I’m pretty sure that I have outdone myself with these tasty little gems! Since purchasing my doughnut pans I have been racking my brains to come up with alternative ways to use them. To justify my purchase, of course! It is not like I am going to bake doughnuts every day. So I was thinking that I should bake a savory doughnut side dish. Then I considered muffins and thought, “Any muffin could be a doughnut.” Then cornbread popped into my head, perfect! I then thought to plug the doughnut holes with pickled jalapenos and cheese in order to create the perfect receptacle for a jalapeno cream cheese compliment! Oh my gosh, am I ever brilliant! FYI, these would make a great chili companion!
Savory Cornbread Doughnuts (Studded with Jalapenos, Bacon, and Cheddar) and Topped with A Spicy Jalapeno Cream Cheese
Doughnut Ingredients:
-¼ c. butter (softened)
– 3 T. sugar
– 2 eggs
-1 c. Mexican crema (shown in photo)
– 2/3 c. flour
– 1 c. yellow cornmeal (I used a medium grind but I think that a fine grind would be better)
– 1 ½ t. baking powder
– ¼ tsp baking soda
– ½ t. salt
– 1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
-plus 3 slices sharp cheddar cheese (cut into 12 quarters, to fill doughnut holes)
– 4 slices bacon (cooked on paper towels in microwave until crisp, and then crumbled)
– 1to 2 T. hot pickled jalapenos chopped (~ 6 slices).
– Plus 12 whole pickled jalapeno slices (to fill doughnut holes).
-your favorite cooking spray
Heat oven to 425°. In a medium sized bowl beat, to combine, butter and sugar. Add each egg one at a time, beating well between each egg addition. Stir in Mexican crema. Add next five ingredients and mix in low speed until combined. Lastly stir in cheese. Using a rubber spatula, scoop and scrape entire mixture into a gallon sized Ziploc (staged in a bowl to keep sturdy).
Next, spray doughnut pans to prevent sticking. Sprinkle a few bacon crumbles and jalapeno pieces into each doughnut cup (as shown in photos). Place 1 jalapeno ring in the middle of each doughnut mold (as shown in photos). Cut the tip off of one corner of the Ziploc bag containing cornbread batter. Pipe batter into doughnut molds (as shown in photos). I filled 12 molds with this batter. Cover each centered jalapeno slice with a small slice of cheese. Bake doughnuts for 13 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven when golden brown. Let rest in pans for a couple of minutes. Remove from pans and let cool.
Spicy Jalapeno Cream Cheese ingredients:
-6 to 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
– 1 T. pickled jalapeno slices (minced, or chopped fine)
-1 T. sliced green onion
-2 T. Mexican crema (shown in photo)
Stir all ingredients together until well combined. Scoop and scrape entire mixture into a sandwich sized Ziploc (staged in a bowl to keep sturdy). Snip the tip off of one corner of the Ziploc bag containing the cream cheese mixture. Pipe cream cheese into the center of each cooled cornbread doughnut. Now EAT THEM!
Compelling Calorie Clue:
~100 calories worth of: Famous Dave’s Signatue Spicy Pickle Spears
*Note: Usually, when I think of pickles I think low calorie. But, you have to be careful. Sometimes pickled items have a ton of sugar in them, like these pickles. I’m not saying, to not eat them. I eat, and love, them. I am just saying to watch out if you are counting calories!
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Oh dear god those look good. I’m swimming in drool over here.