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Dulce de Leche Donuts

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

These dulce de leche donuts are nothing less than a bite of heaven! Go ahead and give them a try when you’re in the mood for a sweet treat!

Calling all donut lovers- here’s an insanely delicious recipe you wouldn’t want to miss out on!

These dulce de leche donuts are incredibly soft and sweet, and are glazed just right!

Can’t wait to give these a shot? Here’s what you need to know before you go ahead and make these.

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.
Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

Can I Skip the Streusel?

The purpose of streusel in this recipe is to add a nice textural element to the donuts.

If you feel the extra step isn’t worth your time and effort,or if you’re planning to use another topping instead, you can totally skip that too!

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

Can I Use Store-Bought Donut Mix?

While our recipe includes step by step instructions to help you make your own donuts, you can totally swap that and instead use a ready-made donut mix.

Using store-bought donut mix will surely cut down the amount of time you spend in the kitchen, and you can whip these up quicker as well.

Just make sure you follow the instructions on the box when it comes to making them, and you’re pretty much sorted.

In fact, you can also refrigerate the donut dough and fry them later when you’re in the mood to make these!

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

Can I Replace Dulce de Leche with Caramel Sauce?

If you’re one of those who feel a resemblance between the taste of dulce de leche and caramel sauce, you aren’t alone. And that’s probably why you’re wondering if you could use the latter for this recipe.

Well, you absolutely could, but the truth is, dulce de leche has a more creamy and intense taste as opposed to caramel sauce.

This is because dulce de leche is made using milk and sugar, while caramel sauce is made using sugar and water.

You would end up sacrificing on a lot of flavour by not using Dulce de Leche.

How to Make Homemade Dulce de Leche

Rather than using caramel sauce, if you can’t get your hands on store-bought Dulce de Leche, making your own is super easy.

Simply pre-heat your own to 350F, and in a water bath place an oven-proof baking dish filled with the contents of a can of condensed milk. Cover with foil and bake for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

How Do I Make Fluffy Donuts?

If you’ve tried making donuts before, and they’ve ended up all hard and chewy, you’re probably worried the same thing might happen with these donuts.

Well, the trick to getting the most pillowy soft and fluffy donuts is to make sure the donuts are well-proofed, that they’ve had enough time to rest before you go ahead and fry them.

Also, while frying donuts remember to not put in too many donuts into the oil and overcrowd it.

Even if it takes a little extra time, consider frying them in batches, so that they get enough space to move.

Also, while frying them, make sure you have enough oil. The donuts must basically float when you put them in, yet they should not be entirely submerged in the oil.

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

Other Donut Topping Ideas

The best part about these donuts is that they’re super versatile- you can top these with pretty much anything. Here are a few ideas and inspiration if you aren’t into the streusel topping.

  • Chocolate chips
  • Sprinkles
  • Crushed pecans
  • Toasted almond slivers
  • Crushed cookie crumbs
  • Vanilla icing
  • Dark chocolate icing
  • Lotus biscoff spread
  • Crushed pistachios 
  • Crushed oreos
Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

Looking for more Delicious Donut Recipes?

Check out some of my favourite recipes for homemade donuts:

These indulgent S’Mores Chocolate Donuts are a real summer treat you are sure to enjoy, even if you can’t sit by a campfire.

Here is an easy recipe for Baked Pumpkin Donuts that results in soft fluffy and flavourful cake donuts without yeast in just 30 minutes.

If you too love cinnamon donuts you are going to simply love these oven baked cinnamon donuts. Soft, fluffy and bursting with cinnamon and sugar.

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

How to Make Dulce de Leche Donuts

Yields: 10 Donuts | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

For the Donuts:

16 oz all-purpose flour
1 oz milk, warm
7 oz water, warm
2 packages (0.5 oz) fast-acting dry yeast
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
3 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (13.4 oz) dulce de leche

For the Streusel Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine the warm water, milk, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Whisk to dissolve the yeast.

Leave for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

Add the remaining ingredients. Knead on low using the attachment on your mixer or by hand.

Knead until dough comes together into a ball.

Turn dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until almost doubled in size, about an hour.

While the dough is proofing, make the streusel.

Preheat oven to 350°F.



In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine.

Add the melted butter and stir until sand-like texture.

Spread the streusel mixture out on a sheet pan lined with parchment.

Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating sheet once halfway through and turning over the mixture with a fork until the streusel is golden and dry.

Remove from oven and let cool. Break up large clumps if necessary.

Punch the dough down and roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thick.

Use a 3-inch cutter to cut the donuts.


Place the donuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let proof for 15 minutes.

Re-roll the remaining dough, cut out the remaining donuts and add them to the baking sheet.

Flatten out half of the donut circles slightly.

Place a heaping tablespoon of dulce de leche in the center of each circle.

Place the remaining circles of dough over the filling, pressing down the edges slightly to seal.

Use the same cutter to cut the donuts down to 3 inches again, sealing the edges together.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot (cast iron) to 350°F.

To fry donuts, drop several of them at a time and allow to become golden before turning to the other side, about 1-2 minutes per side.

Remove from the oil and place on paper towel-covered wire rack. Let cool.

For the glaze, whisk the ingredients together until smooth.

Dip the cooled donuts in glaze.

Sprinkle streusel topping over the glaze.

Enjoy!

Dulce de Leche Donuts
Yield: 10 Donuts

Dulce de Leche Donuts

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

Ingredients

For the Donuts

  • 16 oz all-purpose flour
  • 1 oz milk, warm
  • 7 oz water, warm
  • 2 packages (0.5 oz) fast-acting dry yeast
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 3 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 can (13.4 oz) dulce de leche

For the Streusel Topping

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

    1. Combine the warm water, milk, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Whisk to dissolve the yeast. Leave for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

    2. Add the remaining ingredients. Knead on low using the attachment on your mixer or by hand. Knead until dough comes together into a ball.

    3. Turn dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until almost doubled in size, about an hour.

    4. While the dough is proofing, make the streusel. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine. Add the melted butter and stir until sand-like texture.

    5. Spread the streusel mixture out on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating sheet once halfway through and turning over the mixture with a fork until the streusel is golden and dry. Remove from oven and let cool. Break up large clumps if necessary.

    6. Punch the dough down and roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thick. Use a 3-inch cutter to cut the donuts. Place the donuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let proof for 15 minutes. Re-roll the remaining dough, cut out the remaining donuts and add them to the baking sheet.

    7. Flatten out half of the donut circles slightly. Place a heaping tablespoon of dulce de leche in the center of each circle. Place the remaining circles of dough over the filling, pressing down the edges slightly to seal. Use the same cutter to cut the donuts down to 3 inches again, sealing the edges together.

    8. Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot (cast iron) to 350°F. To fry donuts, drop several of them at a time and allow to become golden before turning to the other side, about 1-2 minutes per side.

    9. Remove from the oil and place on paper towel-covered wire rack. Let cool.

    10. For the glaze, whisk the ingredients together until smooth.

    11. Dip the cooled donuts in glaze. Sprinkle streusel topping over the glaze.

    Enjoy!



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    Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    10

    Serving Size:

    1 Donut

    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 443Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 7g

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    Dulce De Leche Donuts featuring a buttery tender dough that is stuffed with dulce de leche and fried up into a golden, fluffy masterpiece.

    Micheline

    Monday 26th of April 2021

    These look super cute and I didn't know how easy it was to make dulce de leche.

    Shirley O

    Tuesday 20th of April 2021

    These donuts look so delicious! I will have to give this recipe a try.

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