Vegan Ollie Bollen

Ollie Bollen are the traditional Dutch doughnuts or 'oil balls' eaten on New Year's Eve. This year, I decided to make a vegan version while my father still made the traditional version. Ollie Bollen really don't need to be non-vegan, many recipes are made with milk instead of water for extra richness, and some have egg, but it isn't necessary, so it wasn't too difficult to find a recipe. 

Vegan Ollie Bollen
170mL warm non-dairy milk (110◦F)
2 teaspoons granulated (white) sugar
1 package (8 grams) quick-rise yeast
2 teaspoons oil
1 1/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
splash lemon juice or lemon extract
handful of raisins

Dissolve the sugar in the milk in a medium bowl, then sprinkle the yeast over top. Let stand for ten minutes or so until frothy. Stir in the oil, then gradually mix in the flour to form a sticky dough. Cover the bowl tightly and let rise in a warm place.

Stir in the remaining ingredients. Drop dough by tablespoons into hot oil (375◦F) in a deep fryer. They should begin to turn golden and be crispy, flip them over halfway through cooking. Then immediately drain on paper towels and douse in icing sugar.

The difference between these and regular Ollie Bollen? No discernible difference. The only thing I noticed was the color of them does not become quite as brown, likely due to the lack of egg and milk. However, despite their slightly paler color they still are incredibly crispy.