Friends, it is with tons of joy, some nervous sweating, and a dozen jelly donuts that I share with you THE. MOST. EXCITING. NEWS. No, Mom, I’m not pregnant, but… the Wood and Spoon blog is a finalist in the SAVEUR blog awards!

Saveur Blog Awards

I’m shocked, humbled, and so stinking thrilled about this opportunity. The SAVEUR blog awards, basically the Grammy’s of the food blogging world, is a celebration of writers, photographers, cooks, and bakers from all across the world who share their culinary perspectives on the interwebzz. I’m joined by several friends in the “Best Baking and Sweets” category and am looking forward to hanging out with the rest of the nominees at the awards ceremony that will be hosted in Charleston in early October. While winning this award would be so legit- I’m talking cooler than if Steve Carrell hand-delivered a Dundee award straight to my front door- I’m so honored to even have a seat at the table.

Blogging as a Means

I started writing this blog because I wanted to author a cookbook. Blogging seemed like a practice field for writing and recipe development, perhaps even a chance at developing a readership. I thought that if I worked really hard I might eventually meet a publisher that would offer me a cookbook deal. It’d be done.

What I didn’t expect was how much I would fall in love with blogging. The fear I once had about writing (“What will people think? What if I suck? What if I don’t have time for this?) has been replaced with a ton of joy and a deep sense of gratitude. Instead of opposition, I was met with the open arms of readers and fellow bloggers who welcomed me to this home and gave me the room to make myself comfortable. It’s an incredible feeling to be apart of something that extends beyond my life and the four walls I live in. It’s an incredible feeling to belong here.

I still dream of writing books someday, but I’m content and fulfilled growing this little home we’ve made here too. The community I’ve found in this space is real and I’m so grateful for the friends and family who encouraged me to step into blogging. I’m starting to think that the sharing of food, both online and in real life, is one of the truest ways that I can love the people around me. So please keep hanging out here with me, okay? You guys make this awesome, and I’d like to stick around for a while.

Jelly Donuts

Speaking of awesome, let’s snack on some jelly donuts. Cool?

These sparkly mounds of fluff are from a recipe compliments of the fine folks at SAVEUR magazine. The process is straightforward and simple, just a basic yeast donut filled with quality fruit filling and topped with sweet, sandy sugar.

Making the Donuts

To make them, we start by whipping up a sweet dough. Cream some butter and sugar in your stand mixer and add in some yeast, milk, and egg. Once that’s all combined, we toss in some flour and stir until a soft dough forms. Let it all rise for an hour or two until it’s double in size and ready for forming donuts.

Use a biscuit cutter to cut out some dough rounds and allow them to rise a second round. The recipe called for 3″ biscuit cutter, but I used a 2-1/2″ cutter with success. In the meantime, prepare your oil in a large pot over the stove or in a fryer, being sure to crosscheck the temperature with a thermometer. If your grease isn’t hot enough, the donuts will absorb a ton of oil and you’ll be left with jelly donuts that taste kinda like the county fair (which actually isn’t terrible, if we’re being honest). Cook the donuts about 2 minutes on each side, or until they’re lightly golden and puffed.

Finishing the Donuts

Once out of the fryer, transfer the donuts to a big pan of sugar and take care not to burn yourself while you toss the whole lot of it together. Tossing the donuts while they’re fresh from the oil will matte the pastry in thick, glorious clouds of sweetness. Alternatively, you can allow them to cool first for a thinner layer of sugar. If you choose to use powdered sugar, this is the route I’d recommend. Once they’ve cooled a bit, use a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round tip to fill your donuts with your favorite jelly. I chose strawberry (because duh) but raspberry, blueberry, or even cherry would find themselves right at home nestled in the center of these jelly donuts.

Vote!

If you love this blog and are a fan of what we do here, I hope you’ll consider casting votes for me in the SAVEUR blog awards! You can vote as often as you like, and (BONUS!) the blog with the most votes will win the Reader’s Choice award! You can click here to vote. Be sure to check out all of the other nominees and show them love if you’re into what they’re doing.

Thank you all again for being rockstar supporters of this site. Happy Hump Day and cheers to you!

Find the recipe for the jelly donuts right here!

If you like these jelly donuts, be sure to check out:

Breakfast Danish

Orange Cardamom Rolls

Peach Crumb Muffins

Funfetti Scones