Classic French Crullers with a scrumptious Fall twist and drizzled with a Drippy Honey and Spice Glaze.
French Crullers aka my favorite donuts of all time are back. And this time bursting with fall flavors and dripping with a finger-licking glaze.
It had to be done. Saturday morning was the picture-perfect fall day. The sun was shining in all its brilliance, crisp air smelled wonderful, and I was holding a freshly steeped cup of tea. The only thing missing… a donut, of course. My sweet hubby didn’t have to ask twice to hold one of them in his hands.
Oh, I should probably stop and apologize for already having two recipes with the words pumpkin spice on here. This early in the season. And in a row. Sawy! I seriously wasn’t planning any of this, but it happened, and it was absolutely dreamy. Can’t get enough! A fair warning – we have only just begun, but I’ll make sure to have lots of variety for you guys in the next couple of weeks as well.
Will you indulge me for another couple of minutes though? I promise it’s worth it ;).
Said cup of tea is actually responsible for today’s recipe. French crullers are made with a pâte à choux, which is a fancy word for a very light and soft dough. An essential ingredient used in making the dough is water. You probably guessed by now that I used some of my tea to create these crullers.
On a rare trip to the mall last week, I couldn’t help but stop by Teavana and sample their new teas fit for fall. One of the teas I ended up leaving the store with was their Pumpkin Spice Brulée. As a tea and pumpkin lover I really had no other choice. It is seriously so yummy and totally transforms traditional crullers into something more than amazing! I have seen plenty of new teas popping up all over the grocery stores too, so you could totally pick up something that catches your eye there instead of going to a specialty tea store.
Let’s not forget about the glaze though. In my books, tea and honey go hand in hand together. So why not add some naturally sweet goodness to a drippy glaze that will slightly soak into your crullers and create one spectacular breakfast experience! I added pumpkin pie spice as well, like I said, I am powerless these days.
Yep, these are definitely my Saturday morning love language. And Sunday, and Monday, and, okay I’ll stop now.
Anyhoo, after a weekend filled with good food, family, friends and worship (I went to a great concert at our church last night), I am more than ready to tackle another week.
Make it a good one, friends!
- 1 cup freshly brewed tea (I used Teavana's Pumpkin Spice Brulée tea and let it steep 2 minutes longer than directed for a stronger taste)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, optional
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
- canola oil for frying
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1. In a saucepan, stir together tea, butter, sugar and salt (and pumpkin spice, if using). Bring to a rapid boil and stir in all of the flour. Continue cooking over medium-high heat and keep stirring. Mixture will be ready once a thin film starts to form over the bottom of the pan. The longer you can cook the mixture, the lighter your crullers will be. Just be careful not to burn the dough.
- 2. Transfer the dough to the bowl of your electric mixer and with the paddle attachment, stir it for a minute or two. Add first egg and stir until completely incorporated. Repeat with second and third egg. Finally, stir in egg whites and mix to combine. Dough should be smooth and glossy.
- 3. Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan until it reaches 350 degrees F. Cut out 12 parchment paper squares (about 3x3 inches). Spray lightly with cooking spray.
- 4. Fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with the dough. Pipe a ring of dough onto each individual square or onto the lined baking sheet.
- 5. Line a plate with paper towels and place next to the saucepan containing the oil. Place one or two crullers at a time into the oil, paper side up. Remove parchment paper from the hot oil using kitchen tongs. Fry crullers two minute per side, remove from the oil and place onto prepared paper towel-lined plate to get rid of excess oil. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool. Repeat with remaining crullers.
- 6. While the crullers are cooling, prepare the glaze. Combine all of the ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Drizzle glaze over crullers while still slightly warm. Enjoy!
- French Crullers are best enjoyed on the same day, but can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Holy wow. These are amazing! They look so fancy, so professional, and so DELICIOUS! I love Teavana, it’s one of those things where I’m like, why am I paying so much for tea? But then I taste and yes, that’s why. It’s so stinkin’ good. I am so jealous of your fall weather, it’s still 105 in LA, gross! Thanks for sharing, pinned!
Wow – 105 degrees? We didn’t even break 90 degrees this year. You definitely deserve a donut :). Thank you so much, Meggan!!
Wow, these crullers look amazing, Kathi! Love the flavor combination! And that glaze sounds incredible! Pinned!
Thank you so much, Gayle!
Not only do they look delicious — They are very tasty!!! So proud of my granddaughter’s talent!!!!
Thanks, Grandma. I am so glad I got to share them with you ;).
These look soooooo good!! I want a plate of these and the Pumpkin Spice Brulée tea!!! delicious!!
Thanks, Alice. Yes, having a cruller alongside the tea is absolutely amazing!!
These are seriously a work of art! Want to open up a donut shop next-door to me?
Ha! I wish ;). Thanks, Erin!!!
Oh. Man. These look amazing! I haven’t started baking with pumpkin yet, but I’m going to have to change that after seeing this recipe!
Thank you so much, Amanda. Good job for holding out so long 😉
Hi, I think I loved one of your recipes before but here I am again because this looks amazing!! I was hoping I could get your permission to post the recipe on my instagram recipe page (@foodie_recipes) as it looks delicious! I will tag you in the photo and put your website address on the post! Hope this is okay, thanks 🙂 x
Thanks so much, Olivia! Feel free to share this and any other recipes you like :).
Love any dessert that is french related but I have never eaten/made crullers before. You have definitely inspired me to recreate the recipe, they look delicious!
I do too, Thalia. Hope you give them a try – they’re so yummy!
Pumpkin spice brulee? Heck yes! I have got to look for that tea and enjoy it with a plate of these crullers! They look amaaaazing lady! Love these – pinning 🙂
The tea tastes incredible – I am clearly smitten ;). Crullers and a cup of tea are a must! Thank you so much, Kelly!!
Oh my heavens!! These crullers look amazing!! I want to lick off that icing right off the screen!!
Haha. Thanks for making me laugh! You are the best, Renee!
These are definitely my love language too Kathi 🙂 Pure fall bliss in my opinion. Pinned and sharing on FB! Have a great week!
Thank you, Trish. They definitely helped me accept the fact that fall is here 😉
These look so good!!
Thank you, Ami!
Crullers are one of my all time favorites too! Love your twist on the classic version. Looks amazing!
Thank you so much, Katie and thanks for stopping by 😉
What size Star tip do you use?
I used a Wilton 1M. Thanks for asking!
Oh my gosh! These look perfect! I am more of a coffee drinker, but I will make an exception for these! Can’t wait to try them out this weekend!
Thank you so much, Sofia! Hope you enjoy 😉
These look amazing… dying here!!! Pinning to try soon!
Thank you so much, Julie! You are the best!
I love your blog and the amazing fall recipes! I love fall and pumpkin and spicy desserts. Keep up all the hard work to create this wonderful blog. I look forward to keeping up with all the new recipes. Julie
Thank you so much, Julie. I really appreciate your comment – people like you make this blogging adventure so much fun!
Oh my gosh these look amazing! All that glaze is triggering my sweet tooth!
Ha! Thank you so much, Leah!
Pingback: Time to Sparkle #79
Pingback: Time to Sparkle Link Party #79 | The Recipe Critic
Wow, wow, wow these look fantastic! I can almost taste that chewy dough… With a pumpkin twist it just sends it over the top (in a good way)! Followed over from Time to Sparkle Link Party!
Thanks so much for coming over, Veronica! And thanks for your sweet comment!
Teavana tea is the best and I love that you incorporated it into this lovely cruller! Your pictures are just stunning and the honey glaze looks divine. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for stopping by! It was just a matter of time before tea made its way into food :).
These seriously look unbelievable! I can’t stand it and I need these in my life. Pinned!
Thank you so much, Jocelyn. Hope you give them a try sometime!
These look crazy good!!! Pinned! 🙂
Thank you, Jill!
Kathi, I am over the MOON about these fabulous crullers! Seriously–I am not a soft donut fan at all but these are everything I need right now. Thank you for sharing these–I’m tweeting and Pinning them asap! Cheerios–have a great weekend, lovely!
Pingback: Monthly Mixer- September
Pingback: Friday Wallflavourites: Edition 16 | Wallflour Girl
Pingback: Doughnut FRYday - Roundup - Guilty Kitchen
What size star tip?
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Kathi :D. You are awesome!
My daughter loved it, though she does not have a sweet tooth. The recipe is good and I will try it few more times. The trickiest part is putting the crullers into the pan and then removing the parchment paper, managed it somehow but will master it soon!
I made these for dinner and they are fantastic! Thanks for sharing your recipe
These look amazing! Thank you.
I love your blog and the amazing fall recipes! I love fall and pumpkin and spicy desserts. Keep up all the hard work to create this wonderful blog. I look forward to keeping up with all the new recipes. Julie
Oh wow, these look amazing! I MUST try them this coming weekend. Thank you for the recipe even though mine will never come out as good as yours.
Yummy! I always love dessert recipe and this one is totally wonderful! Especially when it has tea flavor, I think it will make it tastes very special and hard to be bored with. Pumpkin and honey will add to it the sweet taste that everyone loves. For me, I will add some maple syrup, my favorite flavor, to strength its taste. Thank you very much for sharing!
These look amazing! I can’t wait to bake these and serve to friends and family this weekend. Thanks for great recipe
I was drooling the entire time I read this post! I just stumbled upon this post today linked from another blog and it’s absolutely perfect timing. Nothing will warm my husband’s heart more than a warm cruller on a cool Fall morning. You take such beautiful pictures too, you should be a food photographer. 🙂
Hey I am so happy I found your web site, I really found you by mistake, while I was searching on Bing for something else,
Anyways I am here now and would jus like to say many thaznks for a
marvelous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love tthe theme/design), I don’t
have tijme to read through it all at the moment but I have
bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I wjll be bacck to read muchh more, Please do keep up
the fantastic work.
That looks delicious! The Honey Drip makes it glazy and healthy! I love honey and yeah! The Honey and Tea goes together in my books too!
Cheers!