for about 10 to 15 minutes, place them in the hot oil.
  10. Fry a few minutes on each side and then use a spider to place each donut onto a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Allow to cool.
  11. Combine pudding mix with 2 cups of cold milk and mix until well combined. Use a #2A tip to fill donuts with vanilla cream (PICTURE at 4:45).

Time to decorate!

  1. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice and whisk until desired consistency (PICTURE at 4:25). Use food coloring to dye the icing yellow.
  2. Pipe Emoji faces onto each donut using red and black royal icing (PICTURE at 5:27).
Rosanna Pansino makes Emoji Donuts Emoji Donuts Emoji Donuts

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