s'mores donuts

S'mores are so summertime, and I think we can all use a little summer right about now! Raise your hand it your tired of cleaning your car off every morning and driving with a fear of black ice in the back of your mind…psssst I'm raising my hand!

Let's all be in denial together about what season we're in, ok? Let's think about sitting on the dock at the lake in cut-off shorts with our toes in the water watching the sun set. Or, hiking our favorite trail. You know the one - it's so peaceful and skirts the lake. How about late night campfires! Roasting a homemade marshmallow over an open fire so it's a little charred and stuffing it between chocolate and graham cracker. Is there anything more delicious? 

I know something that's more delicious….these DONUTS! They are sooo soft and spiced with just the right amount of cinnamon. Fry the dough up, stuff it with the most fluffy marshmallow creme, and top it with chocolate ganache and graham crumbs. So perfect. Make these!

S'more Donuts

Dough inspired by Joy the Baker

Marshmallow Creme inspired by How Sweet it Is 

Pillow-soft dough gets fried to perfection, stuffed with a puffy cloud of the most perfect marshmallow creme, and finished chocolate ganache and salted graham cracker crumb. Who needs summer when you have these donuts?

Makes 10 - 12 donuts

For the Donuts

1 (1/4 ounce) packet active dry yeast

2 tablespoons warm water

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup milk at room temperature

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Marshmallow Creme

4 large egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Ganache

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1 teaspoon coconut oil

For the Salted Graham Topping

3 whole graham crackers

1 teaspoon salt

Stir together the yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Allow to bloom for at least 5 minutes or until the yeast is foamy.

Add milk, softened butter, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to the yeast. Mix on medium speed until just incorporated. Remove paddle attachment and switch to the dough hook.

Add four 1 cup at a time until the dough comes together and is soft and sticky. Remove dough from the mixer and place in a large well-oiled bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until doubled in size. 

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto the counter and knead a little until you have a smooth ball of dough. With a rolling pin, roll dough out into a 12-inch round circle. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut dough and place on a parchment lined cooling rack to raise for another 30 minutes until puffed.

In a large pot, empty a large container of canola oil and heat to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, gently place 2 donut rounds into the oil and fry until golden. Flip and repeat on the opposite side. Immediately remove from the oil onto a paper towel-lined cooling rack. 

Allow oil to come up to temperature again and repeat with the remainder of the donuts, two at a time.

While donuts cool, prepare the marshmallow creme filling.

For the Filling

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Place the bowl onto a pot of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Whisk the egg mixture continuously over the heat until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are warmed through. Immediately remove the bowl and attach it to your stand mixer. Mix on high speed until the mixture is thick and shiny, about 6-7 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and beat for another minute to ensure it's incorporated. Place marshmallow creme into a pastry bag fitted with a large tip.

For the Chocolate Ganache

In a heat proof bowl, microwave chocolate chips and oil for about 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until the chips have melted and the chocolate is shiny and smooth.

For the Graham Topping

Break graham crackers into pieces and place them in a food processor. Pulse until the crackers are fine crumbs. Stir in salt to combine. Pour into a medium size bowl.

To Assemble Donuts

poke a hole in the side  of the donut using the handle of a wooden spoon. Insert the tip of the marshmallow creme filled pastry bag, and pipe in filling. The filling with push the tip out of the donut when it's properly filled.

Next, dip creme filled donut into warm chocolate ganache and place on a cooling rack over a large baking sheet. Finish filling and dipping the remainder of the donuts to allow the chocolate ganache to set.

After the ganache has set a little, dip donuts into salted graham topping and return to baking sheet to set.

These donuts should be served within a day of preparing. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!