Lemon Doughnut Cream Puffs

Lemon Doughnut Cream Puffs

Doughnuts.

    • 1 cup whole milk

    • 1 package active dry yeast

    • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

    • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

    • 1 egg, lightly beaten

    • 1/2 teaspoon salt

    • 2 1/2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

    • olive oil, for frying

Filling.

    • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

    • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

    • 1/2 cup lemon curd

    • powdered sugar, for dusting

Doughnuts.

Warm the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave until the temperature reaches between 110-115 degrees F. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Sprinkle with the yeast and sugar; let stand 5 minutes until foamy.

With the mixer on low, add the butter, egg, salt and half the flour, mix to combine, and gradually add the remainder of the flour. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and starts to pull away from the bowl. If the dough is slightly loose and sticky, don't add more flour. Dump the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about one hour.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough with a 1 1/2 inch round cutter, then gather any scraps and cut those as well. Place the doughnuts on parchment lined baking sheets, cover with clean towels, and set aside to rest and rise again for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat three inches of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, until the oil reaches 365F. Working in batches with 5 or 6 doughnuts at a time, fry the doughnuts until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Drain on a wire rack and let cool slightly.

Filling.

For the filling, whip the cream cheese, whipping cream and lemon curd until thick and smooth. Pipe into the doughnuts. Dust them generously with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Yields about 3 dozen mini doughnut cream puffs

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen