Pumpkin Spice Latte Mochi Donuts
Guess it's officially fall now that the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) Mochi Donuts have come out to play. I mean, if I recall correctly, Graham (over at Glazed & Confused) said that "Starbucks has become the lawmaking authority when it comes to the changing seasons" and I have to agree that they've got fall on lockdown with their PSLs. It doesn't feel like it's really fall until you've had your first PSL, even though they don't even have real pumpkin in them--no judgment--swear. Well, it's already October and we're still hitting triple digits in the middle of Southern California and I still haven't had my PSL!! So, to remedy this issue, I took things into my own hands and whipped up these little cuties.
If you ever had andagi or poi andagi (Okinawan donuts) these are kinda like that but not really. They're kind of the texture of extra dense and sticky butter mochi but then again not really. These are in their own category, the Pumpkin Spice Latte Mochi Donuts category. And since I don't believe in false advertisement, yes, they really do have pumpkin in them!! This is part of the reason they're so dense. So don't walk into these thinking you're going to be getting soft little pillows of mochi. They're not that. They're like the more robust, rugby playing sister to the donut. And according to Moses, they're "dense, chewy, tasty PSL donuts." Take from that what you will.
A couple notes on these little donuts. Invite your friends and fam over when you decide to fry them up. These really only last three to five hours max. So consider yourself challenged, and honestly, it shouldn't be much of a challenge. I lost count of the number of times Moses said, "Oh, ok, just one more." Also, when you're rolling them out, don't think pie crust, think, thick Hokkaido milk bread slices (see Cynthia's post on Food 52 on how to make your own). I made the mistake of making a few of mine a little thinner than I would of liked, but oh well, lesson learned and passed on to all of you! Finally, I highly recommend you prepare yourself to eat a handful of these. I may have eaten a couple or five little donut holes.
In other donut news, did anyone else hear about the release of the official at-home cronut recipe, straight from Dominique Ansel himself?! Who's making it--I'm inviting myself over for day three when you do. It takes THREE days to make them. Makes you feel better about standing in that line for hours on end right?! Not really, though huh. That brings me to my next point, which is that I just learned that in order to pre-order the cronut (to avoid that long line), one needs to hop on Ansel's site and place that pre-order at precisely 11 am on the Monday that falls two weeks before the date you're looking to pre-order. So basically, while I was hoping to finally try a cronut next week, while we're in NYC, sadly, that's not happening because I'm not a big line waiter. Can't do it. Maybe three days doesn't seem so bad after all...if anyone attempts the cronut at home, please report results to me!!
INGREDIENTS
STARTER-DOUGH
- 1/4 c. mochiko flour
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. pure pumpkin puree
- 2 Tbsp. whole milk
MOCHI-DOUGH
- 1 3/4 c. mochiko flour (plus more for dusting surface)
- 1/2 c. whole milk
- 1/4 c. pure pumpkin puree
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ginger
- 1/8 tsp. cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. all spice
- Canola oil (for frying)
ESPRESSO GLAZE
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ginger
- 1/8 tsp. cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. all spice
- 1/4 c. hot espress
WHITE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
- 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
TOOLS
- Donut cutter (I used a 2 3/4" x 1 1/4" cutter)
- Stand mixer
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Deep frying pot (or cast iron dutch oven)
- Microwave proof bowls
- Rolling pin
- Oil thermometer
- Wire cooling rack
- Paper towels
- Whisk
- Piping bag or spoon (optional)
FIX
- Make your starter dough by mixing 1/4 c. mochiko flour, 1 1/2 Tbsp. pure pumpkin puree, and 2 Tbsp. whole milk together in a microwave proof bowl. Microwave on high for 20 second intervals, stirring between each interval until the dough is cooked through. You shouldn't microwave for more than 1 minute. Set starter dough aside and cool for at least 5 min.
- While starter dough is cooling, combine 1 3/4 c. mochiko flour, 1/2 c. of milk, 1/4 c. pure pumpkin puree, melted butter, granulated sugar, egg, spices, and baking powder in the bowl of your stand mixer. Attach dough hook and stir on low for 1 minute.
- Add cooled starter dough and knead mixture (on low) until everything comes roughly together.
- Adjust speed to medium and continue to knead until the dough is comes together completely. It should be wet and somewhat sticky but not wet enough to stick to your hand completely when you touch it.
- Scrape dough onto a surface that has been lightly dusted with mochiko flour. Roll dough out until it is 1/2" thick. Flour your cutter and cut out as many donuts as possible, separating holes as you go. Gather scraps and knead into a ball and repeat the process. I cut out 18 donuts (+ 18 donut holes).
- Fill frying-pot, fitted with thermometer, with 1 1/2" of canola oil and heat on medium-high heat to bring the oil to 330ºF/165ºC, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Being careful not to crowd pot, gently drop a few donuts into the oil. They will sink to the bottom and eventually back up. Fry for a 3-5 minutes on each side or until donuts have puffed up and are golden brown colored. Transfer to cooling rack lined with paper towels to drain.
- Mix 2 1/2 Tbsp. of melted unsalted butter with powdered sugar, and spices, then whisk 1/4 c. hot espresso. Don't add all the espresso if you want a thicker glaze. Dip donuts into the glaze and set on cooling rack to dry.
- Heat white chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl for 20 second intervals being careful not to over heat chocolate. Drizzle over glazed donuts with spoon or using a piping bag.
- Serve and enjoy within a few hours!