These Red Velvet Donuts with Glaze are made from scratch and have a hint of cocoa and vanilla.
I love to enjoy Red Velvet year round, but Valentine’s Day practically requires that something red velvet be made. I like to have fun with Valentine’s Day breakfast and this year I am planning ahead of time. Last year we had Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Drizzle. Pancakes are my favorite and I totally devoured them.
This year I want to do donuts so I tried out a recipe from a cookbook I got for Christmas The Red Velvet Lover’s Cookbook: Best-Ever Versions for Everything Red Velvet, with More than 50 Scrumptious Sweets and Treats
. This is actually the first time I’ve eaten a red velvet donut so I can’t compare them to others, but I thought they were pretty darn good. My kids remarked that they taste kind of like funnel cake. 
These Red Velvet Donuts are fried, not baked. It’s a day for indulgences isn’t it? 
They are covered in a sweet glaze, but now I am wishing I had made a cream cheese frosting for them. Red velvet is kind of naked without cream cheese.
But regardless, won’t your kids think Red Velvet Donuts are a real treat for Valentine’s Day?
Red Velvet Donuts with Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 packages active dry yeast, (1/4-ounce)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon red liquid food color
- Vegetable oil
Glaze
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Stir the yeast into the warm water and let sit for 5 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine milk, sugar, and salt. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat in eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Beat in shortening and 2 cups of flour.
- In a small bowl, stir together cocoa powder and food coloring to make a paste.
- Add food coloring paste to dough and mix well.
- Keep adding flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough begins to pull away from sides of bowl.
- Switch to a dough hook and knead dough for 5 to 8 minutes, until soft but not sticky.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turning dough to coat it in oil.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until it doubles in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Fill a Dutch oven with about 2 inches of oil and heat to 350 degrees.
- Cut dough into four pieces, and working 1 piece at a time, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter and a small round cutter to cut donuts. You can use the small round cutter to make more donut holes out of the scraps.
- Carefully slide a few donuts into the oil. Fry for 35 to 45 seconds and then flip over. Cook the second side about 30 seconds and then place on a rack or a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
- For glaze, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Drizzle glaze on top of dounuts.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: The Red Velvet Lover’s Cookbook: Best-Ever Versions for Everything Red Velvet, with More than 50 Scrumptious Sweets and Treats
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Christin– thanks so much for sharing, these look beautiful! We’re so glad you’re enjoying Deborah’s book! 🙂
These red velvet donuts are gorgeous, Christin! I love the bright red and the glaze looks incredible! These are perfect for Valentine’s Day!
This is so gorgeous. You seriously knocked this out of the park.
What a great idea for Valentine’s Day. Love them.
Red velvet is perfect for Valentine’s Day! These donuts look amazing, Christin! And I love that glaze, too. Gorgeous!
I welcome a yummy, yeasty, fried delicious red velvet donut! These look amazing!! 🙂
These are so beautiful! I love how bright these donuts are and the glaze on top looks perfect. These would be cute for Valentine’s Day breakfast or even dessert. Pinned 🙂
Holy cow those look amazing! Never would have thought of making red velvet doughnuts. They look fantastic! 😀
#drool
This is an awesome twist to red velvet cake. What a perfect Valentine’s Day breakfast!