Let me paint a most delicious picture for you (be prepared to drool)…
We were walking around the Bite of Seattle and came across a malasadas food truck. When Emily and her mom saw it they got very excited! I, not having ever had them before, was confused why we were so excited about these small, quite expensive doughnuts.
Then I bit into one.
Suddenly I understood why they had been so passionate. I then wondered how I, a doughnut lover, could have missed this wonderful gem while I was in Hawaii. As I stood contemplating never having had these before, everyone else ate the rest of the malasadas. We then decided, mostly because I was too cheap to buy another half dozen, that I would make these as a recipe for the blog. That way we would have plenty and if we ran out before I was satiated I could just make some more!
We decided to make our photo batch for a family party that we were having. The main purpose of the get-together was to plan a trip to Hawaii and discuss the particulars of it. This was to be the desert and since we were making them, why not take the photos too?
It turns out that taking photos on the day of a family party, which is happening at your house, is a terrible idea. When we take our photos almost everything in the house is subject to being a prop or to being a support for the photo boards and props. This does not make for the best family party setup. After a couple of hours of stressing about it, we decided to wait until later to do the shoot. It actually ended up being a great thing we did because while the ‘malasadas’ I made that night were good they evolved so much in the attempts after the party.
The thing that I love the most about homemade malasadas, aside from the fact that I can make 6 dozen for the price of 6 at a fair, is that I can also add in flavor to the dough and sugar. I added wild orange to this batch and it was amazing! It tasted so tropical, add the passion fruit dipping sauce and you are immediately sitting on the beach in Hawaii. This was added to by the fact that I kept spilling sugar out of my shaking bag and it felt like I was walking on sand in my kitchen.
My biggest lesson in this recipe was to not make the punch dough style malasadas other people talked about. This led to a doughnut hole-style desert and the flavor and texture were off. Rather rolling it out and cutting it into messy squares did the trick. This brought a much more true-to-Hawaii style and made a better sugar-to-dough distribution when shaking. After all, we eat the doughnuts for the sugar ratio, right?
This tasty treat is definitely going to become a favorite for parties because it is quick (relatively), easy, and delicious. Plus, I get tons of compliments on the malasada and the dipping sauce so my vanity is appeased by making these too!
You can also make the dough ahead of time (I usually make 4 batches out of the recipe below, use one and freeze the other three separately for later) and freeze it for when you have parties coming up. That way it is a simple defrost, roll, fry, and serve!
Wild Orange Malasadas with Lilikoi Lime Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 6 eggs
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dried coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup baking powder
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 cups white sugar
- 10 drops doTERRA wild orange essential oil*
Lilikoi Lime Dipping Sauce
- 1 (11.5oz) can of lilikoi passion fruit sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 7 drops doTERRA lime essential oil
Instructions
- Proof the yeast by combining yeast, 1 tsp granulated sugar, and warm water in a little bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs separately until thickened (don’t go all the way to meringue though!)
- Put remaining dry ingredients (except 2 cups sugar, that is for your delicious coating) in a bowl and mix together evenly – flour, sugar, coconut flake, salt, and baking powderAdd melted butter and coconut milk and mix until it is a shaggy dough – I do this in the kitchen aid with the paddle attachment. Turn out of the bowl onto a floured counter and knead until elastic and shiny. Refrigerate overnight (or until doubled in size) in a sealed bowl. Allow to warm to room temperature, roll to ¼ inch thickness and cut into 3×3 inch squares. Heat frying oil and once it is hot enough that water sizzles when flicked in add the squares one by one. Fry until golden brown on both sides and then drain for a moment on paper towels.
- Toss in wild orange sugar (add the oil to the sugar and shake to combine) and allow to cool for a minute.
- Serve warm with dipping sauce.
Lilikoi Lime Dipping Sauce
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the lilikoi juice, lime juice and sugar to a boil. Turn the heat to low and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture is clear, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Once done, take the simple syrup off the heat and stir in the drops of lime essential oil. Let the sauce cool completely.
Notes
