I love putting a flavor twist on traditional dessert recipes. In the past I have shared my recipes for pumpkin donuts with marshamallow graham cracker glaze, cinnamon bun stuffed donuts, and a mint chocolate cookies and cream donut (which happens to be baked). But this recipe isn’t really outside the box like those. I simply added a peanut butter frosting to a classic and traditional Hanukkah jelly donut. Now I love peanut butter and jelly, they are a match made in heaven. I’ve shared my recipe for peanut butter and jelly hamantashen which are made with a peanut butter cookie dough and filled with delicious jelly. That’s what I tried to do with these donuts. I really wanted to fry up a peanut butter donut and fill it with my favorite jelly. But after lots of research and even more trial and error I realized that peanut butter dough just doesn’t want to be fried.
I finally went with a simple peanut butter frosting on top of a classic jelly donut. My husband really wanted this combo from the beginning. He doesn’t like peanut butter flavored things since they lose the signature sticky, thick peanut butter texture. These donuts taste like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and the peanut butter texture is definitely there. I made the frosting thick but you could always thin the frosting out and turn it into a peanut butter glaze. Those would also be amazing! Enjoy the simple and dairy free recipe for these donuts!
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Jam or jelly for filling
- 2 packets yeast (4½ tsp.) I use active dry.
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 tsp. sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
- ¾ cup soy milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼-1/2 cup water
- ½ tsp, vanilla extract
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the yeast with the warm water and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir until no longer lumpy and set aside to proof and bubble up; 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile add the ¼ cup sugar and the salt to the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
- In a microwaveable bowl warm the vegetable shortening with the soy milk until the shortening has melted. Pour the shortening/milk mixture over the sugar/salt mixture and stir to melt. Allow to cool until lukewarm.
- Add the flour and eggs into the mixer bowl. Then finish off with the yeast mixture. Mix on low using the dough hook until the dough comes together. Once it's pulling off the sides of the bowl, set the mixer to medium low and mix for about 6 minutes.
- Grease or oil a large clean bowl and scrape the dough mixture inside.The dough will be sticky, but don't add flour! Grease your hands to better work with the dough.
- Cover in plastic wrap and set in warm place to rise for one hour.
- Once the dough has risen, roll the dough out and cut circles using a 2½- 3 inch round cutter. Set the circles of dough on a floured and parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel.
- Allow to rest in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
- Meanwile heat the vegetable oil in a heavy bottom pot or deep fryer. Set the temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Once the donuts have rested and risen for a second time and the oil has reached it's temp, fry the donuts for 1 minute on each side. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
- Fill the donuts with your favorite jam or jelly. I use a piping bag fitted with a Wilton number 230 filling tip. It is long and skinny with an angled front to allow easy filling.
- In a bowl stir the peanut butter with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly add in the water until it's spreadable. Spread or pipe the frosting on the donuts. You can also thin it enough to make a glaze and pour over the donuts.