Hanukkah Honey Puffs Recipes

LOUKOUMATHES: HONEY PUFFS

Steps:

• Sift the flour with the baking powder into a bowl.
• Add sugar, oil (or butter or margarine), milk, and the egg, and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth.
• Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a saucepan or deep frying pan to just below the smoke point (medium to medium-high on most stoves).
• When the oil is hot, drop the batter by the small teaspoonful into the oil and fry until golden on all sides.
• Drain on paper toweling.
• Get enough dough on your spoon to equal the size of a unshelled almond.
• Keep a small bowl of cold water next to the workspace and dip finger before pushing batter into the oil (to keep batter from sticking).
• Place on serving platter and drizzle with honey.
• Dust with walnuts and cinnamon, and serve.

LOUKOUMADES

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. In a large bowl, mix the warm milk, sugar, and salt, and mix to dissolve. Pour the yeast mixture into the milk mixture, and stir to combine.
• Beat in the butter, eggs, and flour until the mixture forms a smooth, soft dough. Cover the bowl, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Stir the dough well, cover, and let rise 30 more minutes.
• Mix honey and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the honey syrup cool.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil should be about 2 inches deep.
• Place a large table or soup spoon in a glass of water near the batter. Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of dough per puff with the wet spoon, drop it into the wet palm of your hand, and roll it back into the spoon to create a round shape. Do not overhandle the puffy, soft dough. Drop the dough balls into the hot oil in batches, wetting the spoon each time you make a dough ball. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown on the bottom, and roll them over to cook the other side, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Gently set the loukoumades aside to drain on paper towels.
• Place the loukoumades on a baking sheet, drizzle them with honey syrup, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm.

HANUKKAH HONEY PUFFS

Steps:

• For the batter, mix together the yeast, 1/2 c of warm water, and the sugar. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes or until it is foamy. Stir in the remaining batter ingredients, including water, until smooth. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let batter rise for 1 hour.
• While the batter rises prepare the honey syrup. Mix all ingredients together in a large saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Lower the heat and boil the syrup for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• When the batter has risen, stir it down. Heat oil, about 1 1/2 inches deep, in a large pan until it is very hot, about 375 degrees. Dip a teaspoon into the oil, and then use the spoon to scoop up some batter and gently slide batter into the oil. The batter will quickly puff up to almost twice its original size. Continue making puffs but do not crowd the pan. Turn puffs with a slotted spoon until they are browned on all sides and very crisp.
• Drain them on paper towels or a wire rack, then drop them into the cooled syrup to coat. Let the excess syrup drain off. Sprinkle the puffs with cinnamon and serve immediately.

LOUKOUMADES (HONEY PUFFS)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl combine milk, flour and brandy.
• Beat until batter is thick and bubbly.
• Fill a large heavy pan with oil to a depth of at least 2". If possible it is better to use an electric deep fryer or electric fry pan because of the constant controlled temperature.
• Heat the oil to 375-400*. Work in a well ventilated room.
• Drop batter from teaspoon or tablespoon into hot oil.
• Dip spoon in cup of cold water each time before dipping in batter so batter will not stick to spoon.
• Fry 4-5 loukoumades at a time turning often until puffed and golden on all sides. The frying process usually takes 2-4 minutes.
• Remove from oil and drain in colander or in bowl lined with paper towels.
• Heat honey and 2 Tblsp. of water in a saucepan.
• To serve, arrange hot Loukoumades on a platter and pour hot honey over each one. Sprinkle with cinnamon. If desired, sprinkle with chopped walnuts.Serve hot and immediately.
• Left over cooked dry Loukoumades may be wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil and frozen. When ready to use, defrost completely, place uncovered on ungreased baking sheet and heat through in preheated moderate oven. Serve with honey, cinnamon and finely chopped walnuts as above.

HONEY PUFFS, GREEK: LOUKOUMADES

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in a little lukewarm water, mix flour and salt in a bowl and slowly add yeast mixture being sure to mix well.
• Slowly add more warm water until you have a medium paste. Cover the bowel with a clean cloth and stand in warm water for about 1 hour. The batter should have doubled in size and formed "bubbles".
• Heat oll and add teaspoonfuls of the batter to the oil, cook until they turn golden brown.
• Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper while making the syrup.
• Syrup: boil the honey, sugar, water and cinamom for 10 minutes. Pour the syrup over the honey puffs/ loukoumades and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon powder. Serve hot.

LOUKOUMADES

Steps:

• Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water and stir to dissolve.
• Add yeast mixture to flour and beat or knead 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let rise 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
• Heat oil for deep fat frying.
• Pinch off small pieces of dough and fry in hot oil about 3 min until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels and keep warm.
• In a saucepan, combine the honey thru lemon juice and bring to a boil.
• Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves and mixture is syrupy.
• Pour over hot puffs and sprinkle with cinnamon.

HONEY PUFF

Steps:

• Combine cream cheese, flour, milk, eggs, honey, vanilla, salt, and baking powder in a blender and process on high for 3-4 minutes or until well blended.
• Heat the butter in a 10-inch baking pan at 375 degrees until melted. Swirl to coat pan.
• Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. (the puff will rise and fall like a souffle).
• Sprinkle baked puff with powdered sugar.