Milk Tea Donuts Recipe
Before we get to the milk tea donuts recipe, allow me to share this life tidbit. Little known and possibly embarrassing fact: when I was 18, I worked for one summer at a muffin stand in the mall. Marvelous Muffins, in fact. To this day my sisters still make fun of me for it. Mmmmmuffin Sung, I believe I was called for a while? Pretty pretty good. I didn’t do any of the baking; there was a kitchen facility complete with a crotchety chain-smoking baker hidden in the mall and warm muffins with names like Lemon Crantastic would be rolled over to the glittering blue and orange kiosk. I pushed a button to make coffee and served the gargantuan, probably 1,000 calorie muffins to people who probably thought they were eating something healthy. Maybe I wore a visor? Yes. Let’s visualize the visor.
Teenage Jobs
I’ve had so many random jobs – another thing I get made fun of for in my family. Like the time I worked at Playland at the snowcone stand for one hot and sweaty summer weekend (I found the job on Craigslist!) My “manager” was a bratty, extra short, gum-snapping 18 year old. Across the fairway was a temporary tattoo stand where I did a product trade with my new friend, a 15 year old girl. I gave her advice to NOT go to the hotel room with a guy she just met from the touring dance squad from Seattle. That day I sold $2,000 worth of snowcones – and got a $50 cash bonus! Sweet! Did I mention I was 31 at the time? Yes. I am that cool.
Future Jobs
I’m kind of surprised I never worked at a donut shop. I suppose it’s not too late. There’s a 24 hour donut/hot torta sub shop that I bet I could fandangle a night shift at. Actually, I think I’ll just pretend to work there in my mind. For one minute. Okay, now – milk tea donuts! Goodness gracious I’m a fan of milk tea flavour. Dunk my face into a bucket of milk tea with boba pearls and I’ll find the largest straw in the world and chew for days. I was so excited when I found this glaringly colourful package of instant milk tea powder at my local Asian supermarket (I live in Vancouver! Asians everywhere, including me!) It’s called Lipton Milk Tea Gold – if you don’t live close to an Asian market, you can find it online on Ebay and that large bookish retailer that starts with an A.
Milk tea really suits its name – creamy milk with the earthy flavour of black tea leaves and the sweetness of sugar. It makes for a scrumptious donut!
Milk Tea Donuts
ingredients
For the donuts
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ⅓ cup golden brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 packets of instant milk tea, 16.5 grams each
For the glaze
- 2 cups of icing sugar
- 10 teaspoons milk
- 4 packets of instant milk tea, 16.5 grams each
instructions
Make it!
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil your donut baking pans.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, oil and sugars until smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs, mixing to combine.
- Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and vanilla extract.
- Set a small saucepan on the stovetop; heat the milk until just hot.
- Pour milk into a liquid measuring cup and dissolve two packets of milk tea powder into the milk. Let cool slightly.
- Add the flour into the wet mixture, alternating with the milk tea mixture until combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill your donut pans 3/4 full with the donut batter. I always use a piping bag for ease!
- Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not overbake!
- Remove donuts from pans and let cool on wire racks.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze: whisk together icing sugar, milk and milk tea powder until smooth. Add more milk if it’s too thick, or add icing sugar, a little at a time, until you reach desired consistency.
- Once donuts are cool, dunk the donuts into the glaze!
Sini | my blue&white kitchen
These look sooo cute! And a 24-hour donut shop? Wow. Although, I rather prefer the homemade kind. Propably going to make Melissa’s baked chocolate donuts tonight. Would love to make your glaze! However, I have to first track down some instant milk tea.
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
hi sini! you can also try steeping a tea bag in hot, low-boiling milk for a much more subtle tea flavour for the donuts and glaze! :) thank you for stopping by! xo
molly yeh
i love you so much about this post. i was lol-ing so loud the entire time. and i love how you could write an entire post about crazy jobs you’ve had without evening mentioning your glockenspiel band :) :) i need to get my paws on some milk tea powder (omg) but in the mean time… i’m gonna go visualize the visor…
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
haha!! omg. i have so many more posts to write about random jobs!!! thank you, sweet molly! xoxo
Michelle @ Hummingbird High
These donuts are just so DARN CUTE (just like YOU)!!! I love milk tea. Will you make me a milk tea frosting recipe plz?
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
michelle!!! yes, yes and YES! milk tea everything coming up!!! xo
Ashley
I am so in love with the idea of this flavor combo. The photos are beautiful + so much fun. So happy to have found your blog through our blogger-donut party! :)
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
ashley, thank you so much!! likewise, i am blown away by all of your creations on your amazing blog! xo
aimi
I am in love!!! But what if i deep fried it instead of bake it? Will it still work? :l
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
hi aimi! thank you so much – i would go with a classic donut recipe specifically for deep frying and then try the milk tea glaze on top! :) i haven’t deep fried this recipe, but maybe i should give it a go? :)
cynthia
omg Lyndsay. Stop being so amazing or else I’m going to become obsessed with you and it’ll get really awkward. MILK TEA DONUTS! And this “Dunk my face into a bucket of milk tea with boba pearls and I’ll find the largest straw in the world and chew for days.” And “a large bookish retailer than begins with an A.” And these amazing random jobs, all leading to the best of them all (my dream job!), being a mama and a freelance writer. Love everything about this post :):) rock on, amazing lady!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
cynthia, you are too sweet! thank you so much!!! xo
steph
i know EXACTLY which 24 hour donut/hot torta sub shop you’re talking about. do they happen to sell “chinese food” too!??!? let’s get jobs there (only for an hour) so we can make up some crazy concoctions!! LOL
LOVE LOVE LOVE your donuts lyndsay!! milk tea. SO good. i made a giant pitcher of it the other day (i actually lugged back some black and white evaporated milk from HK – they say it’s the best evapo milk to make milk tea with) and it’s gone now so i’m sad. maybe i’ll have to make some donuts to make me happy again :D
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
haha!!! YES INDEED they do! maximizing their lease, if i do say so myself!! donut torta sub with chow mein on top, anyone??
thanks so much steph! ooh black and white evaporated milk?? i’m intrigued! i love ingredients like that!!! xoxo
nanette
THIS IS SO AMAZING!!! As a milk tea lover, I thank you for this :). My mom makes fresh milk tea everyday, so i’m definitely going to give this a go with her milk tea!! <3
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
nanette!!! would love to know your mom’s recipe! you should blog about it!! ^__^
Baby June
Great stories, I LOL’ed. :) Muffins sound good but these donuts sound even better. Awesome way to combine two awesome foods, tea and donuts! :D
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
heehee! i’m so glad you enjoyed the post. i was chuckling away writing it. thanks so much for stopping by!!
LARY@Inspiration Nook
Love these!!! Yum! :)
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
aw thank you lary!! nice to see you here! ^__^
Nancy @ gottagetbaked
Lyndsay, we should get together for hot milk tea or coffee/milk tea one of these days (with HK style french toast, mmmmmm) and tell each other stories about horrific … er, I mean, colourful temp jobs. For now, I’ll just gaze in wonder and hunger at your beautiful photos of these perfect donuts. Love love love them!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
nancy! YES TO HK STYLE GIANT TOAST! that sounds fun!! ^__^ thanks for commenting! :)
jan
yum!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
thank you, jan!!
Kri
This post is hilarious in so many ways. So glad I found your blog. Also, can we talk about milk tea!?! I didn’t even know about this stuff until now. I’ve gotta get my hands on some. :)
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
thank you so much kri!! :)
Jacquee @ I Sugar Coat It!
I howled my way through this post! Hilarious! Hmmm… CocoCakeLand Donut Shop.
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
haha!!! i’m so glad you enjoyed it. ooooh that has a pretty nice ring to it … maybe a pop-up shop!? ^__^ thanks jacquee!
Neha
Milk Tea Doughnuts? What are you DOING to us? The pretty flowers against that shiny glaze – it’s perfect : )
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
haha! love it. thanks so much neha! ^__^
Kelly @jackandparker
I LOVE this! These look so pretty and sweet! I want to make a sweet milk tea flavored ice-cream and this looks like the perfect accompaniment!!
Stacey
Love your blog! I was just wondering if you think this donut recipe could be used as a cake batter recipe?
Candice
This milk tea donut sounds yummy! Is the texture of the donut dense/doughy?
Sherry
Woot! I just finished making these donuts and I have to say this is a fantastic recipe! The doughnuts came out light, bouncy and sturdy, not delicate and cakey so they didn’t break in the mold. So confident! So firm! So tasty! These doughnuts know who they are! The subtle nutmeg was a good play too.