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Raspberry Jelly-filled DonutRaspberry Jelly-filled Donut
October 11, 2021 | Updated August 4, 2022 | Laura
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There's few things better than a freshly fried homemade donut filled with delicious homeamde jelly. These donuts are made with a yeast dough and fried to perfection. The raspberry jelly is very easy and simple to make, and tastes so good. These raspberry donuts are sure to be a huge hit!
Sweet, Fried, and Addicting
Fair warning- these donuts are addicting. Especially when you indulge in them immediately after cooking, and they are still warm. I mean, very few things in life can beat a fresh warm donut that basically just melts in your mouth.
The tartness of the raspberries help to cut out the sweetness of the donut and creates a perfectly balanced donut. The steps it takes to get a homemade donut right in your own kitchen is so so worth it.
Raspberry Jam Filled Donut: Ingredients
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
✽ Milk: The milk should be about 110°F (43°C). This is about the temperature you can put your finger in the milk and keep it there comfortably. You want your milk to be warm or the yeast will not activate. It's important not to get the milk too hot though or your yeast will die. I suggest using whole milk for more richness. Lower fat milks will work, but the donuts will not be as flavorful.
✽ Active Dry Yeast: I use active dry yeast, but you can use instant yeast instead. If you use instant yeast, your rise time will be slightly shorter.
✽ Sugar: Sugar will make these donuts sweet and also feed the yeast and increase its activity.
✽ Eggs: The eggs will add flavor and also add structure to the donut.
✽ Butter: Butter always adds great flavor and adds structure to the donuts.
✽ Vanilla Extract: Adds delicious flavor. The better quality vanilla you use, the better the taste!
✽ Salt: Adds flavor and has a strengthening effect on gluten.
✽ Flour: I use all-purpose flour for the structure of the dough.
✽ Raspberries + Sugar + Lemon Juice: When these 3 ingredients are cooked together, it makes a very delicious and easy homemade raspberry jam that will fill the donuts.
How to Make Raspberry Jelly Donuts
➊ Make Dough: In a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl, if using), pour in 1/2 cup warm whole milk. You want the milk to be about 110°F (43°C) which is the temperature you can put your finger in the milk and keep it there comfortably. Stir in 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) yeast, and let sit for 5 minutes. It should begin to foam/bubble up. If it does not foam, this means that your yeast is dead. Throw out and start over with new yeast.
Add in 1/3 cup sugar, 2 whole eggs, 4 tablespoons slightly cooled melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3 cups all-purpose flour.
Mix with a wooden spoon (or stand mixer with dough hook) until dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. At this point, you may need to add flour a tablespoon at a time. Don't add too much flour though! You want it to pull away from the bowl sides but still be somewhat sticky.
➋ Knead Dough: Place dough on a floured surface and knead with floured hands for 2-3 minutes until dough becomes a smooth and elastic ball. If using a stand mixer, mix on medium speed with dough hook for 2-3 minutes until you get smooth and elastic ball.
➌ Let Dough Rise: Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, rolling the dough around to coat all over with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
If you don't have a warm spot in your house, you can put warm water in a separate bowl, and place both the bowl of dough and warm water bowl in a TURNED OFF oven together to create a warm environment.
➍ Roll Out Dough: Punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick using a rolling pin. Using a 3 1/2 inch doughnut cutter, cut out donuts. Keep regathering and rolling dough back out until you get ~12 doughnuts.
Line a baking shee with parchment paper and place cut donuts on the baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise a second time while you heat up the frying oil.
➎ Fry Donuts: Pour 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot (I use my Dutch oven). Heat oil on medium heat to 375°F (190°C). Place 2-3 donuts at a time into the oil. Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. During the frying process, keep adjusting the heat to maintain 375°F. After cooking, place donuts on a baking rack. Once cool enough to touch, roll fried donuts in a bowl of sugar.
➏ Make Raspberry Jam: For the raspberry jam, mix together 18 ounces (~3 cups) fresh raspberries, 3/4 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a medium saucepan.
Cook on medium-high heat until simmering then lower heat to maintain a steady simmer for about 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
➐ Fill Donuts: Fill a pastry bag or pastry syringe with jam, and inject 1-2 tablespoons of jam into each donut. I like to poke a small hole into the side of the donut with the back-end of a spoon to make it easier.
If you aren't planning to eat all of the donuts immediately, wait to inject the jam until ready to eat. These donuts are best eaten the day they are made.
Raspberry Jelly-filled Donuts: Questions
✽ Can you use store-bought jam for these donuts?
Yep! You can use any type of jelly or jam for these donuts- store-bought or homemade.
✽ Can you glaze these donuts?
Yes, these donuts are also excellent when glazed as well.
Instead of rolling in sugar after frying, let the donuts completely cool. Make a glaze with 2 cups of powdered sugar and about 1/4 cup of milk. You can also add in a bit of vanilla extract if you like. Stir until well combined. Add more powdered sugar if it needs to be thicker or add more milk if it needs to be thinned out. Dip the donuts in the glaze and set to dry.
✽ Where did jelly donuts originate?
According to leitesculinaria.com, jelly donuts originated in Germany. A 1485 cookbook named Kuchenmeisterei (Mystery of the Kitchen) has the first written recipe for a jelly donut ("Gefullte Krapfen"). It was two rounds of yeast bread with jam in the middle and then fried. Quickly, jam donuts spread across the world.
The original filled donuts though were savory filled with things such as meat, fish, mushrooms, or cheese since sugar was so expensive in Germany. When the price of sugar decreased thanks to the Caribbean sugar plantations, sweet filled donuts became more popular but was mostly saved for special occasions.
Then somebody created the pastry syringe which made it a lot easier to make delicious jam donuts!
Looking for more Breakfast recipes?
→ Check out all of my favorite Breakfast and Brunch recipes!
31 Days of Halloween
This raspberry jelly-filled donut is a part of my 31 Days of Halloween. For each day in October, I come up with a cocktail recipe and snack recipe that perfectly matches a scary movie, Halloween movie, or a fun spooky activity. Check out 31 Days of Halloween for all of your Halloween snack and drinking desires!
Raspberry Jelly-filled Donut
By Laura | Laura the Gastronaut
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Resting Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yield: ~12 donuts
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There's few things better than a freshly fried homemade donut filled with delicious homeamde jelly. These donuts are made with a yeast dough and fried to perfection. The raspberry jelly is very easy and simple to make, and tastes so good. These raspberry donuts are sure to be a huge hit!
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Ingredients
For Donuts:
• 1/2 cup (118 mL) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup (67 g) sugar, plus more for coating donuts
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons (57 g) butter, melted & slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups (384 g) flour, plus more as needed
• Vegetable oil, for frying
For Jam:
• 18 ounces (~3 cups) raspberries
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
➊ Make Dough: In a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl), pour in warm milk and stir in yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes.
➋ Add in sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, salt, and flour. Stir with a wooden spoon (or mix with stand mixer with dough hook) until dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to add more flour a tablespoon at a time until dough pulls away from the sides. Don't add too much flour though- you want the dough to still be slightly sticky.
➌ Knead dough: Place dough on a lightly floured surface, and knead with floured hands for 2-3 minutes until dough is a smooth and elastic ball. If using stand mixer, knead with dough hook for 2-3 minutes until it's a smooth and elastic ball.
➍ Let dough rise: Lightly oil a large bowl. Place ball of dough in oiled bowl, and roll around to coat dough in oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm area for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
➎ Cut out doughnuts: Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick with a rolling pin. Using a 3 1/2 inch donut cutter, cut out donuts. Regather dough, roll back out, and keep cutting out donuts until you have used all the dough. Place the cut donuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise a second time while you heat up the oil.
➏ Fry donuts: In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 inches of oil on medium heat to 375°F (190°C). Carefully put 2-3 donuts in the oil at a time, and fry donuts for about 1-2 minutes on each side or until the donuts are golden brown on the outside and cooked through. Keep adjusting the heat during the frying process to maintain 375°F. Remove donuts from oil using a slotted spoon and place on a baking rack. When cool enough to handle, roll the donuts in a bowl of sugar.
➐ Make jam: In a medium saucepan, stir together raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat until simmering then lower heat to maintain a steady simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 20 minutes until raspberries are thickened. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
➑ Fill donuts: Using a pastry bag or pastry syringe, fill each donut with about 1-2 tablespoons of raspberry jam. If using a pastry bag, I like to poke a hole in the side of the donut with the back-end of a spoon to make it easier to pipe in the jam.
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✽ Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.
Category: Halloween, Sweets, Breakfast and Brunch
Keywords: raspberry filling for donuts, raspberry jelly donut, jelly filled donuts, raspberry jam filled donuts, jelly filled donut, the simpsons recipe, halloween breakfast, halloween recipes
More Sweet Recipes:
✽ Pumpkin Spiced Donuts (another one of my favorite donut recipes that has all the fall vibes)
✽ Halloween Pumpkin Hand Pies (adorable hand pies that hold all of that pumpkin pie deliciousness)
✽ Smores Trifle Cups (don't have a campfire? No worries! These are s'mores in a cup!)
→ Check out all of my Sweet recipes!
Bon appétit!
October 11, 2021 by Laura Ehlers
*This Raspberry Jelly-filled Donut blog post and recipe may contain some Amazon affiliate links. These link to products that I personally use and recommend. If you purchase anything using my links, it will not cost you anything. It will though give laurathegastronaut.com some financial support which helps me keep this blog running. Thank you for reading my blogs and your continued support.