Crème Brûlée Doughnut Recipe for National Cream Filled Doughnut Day

Happy National Cream Filled Doughnut Day! These are THE viral creme brulee-filled doughnuts with the hard sugar shell. It's so satisfying to eat these! This is what you'll need to make 12-14 doughnuts:

Photo byZoha

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 4 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp yeast
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp milk powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 5 tbsp softened butter, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt

Creme patisserie:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Caramel:

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp water
• Pinch of salt

Start by making the dough with a roux: In a nonstick pan over medium heat, cook the flour and milk together, stirring constantly, until a thick paste forms. Transfer the roux to the bowl of your stand mixer, add the cold milk and yeast, and let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.

Next, add the remaining dough ingredients, but only half of the butter at this stage. Using a dough hook, knead the mixture on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until the dough starts to come together. Then, incorporate the rest of the butter and continue kneading for another 5-8 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the edges of the bowl.

Cover the dough and let it rise for about 1 hour at room temperature, or place it in the fridge to rise overnight (avoid letting it rise at room temperature and then refrigerating it).

Once the dough has doubled in size, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Use a 4-inch round cutter to cut out donut shapes, rerolling the dough as needed to use up all of it.

Place the cut-out donuts on individual pieces of parchment paper and arrange them on a tray. Let them rest at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes, allowing them to proof.

In the meantime, heat 2-3 inches of oil in a wok or deep pan over medium heat until the oil reaches 350°F. To test the oil, fry one donut, removing the parchment paper just before placing it in the oil. Fry the donut for approximately 2 minutes per side, adjusting the timing as needed for doneness.

Fry the remaining donuts, keeping the uncooked ones in a cool spot to avoid over-proofing. After frying, let the donuts cool on a wire rack while you prepare the crème pâtissière for filling.

Creme Patisserie:

To make the crème pâtissière, start by whisking the eggs, cornstarch, salt, and sugar together in a bowl until smooth and fully combined.

In a nonstick pan, bring the milk and vanilla to a boil. Once boiling, slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling. After fully combining, return the entire mixture to the pan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens into a custard-like consistency. Stir in the butter until fully melted and incorporated.

Remove the custard from heat and strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps. If the mixture still feels lumpy, blend it for about 30 seconds to achieve a smooth texture.

Place the crème pâtissière in the fridge to cool for at least 15 minutes. Once chilled, transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a Bismarck tip, carefully puncture each donut, and fill with the custard until they feel heavy.

For the caramel crunch coating, combine sugar, salt, and water in a nonstick pan over low heat. Let the sugar slowly dissolve and caramelize without stirring. Once the caramel reaches a deep golden color, remove it from heat.

While the caramel is still hot, dip one side of each donut into the caramel to create a thin coating. If the caramel hardens, gently reheat it until it becomes liquid again.

Allow the donuts to cool so the caramel forms a crispy coating. Serve immediately after it's cooled and crispy on top, and enjoy!