Butter Tart Donuts

We all know butter tarts are pretty much the best thing on the planet. Don't even argue. It's Canadian thing. (Check out our classic Butter Tart recipe HERE). 

We tried a Maple Syrup Butter Tart (HERE), and a Butter Tart Ice Cream (HERE), which were both so tasty, but we were still wanting to create another butter tart inspired dessert. 

Anyway, one day Sue was talking about jelly donuts and that we should make something like that so we started talking about what kind of fillings you could use instead of jelly. *voila* The butter tart donut (doughnut?) was invented. (Although, thanks internet for crushing our dreams. Apparently others have also done a butter tart donut already. It's okay. We are still sharing our version because it's ridiculously delicious.) 

I just want to add - yes, they are sweet. I know, shocker, being stuffed with butter tart filling and all. These are not for the faint at heart. 

Butter Tart Donuts

Ingredients

Dough

2 cups buttermilk

2/3 cup sugar

4 1/2 tsp traditional yeast

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 tsp salt

4 - 5 cups flour

oil for frying 

Butter Tart Filling

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup golden corn syrup

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

2 ts vanilla

1 tsp salt

Decoration

1/2 cup icing sugar

Directions

Prepare the dough: Heat milk over medium heat in a saucepan until milk starts to steam. Stir in sugar and pour into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the warm milk mixture and set aside for 10 minutes for yeast to activate (foam). 

After yeast is foamy, beat in butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Add in 2 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add in more flour, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, until soft dough forms. Sprinkle flour onto a work surface and place dough on top. Knead dough, adding a bit more flour if too sticky, for about 5 minutes. Oil a large bowl, form dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Cover with a towel and set somewhere warm to rise for an hour. (You can run your oven for a minute to start to warm up, then shut it off, then you can place the bowl of dough in the oven to keep warm to rise.)

After dough has risen for an hour, line a cookie tray with parchment paper and set aside. 

Roll out the dough to 3/4 inch thickness and cut with a 2.5 to 3 inch round cookie or biscuit cutter. 

Place the rounds on the prepared cookie sheet. Reroll the dough scraps and cut again. (Depending on your cookie cutter and the thickness of your dough you should get about 3 dozen donuts - that is what I got using a 2.5 inch cutter)

Cover the dough rounds with a towel and let rise in a warm place for another hour. 

After an hour, prepare a cookie sheet with a couple of layers of paper towel, set aside. Place a large pot with your oil over medium heat and bring oil to 350 degrees. 

Working in batches of about 3 donuts at a time, fry the dough until golden - about 1  minute on each side. 

If your donuts go too dark too quickly then your oil is too hot! 

Transfer the donuts from the oil to the paper towel covered cookie sheet and let cool. Continue until all your donuts are cooked. Do your best to maintain the oil temperature at 350 degrees. 

When the donuts are cooled you can fill them with the filling.

Prepare filling: Combine all the ingredients (brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, eggs, vanilla, salt) in a heavy bottom pot. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until mixture thickens to coat the back of a spoon - about 8 minutes or so. Transfer to a bowl and place in refrigerator until chilled, about 2 hours. FYI - I usually make the filling right after I prepare the dough for it's first rise so it is ready about the same time as the donuts. 

Assemble: Place filling in a piping bag with a longer tip. Press the tip into the center of a donut and fill with the filling as you pull out the tip. Repeat with remaining donuts. (FYI - If you don't have a piping bag and tips then you can use a large plastic bag with a corner cut off, and simply press the end of a wooden spoon handle into the donut then fill with the filling.)

Dust with icing sugar before serving.

This is optional but makes them look and taste even better. Just sayin'

Little squishy works of art, I say. 

So gooey and delicious. 

New Canada Day tradition? I vote yes. 

Butter tart everything. Who's with me?