Blueberry Jelly Donuts

If you need an excuse to indulge your sweet tooth this week, you’re in luck. National Donut Day falls on today, which is the first Friday of each June. When it comes to these sweet fried pillows of dough, there is much to celebrate. National Donut Day was created in 1938 by the Salvation Army to commemorate the men and women who served donuts to soldiers in the trenches during World War I. Today, many US donut shops give out free donuts on this holiday.

So in honor of National Donut Day, we’re celebrating with a classic Blueberry Jelly Donut Recipe. Remember your first bite of blueberry pie? Tart, juicy berries made into a gorgeous violet filling baked right into a warm, flaky pastry crust. Well, now imagine that inside a light, fluffy donut. That’s pretty much what this recipe is all about.

Blueberry Jelly Donuts 

Yields: 1 Dozen
Prep Time: 45 Minutes 
Cook Time: 4 Minutes

Ingredients

For the blueberry jelly

• 4 cups of blueberries
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2/3 cup of water

For the donuts

• 6 cups of sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of dry active yeast
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons of warm water
• 3 room temperature eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups of warm whole milk
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 5 and 1/2 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter
• Canola oil

1. Prepare your blueberry jelly first. Combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice to a large pot over medium heat and bring to a boil.

2. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a separate bowl. Add it to the blueberry mixture and stir until thickened. Remove this from the heat and set it aside for later.

3. For the donuts, mix the water with the yeast and stir. Add a 1/2 cup of flour and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar.

4. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 10 minutes.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the rest of the flour, powdered sugar, salt and nutmeg.

6. Add the butter, eggs and milk. Stir well until combined.

7. Add the yeast to the dough.

8. Lightly sprinkle a clean surface with flour and place dough on top. Knead the dough about 3-4 times and then use a roller to make it 1/2 inch thick.

9. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter and cut into round shapes.

10. Set them onto a baking sheet on top of a lightly flowered kitchen towel. Cover with another kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes.

11. Fill a large pot with the canola oil about 2 inches deep. Heat it up over medium heat until it reaches 350°F on a thermometer.

12. Fry each piece of dough in the heated oil for about 2 minutes on each side. When it’s golden brown, remove the donut with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel.

13. Pour the blueberry jelly into a pastry bag and place a regular tip at the end. Poke a hole with a chopstick about 3/4 into the donut.

14. Fill the donut hole with the blueberry jelly.

15. Dust the top with a generous helping of powdered sugar.

What kind of donut will you be having to celebrate National Donut Day?