Jelly Doughnut Cookies

Fans of jelly doughnuts, with their fried, sugary outsides and gooey, fruity insides, know that jelly doughnuts are definitely not care package material. So, I invented  Jelly Doughnut Cookies.

These soft, cakey cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar have a surprise jelly center. They look sort of like a jelly doughnut, taste sort of like a jelly doughnut, and stays soft and delicious for over a week.

Why you'll love this recipe

For many Jews, jelly doughnuts are a traditional Chanukah food. The Chanukah story involves a miracle with oil, so traditional Chanukah food includes oil or is prepared in oil. Examples are potato pancakes ,latkes, and jelly doughnuts, sufganiot.

This jelly doughnut look-alike makes a tasty addition to a Chanukah care package (or any care package, really).

Making a soft pillowy vanilla cookie was the easy part. I adapted my recipe for Soft Italian Cookies into a vanilla version.

Figuring out the jelly center of each cookie proved a bit trickier. Regular jam was messy and didn’t end up looking like a pocket of jam at the center of the cookie. After much trial and error with jam stand-ins, the winning ingredient is Lifesavers Gummies (I used wild berries flavor).

I was trying for a molten fruity center. The Lifesavers Gummies melted perfectly. A warm doughnut cookie has a center so gooey it will drip. Once cool, the jelly remains soft but not liquid.

Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.

1. In a small bowl, microwave butter until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until combined, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the eggs, yogurt, milk, and vanilla. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly add dry ingredients until just combined. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour-overnight.
4. When dough is chilled and ready to bake: In a small bowl mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the coating. Set aside.
5. With a small 1 tablespoon scoop, form golf-ball sized dough balls.
6. Tear the dough ball in half and place a Life Saver gummy on one of the torn sides. Put the dough ball halves back together with the Life Saver gummy in the middle.
7. Roll the dough back into a ball shape, enclosing the Life Saver in dough. Roll the dough in the cinnamon-sugar to coat.
8. Place on a parchment lined baking tray about 2” apart, and bake for 10 minutes.

Storage

These donut cookies are soft and cake-like. They will remain soft for at least 1 week if stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Separate layers of cookies with wax paper to prevent sticking together due to exposed “jelly”.

Tips

• There may be other brands of gummies that also work, however, I wasn’t successful in finding anything else that melts as well as the Lifesavers.
• To save you trial and error time, I can tell you that Welch’s Fruit Snacks, Dots, Gumdrops/Spice Drops, and Jelly Belly jelly beans don’t melt. They provide a colorful cookie center that remains solid and very chewy.

More Hanukkah treats

Lemon Stars are crunchy, lemon sugar cookies drizzled with a sweet-tart lemon icing. These are a tradition at my house!

Making your own homemade Chocolate Gelt is an easy project for the whole family!

Skip the cookie cutters. Dozens of dreidle shaped Chocolate Espresso Spritz Cookies can be made with a cookie press in very little time. Sandwich these cuties with melted chocolate for a special holiday treat!

These chewy, chocolate Hanukkah Cookies are fudgy and delicious!

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Jelly Doughnut Cookies

These jelly doughnuts are really a soft, cake-like doughnut cookie with a melted jelly center. Fun cookies for Hanukkah.

5 from 1 vote

Print Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Jewish

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Chill time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 30

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Wendy Sondov

Ingredients

Cookies

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 1 large eggs plus 1 yolk
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 ½ tablespoons plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 30 Lifesaver gummies

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Prepare dough

• In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until combined, about 2-3 minutes.
• Mix in the eggs, yogurt, milk, and vanilla.
• Reduce speed of mixer and slowly add the flour mixture until just combined.
• Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour-overnight.

When dough is chilled and ready to bake

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small mixing bowl mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the coating. Set aside.
• With a small 1 tablespoon scoop, form golf-ball sized dough balls.
• Tear the dough ball in half and place a Life Saver gummy on one of the torn sides.
• Put the dough ball halves back together with the Life Saver gummy in the middle.
• Roll dough back into a ball shape, enclosing the Life Saver in dough.
• Roll the dough in the cinnamon-sugar to coat.
• Place on prepared baking sheets about 2” apart, and bake cookies for 10 minutes.
• Cool completely on cookie tray before storing.
• These cookies are soft and cake-like. They will remain soft for at least 1 week if stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Separate layers of cookies with wax paper to prevent sticking together due to exposed “jelly”.

Notes

Alternative fillings include a teaspoon of peanut butter or a few chocolate chips.

Packing tips

Wrap pairs of cookies, with bottoms together, in plastic wrap. Place in an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

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First Published: December 7, 2015. Last Updated: November 10, 2021. Updated for additional information, improved photographs, and better reader experience.

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