This homemade banana chocolate sufganiyot recipe is modelled after Roladin sufganiyot, the fanciest Hanukkah donuts in Israel! Filled with chocolate banana pudding, coated with a dark chocolate glaze and sprinkled with pecans and dried banana chips, these unique donuts will leave you wanting more.
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I was inspired to make these nutty chocolate banana sufganiyot by one of Israel's top bakeries, Roladin.
Every year for Hanukkah, Roladin Bakery releases a slew of incredible doughnuts. They offer everything from Oreo sufganiyot to Coconut Banana sufganiyot, amazing everyone with their patisserie-worthy desserts.
I have adapted several of their recipes for my readers, from the aforementioned Oreo doughnuts, to Dulce de Leche Maple Sufganiyot, to these pecan banana chocolate sufganiyot recipe. You can make one of these doughnut recipes, or give them all a try and see which is your favorite!
(If you're looking for a gluten free sufganiyot recipe, you may like my coffee cardamom doughnuts).
What are Sufganiyot?
Sufganiyot are a type of traditional Jewish doughnut that are especially popular around the Chanukah holiday. They are made from a simple yeast-based dough that is deep-fried and then filled with either jam, custard, dulce de leche or chocolate pudding (my Russian grandma fills her sufganiyot with sour cherries). The most popular ones are the jelly donuts, for sure!
Sufganiyot can come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are usually round with a fluted edge and an indentation in the center. The outside is usually coated with either sugar or icing sugar and may also be topped with powdered sugar or sprinkles.
Sufganiyot have become iconic symbols of Hanukkah and continue to be enjoyed by many across Israel and beyond.
Ingredients for Banana Chocolate Sufganiyot
Sufganiyot dough:
- white flour - these sufganiyot are made with basic, all-purpose flour. Go here for gluten-free sufganiyot dough!. I have made them gluten free as well. In that case, please increase the amount of milk by 20%.
- salt - important in sweet baked goods, salt helps to balance the flavor.
- sugar - sugar is used here both to activate the yeast, and to sweeten the Chunky Monkey sufganiyot themselves.
- active dry yeast - rapid or active dry yeast are both fine here. If using rapid yeast, no need to activate it separately - you can just add everything to the dough at once.
- cold milk - this is the liquid in our recipe; it makes for a luxurious, rich dough.
- eggs - help the rise and the softness of these sufganiyot.
- vanilla extract - gives the dough a nice, subtle flavor
- rum extract - this is a typical Israeli ingredient in baked goods. I LOVE it! Of course, you can omit if you can't find it.
- brandy - helps with the structure and flavor of the dough. Don't worry, no alcohol will remain post-baking.
- soft butter - make sure your butter is indeed soft - you can even warm it in the microwave for 5 seconds if you didn't take it out on time.
Banana chocolate filling:
- whipping cream - this will give the chocolate banana sufganiyot filling structure and an airy, cloudy volume.
- banana pudding - the easiest ingredient to find, banana pudding gives this the perfect banana flavor - much more than actually using bananas, if you'd believe it!
- powdered sugar - to whip the filling better, avoid using regular sugar and opt for icing sugar or powdered sugar.
- dark chocolate - good quality dark chocolate pairs very well with the banana. I find that using just milk chocolate results in a much flatter taste. Try to use a minimum of 55% cocoa solids dark chocolate.
- milk chocolate - to balance out some of the bitter notes in dark chocolate, I like to add a touch of milk chocolate - but this isn't totally necessary.
- finely ground pecans - for that nutty chunky monkey flavor!
Dark Chocolate Glaze:
- dark chocolate - use the same chocolate that you used in the filling.
- oil - used to make the chocolate runnier. You may need to use more oil, depending on your chocolate.
Topping:
- minced pecan nuts - for crunch, make sure they keep some of their texture and don't grind or chop pecans too fine.
- Dried banana chips - these are not strictly necessary, but I like the crunch. You can also just top your sufganiyot with a fresh banana, but this won't keep as well.
How to make Chunky Monkey Doughnuts
Activate yeast
Mix 5 teaspoons of active dry yeast into ½ cup of warm water. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar. Let stand for 10 mins.
Make the dough
Combine flour, salt, sugar and moist yeast in a mixer bowl. Mix lightly with a kneading hook. Pour in milk, eggs, extracts and brandy and mix about 3 minutes on low speed. Increase the mixer speed to medium and set for another 3 minutes. Gradually add butter and mix for another 4 minutes on high speed until a soft and pliable dough is obtained.
Form dough balls
Form the dough into balls weighing about 30 grams (the size of a ping pong ball) and place on a tray smeared with a little oil at intervals of 5-4 cm. Cover the tray with cling film and a towel and let it rise for one to two hours until doubled in volume.
Frying the sufganiyot
Heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Fry the donuts for 3-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. It is important to maintain a medium flame, so as not to burn them. Remove to a plate lined with absorbent paper.
Make the chocolate banana filling
Heat cream in microwave until very hot. Add remaining ingredients and mix until chocolate is fully melted and everything is combined. Chill in freezer for at least one hour.
Make the dark chocolate glaze
Melt chocolate and oil in microwave and mix until fully combined.
Fill and coat the donuts
Using a pastry bag or a syringe without the needle, inject about 15 grams (about a tablespoon) of the selected filling for each donut. Dip the top of each donut in the coating. Pipe another round of filling on top. Sprinkle with minced pecan nuts and decorate with a banana chip.
Storage & Make ahead
The dough for these pecan banana sufganiyot can be made ahead, as can the glaze and the filling. But don't fry them one day and attempt to fill them the next - they will harden and this will be almost impossible to do!
Tips & Variations
- Coat some of the sufganiyot with a white chocolate glaze (use the one from these Oreo sufganiyot)
- Let the dough rise until doubled in size - no more and no less.
FAQ
Well, since these are first and foremost sufganiyot, I don't think it matters! Just kidding. The American spelling is donut, while the British spelling is doughnut. You can use either when referring to these banana chocolate doughnuts!
Not at all. You just need to form a circle using two hands, and then fry it. That's really all there is to it!
I recommend using the chocolate glaze I provide in this recipe. If, however, you want to use a store-bought chocolate sauce, I recommend choosing one with higher dark chocolate content.
Yes! I recommend preparing them fully and then freezing. Otherwise, you can freeze the dough.
Other Sufganiyot recipes
You can also make this recipe as part of a holiday dessert spread! Here are some other donut recipes I love. I also sometimes make other fried desserts for Hanukkah, like these very Canadian beaver tails.
What Are Other Traditional Hanukkah Foods?
You can serve these banana chocolate sufganiyot with other traditional Chanukah foods. Here are some of my favorite Chanukah recipes:
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Recipe
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Banana Chocolate Sufganiyot Recipe (Hanukkah Chunky Monkey Donuts)
Ingredients
Sufganiyot dough:
- 1 kg white flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 100 g sugar (½ cup)
- 20 g active dry yeast (5 tsps)
- 240 ml cold milk (1 cup)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 1 teaspoon brandy
- 90 grams butter softened
Banana chocolate filling:
- 250 ml whipping cream 1 cup
- 4 TB banana pudding
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 150 g dark chocolate
- 50 g milk chocolate
- 40 g pecans (4 TBs) finely ground
- pecans
Glaze:
- 200 g dark chocolate
- 20 g oil
Topping:
- 100 g minced pecans
- Dried bananas
Instructions
Activate yeast:
- Mix 5 teaspoons of active dry yeast into ½ cup of warm water. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar. Let stand for 10 mins.
- Put flour, salt, sugar and moist yeast in a mixer bowl. Mix lightly with a kneading hook. Add milk, eggs, extracts and brandy and mix about 3 minutes on low speed. Increase the mixer speed to medium and set for another 3 minutes. Gradually add butter and mix for another 4 minutes on high speed until a soft and pliable dough is obtained.
- Form the dough into balls weighing about 30 grams (the size of a ping pong ball) and place on a tray smeared with a little oil at intervals of 5-4 cm. Cover the tray with cling film and a towel and let it rise for one to two hours until doubled in volume.
- Heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Fry the donuts for 3-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. It is important to maintain a medium flame, so as not to burn them. Remove to a plate lined with absorbent paper.
Make the filling:
- Heat cream in microwave until very hot. Add remaining ingredients and mix until chocolate is fully melted and everything is combined. Chill in freezer for at least one hour.
Make the glaze:
- Melt chocolate and oil in microwave and mix until fully combined.
Fill and coat the donuts:
- Using a pastry bag or a syringe, pipe about 15 grams (about a tablespoon) of the selected filling for each donut. Dip the top of each donut in the coating. Pipe another round of filling on top. Sprinkle with minced pecans and decorate with a banana chip.
Nutrition
Sheena says
Donut lover here, and this recipe is amazing! So easy and fun to make! I was so addicted to the chocolate glaze and the nut and chips toppings! I'll experiment with those toppings next time I make them.