It may be rather clear by now: I love exploring international foods. One of my most recent finds is sfinge, a moroccan doughnut, which I discovered at the Michaeli Bakery in NYC. Theirs is a slight twist, having cinnamon, bourbon, and lemon. My mission: to recreate them.

Sfinge (or sfenj) is a Moroccan doughnut made from sticky, slightly sweetened leavened dough. Once it has properly proved, the dough is shaped into rings and deep-fried until golden and crispy, with a fluffy interior. From there, the sfinge are dusted in sugar or doused in a honey syrup. These doughnuts are often bought from street vendors, where they suspend rings of doughnuts.

Sfinge are airy, and fry up in a similar way to the Italian zeppole. To be clear, I rarely fry anything, but these are an exception. If you have an air-fryer and try this recipe, let me know how it turned out! Also, check out my post on Moroccan cuisine while you’re here.

Astamtae! (Enjoy!)