The Best Homemade Glazed Donuts

Martin Luther King Day and the hospital gave us the day off, which I used to cook because what else would I use a day off for? Eduardo suggested a movie. A MOVIE. In January. When I could be in my kitchen making something beautiful. I looked at him and he said, Okay, never mind, and went to read the paper, and this is why our marriage works — Eduardo makes a suggestion, I reject it with a look, he retreats gracefully, nobody feelings are hurt, and I make pernil. This is partnership.

I used the day to make a batch of alcapurrias and freeze them. Alcapurrias freeze beautifully — you form them raw, freeze them on a sheet pan, then bag them, and when you want one you just drop it frozen into hot oil and fry until golden. Having frozen alcapurrias in your freezer is like having money in the bank — it is security, it is peace of mind, it is the knowledge that no matter what happens, you are twelve minutes and a pot of oil away from a hot, delicious meal.

Miguel Jr. called and told me he bought the ring. THE RING. For Jenny. He bought it and he is going to propose next month and he wanted me to know before anyone else because he is my firstborn and he knows that I need time to process large emotional information. I processed it. I cried. Then I called Rosa, who screamed. Then I called David, who said, Finally. Then I told Eduardo, who said, Good. Four reactions from four people I love. All different. All correct.

I am happy for Miguel Jr. I am. Jenny is a good woman. She eats my food. She brings apple cider now instead of box brownies. She has not once complained about the volume at my table, which is the volume of a stadium during a championship game, and she has survived two Thanksgivings and two Christmases, which is basically military training. She is ready. My son is ready. I am ready to have a daughter-in-law, even a gringa one, even one who brings potato salad to a Puerto Rican barbecue. Love is love. Food is food. The table has room.

Made habichuelas guisadas tonight. Red beans, slow-cooked with sofrito and ham hock and calabaza. Comfort food for a winter night, for a mother processing the news that her firstborn is about to start his own family. The beans cooked for three hours and the house smelled like Bayamon and I sat on the kitchen floor — yes, the floor, do not judge me — and I cried happy tears into my apron because my boy is getting married and I am going to feed them all, every day, forever. That is the plan. That is the promise.

I did not make habichuelas guisadas that night for the blog — that was just for me and the kitchen floor and my happy tears. But the next morning I woke up wanting to make something celebratory, something that felt like a Sunday when everyone was little and the house was full and the day had nowhere to be. Glazed donuts are that feeling for my family — my son used to drag a chair to the counter just to watch me cut the circles out of the dough. So here is what I made the morning after my baby told me he was getting married, because some news deserves more than beans, it deserves dough and glaze and twelve reasons to call everyone over.

Prep Time: 25 min + 1 hr 30 min rise | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 2 hr 15 min | Servings: 12 donuts

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one standard packet)
3/4 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fine salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying (about 4 cups)
For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Activate the yeast. Combine the warm milk, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir gently and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast is old — start again with a fresh packet.
Build the dough. Add the remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix on low with the dough hook to combine. Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing between additions, until a shaggy dough forms.
Add the butter. With the mixer running on medium-low, add the softened butter a few pieces at a time. Once incorporated, increase speed to medium and knead 6–8 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft, and pulls cleanly from the bowl sides. It will be slightly tacky but should not stick to your hands.
First rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
Cut the donuts. Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut donuts and a 1-inch cutter (or the cap of a bottle) to punch the holes. Re-roll scraps once. Place cut donuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced apart.
Second rise. Cover loosely with a towel and let rest 30 minutes. The donuts will puff noticeably but won’t double — that’s correct.
Heat the oil. Pour oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven to a depth of at least 2 inches. Heat over medium to 350–360°F. Use a thermometer — oil that is too cool makes greasy donuts; too hot burns them before they cook through.
Fry. Carefully lower 2–3 donuts into the oil at a time, working in batches to avoid crowding. Fry 60–75 seconds per side until deep golden. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Fry the donut holes 45–60 seconds total, turning once.
Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and pinch of salt until completely smooth. The glaze should be thin enough to coat a spoon but not watery. Add milk a teaspoon at a time to adjust.
Glaze while warm. Dip each donut face-down into the glaze, lift and let the excess drip off, then set glaze-side up back on the rack. Let set 5 minutes. For a thicker glaze, dip a second time once the first coat is set.

Nutrition (per serving)

The Best Homemade Glazed Donuts — Golden and Fried, for the Days That Fill Your Heart