I wasn’t sure if I was going to like these or not. Lemon can go either way for me. I love a good lemon pie but I’m not terribly fond of lemon cookies.
Donuts are a favorite treat of mine and I absolutely will eat them in any way shape or form. Dipped in chocolate? Yes. Stuffed with jam? Of course. Rolled in cinnamon sugar? 100%
So lemon with a lemon glaze? Also yes. Not my top flavor choice for a donut but I’ll put it in the top 10. It is bright and cheery and unique. If you are a lemon lover then I recommend giving these a try. I used a flower cookie cutter to make them even more cheerful but, of course, you can use a regular round one… or any shape for that matter! I used our Old Fashioned Jelly Donuts - Here as the base recipe but feel free to use your favorite plain donut recipe as a starting point.
Lemon Donuts with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
Donuts
One recipe Old Fashioned Jelly Doughnuts
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1 tsp lemon extract
Glaze
2 cups icing sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Directions
Prepare dough as per instructions (click link above if using ours). The only thing you will do differently is add in the zest and juice of a lemon, plus the lemon extract into the dough before the first rise.
After first rise, roll out dough, cut out and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. (I cut the parchment paper into individual pieces to make lifting them into the fryer even easier!
Let rise in warm place for another hour, until doubled in size.
Heat oil in large pot (or deep fryer) to 350 degrees.
Fry donuts 2 or 3 at a time - don’t overcrowd the pot as the oil temperature will drop lower.
Approximately one minute on each side, until a golden brown color.
Carefully remove from oil and place on wire rack or directly on paper towel, to drain excess oil.
Let cool completely on paper towel.
Prepare glaze by whisking together icing sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. It should be the consistency of glue. If it is too thin, add more icing sugar; if it is too thin add more lemon juice or a spoonful or two of milk.
Dip the tops of each donut into the glaze then place back on paper towel so excess can drip off.
Repeat until all donuts are dipped.
These are best eaten the day they are made but are okay the next day. If you want to make them ahead of time you can freeze them before applying the glaze. When you want to use them: let them thaw and then glaze them. They won’t be as quite as good as freshly made, but they will be tasty still.
One batch will yield 1 1/2 to 2 dozen donuts. You can easily half or double the recipe without affecting the results. The glaze is the star of the show with a strong lemon flavor. The donuts themselves are quite mild. If you want a stronger lemon flavor in the dough add the zest of another lemon.
Let us know if you give this recipe a try!
