jalapeño bacon donuts with cream cheese filling
These donuts are sweet, spicy, and completely unhinged in the best way. Soft, fluffy yeast donuts get filled with a smooth vanilla cream cheese filling, dipped in classic glaze, and then topped with candied jalapenos and brown sugar crispy bacon. It’s that perfect sweet and salty combo with a little heat, like a dessert that can’t decide if it’s breakfast, a snack, or a threat so it becomes all three.
Why are donuts so popular in the United States?
Donuts became so popular in the United States because they hit the sweet spot between practical and comforting; easy to make, easy to sell, and instantly satisfying. Fried dough existed long before America, but donuts took off here in a big way in the early 1900s when they became a common bakery and diner staple. Their popularity surged during WWI when American “doughnut girls” (Salvation Army volunteers) served fresh donuts to soldiers on front lines and bases as a taste of home, and the donut became tied to comfort. morale, and American identity. By the time soldiers returned the habit came home with them and donuts were everywhere: bakeries, diners, coffee counters, and eventually major chains. What started as a simple fried treat turned into a national ritual.
How to make jalapeno bacon donuts?
Let’s start baking! Mix warm water, 1 tbsp of sugar and yeast together and set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl mix together flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 cup milk, butter, egg yolks and 1/4 tsp salt. Once the yeast mixture is foaming, knead it in the dough. Keep kneading for about 15-20 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Oil a large bowl and form the dough into a ball. Flip the dough ball in the oil to coat it, and then cover with a warm, slightly damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 90 minutes. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough 2cm thick and cut the donuts with a 3” biscuit cutter. Place the donuts on the prepared cookie sheets, cover with kitchen towels and let rise for another 60 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375f and make the cream cheese filling. Whisk together cream cheese, vanilla, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of milk until smooth. Set aside. Then line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Place the sliced jalapeños on one of them and bacon pieces on the other. Sprinkle the jalapeños with 1/4 cup of sugar, then coat the bacon pieces with brown sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crispy. Then pull the jalapeño and bacon pieces off of the pans and move them on a wire rack to cool. Fill a medium pot almost half way with vegetable oil and heat it to 350f. Fry donuts for 2 minutes on each side, working with 2-4 at a time. Place on a wire rack to slightly cool. Place the cream cheese filling in a piping bag fitted with a round metal tip, push the tip inside the donut from the side and pipe the filling in until some spills out. Wipe the overflow. To make the glaze whisk together 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup milk and 1/8 tsp salt until smooth. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack over it. Assemble donuts on the wire rack and pour glaze over them. Immediately after add bacon and jalapeños on top of each glazed donut. Let the glaze set for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Tips
When rising the dough make sure it doubles in size. If the room is too cold you may want to rise it in front of a space heater.
When pushing the tip in to fill the doughnut do it in one firm push to avoid making multiple holes and ripping the doughnut.
Recommended products to make this recipe
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