Q. I know I’m asking for the moon here but could you come up with a light alternative to jelly doughnuts? My family loves them, myself included, and I would love to be able to serve something similar but lighter. Please help us.
A. I’m a fan of jelly-filled doughnuts too. I’ve never tried to do a baked-not-fried doughnut before. There are certain things that just aren’t the same unless crispy-fried. My guess is doughnuts are one of them.
That doesn’t mean I can’t come up with a jelly-filled muffin. I used a lower-fat yeast doughnut dough to form jelly-filled balls. I placed them in muffin cups that had been coated with canola oil. I then rolled each of the balls around to coat the entire doughnut surface with a little bit of the oil. I gave them time to rise and baked them in the oven to brown.
Everyone loved them. Some tasters liked them better than jelly doughnuts. I think the trick is to expect a muffin rather than a doughnut. Then you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Jelly-filled doughnut-muffins
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Rising time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Yield: 16 muffins
These breakfast gems are a delightful cross between a fried jelly doughnut and a moist muffin. Fill them with your favorite jelly.
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for coating
1/4 cup light cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3 cups flour, plus more for kneading
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup jelly (raspberry and cherry work well)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Microwave milk on high until fairly hot, about 1 minute. Combine 2 tablespoons canola oil, cream cheese, sugar and salt in bowl of electric mixer; beat on low until well blended. Slowly pour hot milk into the mixture, beating all the while. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. Combine 2 cups of the flour and yeast in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture slowly to the milk mixture, beating on low speed until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1 cup flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 5-8 minutes. Place dough in a large mixing bowl that has been lightly coated with canola oil. Turn the dough over to coat the entire surface. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
3. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of canola oil to the bottom of each of 16 muffin cups. Punch down dough; divide into 16 equal balls. Press each ball into a circle; spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons jelly into the middle of each one. Bring up the sides of the dough to wrap up the jelly; squeeze the dough ends together to seal. Place each ball in a muffin cup; roll the ball around to cover the entire surface with oil, place the muffin ball seam side down. Let rise in a warm place until almost double in size, about an hour.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until top is nicely browned, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine confectioners’ sugar, water and vanilla together in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Roll each warm muffin into the glaze. Let cool briefly on a rack.
Nutrition information per muffin:
190 calories, 15% of calories from fat, 3.2 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 36 g carbohydrates, 4.3 g protein, 175 mg sodium, 0.8 g fiber
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