The Easy Hack To Fill Donuts With Jelly At Home

Jelly filled donuts are always a good choice — that is, as long as you're getting them from one of the best donuts shops in the U.S. and you're not the one dealing with the mess. But as it turns out, expert bakers have a way to make filling donuts with jelly a much less sticky situation. Tasting Table asked Zac Young, the sprinkle master at PieCaken Bakeshop and Sprinkletown Donuts & Ice Cream, how he does it. Young said, "I use a sharp paring knife or chopstick to poke into the center of the donut, then fill a disposable piping bag with your desired filling and cut the very tip of the bag." After that, Young simply pokes the bag into the center of the donut and through the hole he made and squeezes.

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With that, the only question left is what to fill the piping bags with. Fortunately, that's the fun part. Take inspiration from some of your favorite go-to donut flavors and make a raspberry-filled, Polish packzi, or fill your piping bag up with anything from chocolate ganache to vanilla pudding. There was one other word of advice that Young had to offer, however — one that could save you from an even stickier and messier situation. "You can always cut the bag more, you can never uncut it," he advised. Be sure to keep that in mind so that you don't end up having to start the process over.

Filled donuts are the jam

If you're ever running low on donut inspiration, Tasting Table has a roundup of the 15 best donut recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth — including a strawberry jelly doughnut recipe. You can also check out our filled pumpkin pie donuts recipe for some fall-themed donut filling inspiration along with our custard-filled crème brûlée donuts recipe. On top of the flavor inspiration, you'll also come across some helpful tips for making filled donuts at home.

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Truth be told, if the consistency is right and you can get it into the piping bag, you can fill your donuts with just about anything you like. Apple butter, apple sauce, blueberry preserves, peach puree, or cream cheese, you name it — if you can bag it, you can put it in a donut. But there is a method to the madness, and along with Young's piping bag tip, it's important to consider letting your donuts cool before you try to fill them with anything.

It's a good rule of thumb to let your donuts sit and cool before you try to fill them. If you do it too soon and the donuts are still hot, the heat will only result in the filling melting and eventually oozing out before you can bite into them, which will create an entirely different mess. The same thing goes for if you're planning on icing or coating your donuts, too, but only because you'll want to avoid burning your hands.

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