A recipe for decadent brioche sandwich donuts filled with homemade concord jelly. Jump to recipe.
Sarah Coates is the cool Australian behind The Sugar Hit, one of my favorite food blogs both for its recipes and punchy writing. She also has a cookbook out now that’s just as exuberant and funny as I hoped and expected. In a time of Scandi refinement and muted tones, Sarah’s bold colors, distinct voice, and unapologetically sweet, gooey, crazy delicious recipes stand out. It’s not called The Sugar Hit for nothing, people.
I’d been hoarding a pile of concord grapes for a few days before their purpose became clear to me. That purpose was: becoming the perfect filling for Sarah’s Filthy Cheat’s Jam Donuts. So, I made a batch of concord grape jelly. This might sound complicated and very Little House on the Prairie of me, but they didn’t have grapes in Little House, and anyway the hardest thing about homemade concord grape jelly is slipping the green innards from the grape skins. Which is not really that hard. Sarah’s cheater’s jelly donut recipe features pillowy brioche sandwiches trimmed up into little squares with a big plop of jam or jelly in the middle. They’re dipped in batter and then, these suckers are deep fried. The warm brioche donuts get a final toss on a plate of sugar. If you’re doing things right, immediately after, you’ll cut them in half with sharp knife and shove them into your face. It’s what Sarah would want.
If you’re ready to tackle inventive sweets in their myriad forms, get yourself a copy of The Sugar Hit and keep up to date on cookbook happenings on Sarah’s site.
A few notes on the recipe: First, you don’t have to make your own concord grape jelly, but if you do, I like this recipe. If you’re going store-bought, be sure to use something you love. This is no time for bargain jam. Use the good stuff.
Second: these donuts need to be deep fried. Hot oil is super dangerous and should be handled with extreme caution. For best results, use a countertop electric skillet – they maintain a constant temp, taking a lot of the guesswork out of things. If you’re going to deep fry on the stovetop, pick up a deep frying thermometer so you can control the heat. Clear the kitchen of kids, pets, drunks, or generally clumsy people before you start. Safety first!
From Sarah Coates' new cookbook, The Sugar Hit, a recipe for decadent brioche sandwich donuts filled with homemade Concord grape jelly.
- 4 1/2- inch slices brioche bread , crusts trimmed
- 4 tablespoons concord grape jelly , or jelly/jam of choice
- Neutral , heat-tolerant oil for deep frying
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup milk
- pinch sea salt
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup turbinado or caster sugar for topping
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Lay out brioche slices. Add 2 tablespoons jam to the center of 2, then top with remaining slices. Press edges lightly to create a seal.
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Fill a deep, wide skillet with 2-inches oil and set over medium-high/high heat until oil reaches 340 degrees F. (Or use a countertop electric skillet.)
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While oil heats, whisk to combine eggs, flour, milk, and sea salt. Spread turbinado or caster sugar out in a shallow dish and set aside.
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Working quickly, dip sandwich in batter, carefully lift out, letting some of the batter drain off, lower into the hot oil, and fry each side until light golden – 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Use a slotted fish spatula to lift donut out of oil, letting any excess oil drip off, then set in sugar filled dish and turn to coat. Repeat for second sandwich.
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Slice sandwiches in half, and enjoy immediately (watch out for the hot jam!).
Disclosure: I was given a free copy of The Sugar Hit by the publisher for review. As always, all opinions are my own.
I absolutely need these in my life. That jelly looks incredible spilling out of these donuts.
these look soooo good! I absolutely love concord grapes–I bet the homemade jelly was delicious!
Wow. Just, wow. One of my fave blogs too – gorgeous recipe!
FUN FACT! We don’t have Concord Grapes here in Australia and I have ALWAYS wanted to try them! So many people talkin’ bout how they taste purple! One day I will taste them, and hopefully it will be in this ridiculously gorgeous looking format. Thank you so much for posting this Elizabeth!
Oooh I just made a batch of concord grape jelly so I think these might be on the weekend brunch menu!
This is too brilliant for my mind to hand right now (!!!)
This is too brilliant for my mind to handle right now (!!!)
Oh wow how amazing do those look!
Danika Maia
What a genius idea this is! Fried sandwiches? Sounds good to me! 🙂 The edges look so crispy and delicious!
Oeh, this looks delicious! Love the photos as well!
“Clear the kitchen of kids, pets, drunks, or generally clumsy people before you start.”
*sighs, sips bourbon, turns around, leaves kitchen*
Seriously though, these look incredible. I’m having my annual torrid affair with Concord grapes, and this recipe seems like the ultimate way to celebrate these gorgeous beauties.
Just when I’ve sworn off deep frying at home, I stumble across this recipe…now I’ll have to reconsider. These look perfect!
Instead of removing skins from the grapes, I do this: Put whole grapes in a sauce pan with a splash of water. Boil 10 minutes until grapes are soft, skins split, and juice coming out. Mash them with a potato masher. Then pour through a strainer and leave it to drain into a pot for 2 hours. Discard seed/skin mash and use the juice for making jelly!