Jelly Doughnuts for Chanukkah, But With a Twist for Thanksgivukkah!

Chanukkah is a wonderful food holiday...if you love greasy stuff.  Between the latkes (potato pancakes) fried in oil and the Israeli favorite - soufganiyot (jelly doughnuts, pronounced soof-gah-nee-yot), there's enough oil in my house to keep that menorah lit and then some!  This year, my family celebration of Chanukkah will take place on Thanksgiving; it is the second night of Chanukkah and the family will be together already, so it makes perfect sense.  So Thanksgivukkah it is!  I have begun to prepare for the big day and the arrival of 23 family members.

I put together goody bags, I added a little Thanksgiving to the yarmulkes that will be used to light the Chanukkah candles and then it was time to get cracking on the menu and what could be made ahead of time.  I wanted to make soufganiyot for Thanksgivukkah but all of the recipes I found instructed the baker to serve immediately.  Usually, a fresh doughnut is best, but with making a Thanksgivukkah meal for a big crowd, I doubt I'll have anything left in me to get the frying oil hot again after the dinner plates have been cleared.  I searched high and low for a doughnut alternative and found a jelly doughnut cupcake!   I altered the recipe I found because the batter wasn't working with the measurements given (again, test recipes before posting, fellow bloggers) and came up with the cutest mini jelly doughnut cupcake that can be frozen and then filled on Thanksgivukkah morning.

What makes this jelly doughnut so special that it earned the name "Thanksgivukkah Jelly Doughnut" you might ask? (it's okay, ask!)  Well, the secret is in the filling - I didn't fill it with strawberry or raspberry jam, as jelly doughnuts often contain.  I filled them with...wait for it... cranberry jelly!  I grew up with homemade cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.  Not until I met my husband did I know that cranberry sauce not only came in cans, but you could get a berry-less cranberry sauce.  So that's what I used!  Here is the recipe for this adorable cupcake, that to my children's taste buds (I couldn't eat them because of my food intolerances), taste even better than the strawberry and raspberry counterparts.

Thanksgivukkah Jelly Doughnut Cupcakes

Makes 44 cupcakes

1/2 unsalted butter or vegan butter

2 eggs

2 2/3 cup flour, spooned into the cups and leveled, not scooped from the package with the cup

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup skim milk

1 can cranberry jelly (no berries)

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.  Line a mini baking pan with mini cupcake liners.  I had a 24-cup pan so I made mine in two batches, but if you have more than one pan, feel free to make them all at once, rotating the pans on the shelves midway through baking (so that they brown evenly).

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.  In another bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Add both sugars and the vanilla and beat until well combined.  Next, add each egg separately and beat well after each one.

Time to add the rest of the ingredients.  Alternate adding some of the flour mixture and some of the milk on a low speed until just combined.  Too much mixing at this point will cause lots of air in your cupcakes and we are looking for doughnutty cupcakes at this point.  Next, spoon the batter into the mini cups, about 3/4 the way.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until they are light brown and a toothpick inserted into the center one comes out clean.  Cool completely on wire racks.  Once they are cool, it's time to fill them.

Fit a pastry bag with a round tip (I used a Wilton #10) and fill it with the cranberry jelly.  I like to stand my bag up in a glass so that I can use both hands (one to hold the can and one to spoon in the jelly) to fill the bag.

Next, puncture the cupcake with the round tip and squeeze the bag while you slowly pull the tip out.  Leave a little jelly on top so your guests will know that they are filled with jelly goodness.

If you want to save the filling step for the day you are serving them, let the cupcakes cool completely before storing them in freezer-safe containers or bags.  When you defrost them, let them get to room temperature before filling.

My kids loved them, but the real test will be my father - he is the doughnut-eating king of my family and not at all a fan of changes in tradition.  If I can win him over, rest assured that your guests will love these, not only on Thanksgivukkah but throughout the holiday season!  Leave me a comment if you plan on trying them or if you have some other fun ideas for a Thanksgivukkah dessert.  Enjoy the soufganyiot!