Blue mountain huckleberries were in season when I was experimenting with cheesecake-filled doughnuts, so they were an easy choice among the many fruits that would be delicious with this creamy filling. If huckleberries aren’t available, try cherries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, or one of the fruit curds from the recipe here.
INGREDIENTS
MAKES 8 TO 12 DOUGHNUTS
- 1 batch raised dough of choice
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
- 1 tablespoon sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- ½ cup fresh huckleberries
- 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk of choice or water, at room temperature
- Graham Cracker Topping (recipe follows) (optional)
DIRECTIONS
• Prepare the chosen dough as directed to the initial chilled rise stage.
• While the dough rises, prepare the filling. In a small bowl, beat the
cream cheese using a hand mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir in
the condensed milk, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, and the sour
cream. Beat until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before filling
the doughnuts.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, combine the
huckleberries, sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice and stir
until the huckleberries release some of their juices and the sugar has
dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to
cool.
• When the dough has risen, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a
bit more than ¼ inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out
3-inch rounds. Roll out half of the rounds to about 3¼ inches.
• To assemble, lightly brush each wider dough round with the milk and
place a heaping teaspoon of the cream cheese filling in the center.
Top it with a scant teaspoon of huckleberry filling. Top these with the
smaller dough rounds and lightly pinch the edges to seal. Then recut
the doughnut with the same cutter, sealing the edges.
• Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let the doughnuts proof for 5 to
20 minutes in a warm spot, then fry as directed for the chosen dough.
While the doughnuts are still warm, dip the tops in the graham
cracker mixture.
