Chocolate Frosted Orange Marmalade Doughnut Holes

Chocolate Frosted Orange Marmalade Doughnut Holes started as just a little bit of innocent Twitter fun.

“I’m makin’ doughnuts. What you got?” I said.

“I got marmalade.” My friend Mona from the Skagit Valley replied. The Skagit Valley is the home of prettiful tulip fields, little towns you can still ride a bicycle through (wreaking havoc and making people in cool old trucks honk at you while doing so – at least, that’s what I’ve heard) and the lovely, gardening and coffee-drinking Mona.

“Ooooooo shinnnney.” I squeaked.

Chocolate Frosted Orange Marmalade Doughnut Holes. We knew we were on to something better than Pajama Jeans. Or, at least on to something which would require you to switch over to Pajama Jeans.

So we put them together and created the chocolate orange marmalade doughnut holes.

Chocolate Frosted Orange Marmalade Doughnut Holes

• 2 packages of yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water (not over 110 degrees)
• 1 cup warm milk (not over 110 degrees)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups flour (approximate)
• Enough Crisco shortening for a deep fryer
• Orange marmalade (for filling) – choose the brand with the smallest pieces of orange peel

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and give a quick stir. Cover with a  clean towel and allow to sit for about 10 minutes or until foamy. This will give the yeast a good start.

Whisk in milk, eggs butter, and salt until well-mixed. Slowly stir in flour one cup at a time until dough becomes medium-firm.

Knead until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Only add flour as needed during this process the dough should be able to be formed into a ball easily. Cover and allow to sit in a warm place again for about an hour or until the dough ball has doubled in size.

Remove towel and when the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Let it rise again for about an hour in a warm place covered by the towel again. (or covered with plastic wrap in the fridge overnight).

After the dough has doubled in size again, use about 1/2 cup of dough at a time to form into balls. Flatten the dough balls a bit and place them on a baking sheet coated with non-stick spray. Allow to sit for about an hour in a warm place until doubled in size for one last rise.

During the last half hour of waiting for dough balls to rise, place shortening in a deep fryer and turn on to 350F to preheat. Make chocolate icing and set it aside.

After dough balls have doubled in size, place about 6 at a time into the deep fryer to cook. Fry the first side for a couple of minutes until deep golden brown then flip to cook on the other side until it is also a deep golden brown  (a couple more minutes).

Place cooked doughnut holes onto a baking sheet that has been lined with a few layers of paper towels. Allow to drain and cool until easy to handle.

Using a pastry bag and a pointed decorating or pastry tip, squirt the orange marmalade into the middle of each doughnut. Dip tops of doughnut holes with chocolate icing (see recipe below). Sprinkle with candy sprinkles or orange zest if desired.

This recipe makes about 60 fanciful doughnut holes.

Chocolate Frosting

• 1/2 cup (or one stick) butter 
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in heavy cream, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Whisk slowly as chocolate chips melt. Add powdered sugar and continue to whisk until frosting has no lumps. Dip doughnut holes while frosting is still warm. Allow frosting to set for a while or eat immediately.

It may be time to pull my bike out of storage, ride it all the way to Mona’s house – 90 miles away – and frustrate some drivers cuz these are scrumptious and I’m not buying Pajama Jeans.