A little strawberry fairy dust to continue that summer feeling through the weekend! 228: Strawberry Jam Doughnuts

This has been a rough week – with all the natural disasters happening around the country (can we get some of the East Coast’s extra rain over here in CA? Asking for Lake Tahoe) and Texas falling into a human rights nightmare… I think we could all use a doughnut.

Especially a doughnut doused in sparkly strawberry sugar and filled with strawberry grapefruit jam.

These are a happy mix of a doughnut and a muffin. Does anyone call them duffins? If not, that’s adorable and should catch on. They have the luscious sweetness of a doughnut, but are baked in a muffin tin in the oven instead of being deep-fried. (I wish that meant they are more healthy than the average muffin, but they’re literally coated in sugar. Sorry folks.)

Bon Appetit magazine did a full two-page spread of this recipe this summer, and the image of the glittery giant pink doughnut wouldn’t leave my brain. It felt so silly and extra and yet so perfect for the moment.

It’s a surprisingly simple dough (batter? it walks the line) with only eight ingredients. The whole kitchen felt vaguely tropical after I added the coconut oil in. Using coconut oil has a similar effect to when you use shortening in a baked good: it’s 100% fat to butter’s 70-80% fat. You’ll end up with a softer, slightly loftier crumb, but most noticeably: the dough smells super coconutty.

I love the glossy sheen from the coconut oil! I usually add a little “power butter” (almond butter, coconut oil, and bunch of yummy seeds) to my smoothies and they always turn out looking super shiny.

It’s a super soft dough, and I bet it would work great if you piped it instead of scooping.

Too bad I only had the piping idea right now as I was typing this up. Alas, I scooped and had to use a damp finger to even it out and indent it in the middle.

Oh hello there.

It’s like building a little nest for the jam.

Don’t forget to seal the dough hats on top. We want the jam to be a surprise when you take a bite!

Boom. A very deceiving muffin-like fellow.

I use my spice grinder more for freeze-dried fruit than actual spices. Oops.

If you have any, you should definitely add some edible glitter. Another idea that just struck me now – how did I miss that?!

Time to paint on some glue, I mean, butter.

Voila!

Ready for my close-up.

The crumb was so light and fluffy, and it had just the right amount of jam. Just a little bit in each bite, with the crunch and zing of the strawberry sugar on the outside… ooph! It made a mess but it was worth it.

Happy munching!

Recipe from: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/strawberry-doughnut-muffins