We’re still waiting on Dave’s new job. Still in a holding pattern. Frozen in place. Luckily we have some amazing friends and they happily made the drive out to our little oasis for New Years eve. We had a full house, filled with laughter & happiness. There is not a whole lot more I could want.

And! My oliebollen turned out perfect. Hot, fluffy, crispy on the outside, apple pieces cooked and so, so delicious:

Homemade Oliebollen (with apple)

Oliebollen are traditional Dutch doughnuts we have every New Years Eve. I usually make them plain, and appleflappen (deep fried apple rings) on the side, but with a full house I put apple bits in the Oliebollen and they were phenomenal!

It’s mean of me to rave incessantly about mouth-watering Oliebollen, so, without further ado, my much tweaked & practiced recipe:

Toiny’s Oliebollen Recipe:

Ingredients
 1 teaspoon sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast (instant/2 packets)
4 cups/400 grams flour (all-purpose)
1/4 cup/50 grams sugar (white)
1 large eggs
1 cup/250 ml warm milk
1 beer (I prefer hefeweizen)
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups/2 liters oil (vegetable or sunflower)

Directions

  • Mix 1 teaspoon white sugar into 1c. warm milk (I microwave for 1 minute, if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot).
  • Sprinkle the yeast on top wait 5-10 minutes (if the yeast doesn’t bubble, discard and buy new yeast. The yeast is no longer active), mix milk & yeast just before adding to flour.
  • Sift all the flour and 1/4 cup/50 grams white sugar in a large bowl.
  • Make a well in the middle. Add 1 egg, beat, mix into flour.
  • Add beer.
  • Add yeast and milk.
  • DO NOT ADD SALT YET. SALT INHIBITS YEAST GROWTH.
  • Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour. Longer is fine. Mine has sat for hours.
  • Once the dough has doubled, stir in the salt.

Note: If desired, just before frying & serving chop up an apple or two into very small pieces (1 cm by 1 cm or so). Stir into dough. I like apples that are hard & sourish. My favorite is Pink Lady apples.

Fry and Serve the Oliebollen
Heat the oil in a large, deep pan, I use my stock pot, or in a deep fryer. To check whether the oil is at the right temperature, hold a piece of bread into the oil, dip in just a corner. If little bubbles form around it, the oil is ready.

You will need two tablespoons to form and handle the dough, as well as a slotted metal spoon to remove the oliebollen from the hot oil.

Scope the dough with one tablespoon, use the other to form a ball-like lump of dough. It won’t be round. Your dough will be a little runny. With a little twist & scrape carefully drop the ball-like lump of dough into the oil. There may be escapees. There may be tendrils of dough poking out. That’s okay! They will be the crispy bits. We love crispy bits!

The oliebollen will sink to the bottom of the pan and then pop right back up. You should be able to fry at least 4 at a time, I usually manage 5. Too many is not good, it cools the oil & makes for oil-laden lumps o’donut.

Fry until golden brown on both sides, carefully flipping when required with the metal slotted spoon. Don’t use plastic or wood in the hot oil. Sometimes oliebollen flip themselves. Yay! Drain on a plate or bowl lined with paper towels. When they are dry, and this happens pretty fast, you can plop them into your serving bowl, dust with powdered sugar (more is better) and serve!

Careful! They retain heat and the centers can be very hot.

The rest of New Years Eve was spent eating Oliebollen, a turkey dinner, drinks, friends & fireworks. All in all, a fabulous end to a year that really needed to end.

New Years Eve turkey dinner (because Dad missed Thanksgiving turkey)

Too busy eating to pose. Also, he needs a haircut!

The NYE gang ❤

The smoke made photo’s hard!

but even hazy the fireworks are spectacular!

A very rare, almost clear, firework shot!

The morning after, New Years day, the kids are happily playing. Even Cole!

Nellie is helping me combat lens glare on glasses. I need more practice.

Kai & Nellie. Being goofballs!

All out nerf war… even Dave is getting in on the action. Not Cole. Cole has a video game.