“After a fierce battle with breast cancer, our beloved chef and gifted visionary, Brooke Desprez, passed away,” read a statement her family posted to the Instagram page for Oliboli Donuts, which she and her husband founded in 2018.
They don’t have pink frosting or rainbow sprinkles, but Dutch oliebollen are the precursor to American doughnuts. Back when New York was New Amsterdam, Dutch immigrants brought these dunkable delicacies to our shores. And while Americans devour doughnuts daily, the Dutch treats, translated as
oil balls, are primarily available around New Year’s.
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These fried dough spheres are believed to have originated over a millennium ago but didn’t come into written history until the 17th century. Rather than being ring-shaped, as the name suggests they’re the size of impressionist golf balls. (If you think “oil balls” isn’t a great name, consider smoutebollen, or lard balls, enjoyed just to the south in Belgium.) Oliebollen are not perfectly spherical, though: while they’re soft and spongy inside, errant strands of batter form browned, crispy protuberances like crunchy bow-ties. You could even say they’re