Brioche Donuts with Chocolate Hazelnut Cream

Freshly fried Brioche Donuts have a fluffy, light, pillowy interior and a thin, lightly crunchy exterior. I'm always baffled by how such a rich dough can transform into such an ethereal donut - it's like witnessing magic every time I make them. Like any yeast dough, these take a bit of time, but much of it is hands off. Freshly fried, tossed in vanilla sugar, and filled with a chocolate hazelnut cream filling - these donuts are totally worth every second. (PS: airfryer donut instructions are included!)

Snow Day Baking - Brioche Donut Edition

Take a walk down memory lane with me. This paragraph is from the original posting of these:

Feb 1st, 2019 - I adore snow days and having the kids home; It's like bonus time. We get to make treats and memories and they get a well-deserved break. I have linked to several other snow day bakes at the bottom of this post. Having these posts helps me relive and remember those special days when my kids were little and snow was the most magical thing. We are on the 3rd day of polar vortex school cancellation and we've been busy staying warm by baking all the things. On the 1st day we made homemade strawberry pop-tarts. They were so fun and so delicious. On the 2nd day (yesterday) we made these beautiful brioche donuts. And today, the 3rd day, as I'm typing this at the kitchen island, my darling husband is making his pizza dough and his famous peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies. 

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This post was updated on 7/26/2023 with LOTS of new step-by-step photos and an updated recipe card.

Let's talk about filling options

As amazing as the chocolate hazelnut filling is - (don't be fooled - it's as easy as mixing some chocolate hazelnut spread with some soft cream cheese. It creates a soft, pudding-like texture and it is SO good.) - you know I love a choose-your-own-adventure recipe. You can fill them or not, fill them with any flavor jam, curd (lemon would be amazing), nut butter, cookie butter (!!), vanilla or chocolate custard. You can cut them any size you like, glaze them, toss them in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or just plain granulated. Or leave them naked and unfilled and just enjoy the simplicity of warm, fried dough. They are almost too good to be true. One of our boys even said we could sell them for $20 a piece. I laughed of course, but really, they are that good.

Another favorite filling is softened cream cheese mixed with some maple syrup and cinnamon. Roll them in some cinnamon sugar and you've got the perfect fall treat!

What is brioche dough made of?

Don't let brioche intimidate you. It's just a fancy French name for an egg and butter fortified yeast dough. It's the stuff of dreams. It makes these donuts so rich, yet so light. I do suggest (beg!) that you read this whole recipe all the way through before you lift a finger. It has a few stages and steps, but it is not difficult. You'll start with a very sticky dough, but after kneading in the mixer for 20 minutes it will all come together so don't give up and don't be tempted to add more flour! Trust.

How to shape the donuts / second rise / frying

You can either roll this dough to about ½ inch thickness and cut donuts, or you can divide the dough evenly into 12 pieces and roll the dough into round balls. I like both options about equally and it really just depends on my mood - there is no right or wrong answer. Whichever you choose, the second rise will be the same.

Shaping Donuts (as opposed to rolling and cutting)

What is the difference between brioche and yeast donuts?

Brioche donuts do contain yeast, so they are the same in that sense. But because brioche has a higher egg and butter content, the brioche donut dough is more dense and sticky than a traditional yeast donut dough. Brioche has the ability to be both dense and light at the same time, though. Eating brioche, especially freshly fried brioche, is truly a heavenly experience.

Make these donuts same day or overnight

After the first rise, you can either proceed with making donuts or you can give this dough an overnight rise in the refrigerator. The benefits of letting it camp out in the refrigerator are that the dough will be less sticky, the flavors develop, the glutens relax, and it makes it easier to whip up freshly fried donuts in the morning rather than starting the whole process at the crack of dawn. You will need to let the dough come back to room temperature before rolling and frying.

I almost always make these without the overnight rise and they are perfect. I think some brioche purists will tell you you have to do a cold rise, but I disagree. If you have an incredibly hot kitchen, it might be a good idea. Otherwise, throw caution to the wind and make them NOW.

Can I make these donuts in the air fryer?

You sure can! To make these into air fryer donuts, you will need to preheat your airfryer to 360 degrees, brush the doughnuts with oil, and fry for 3 minutes per side. If you want to toss them with sugar you might need to brush them once more with oil or butter to make the sugar stick.

The photo below is an air fryer donut and you can see the texture is perfect. This is the Air Fryer I use The only thing you miss out on is that thin, crackly crust from deep frying in oil. But I was amazed at how good the air fryer donuts were and it is a great option if you aren't into deep frying.

Filling the Donuts

Once you toss the donuts in sugar, take a chopstick and poke a hole almost all the way through, then move the chopstick around to make a cavity for the filling. Then place the piping tip into the hole and fill. You will feel and see the donut puff up with filling. Don't overfill or the donut will crack.

That's all, friends!

Ok. Phew. That was a long one, but I wanted to give you all the details and step-by-step photos. I know brioche can be intimidating and so can donuts in general, but I promise you can do this! These are such a beloved recipe in our home and I truly hope they become one in your home as well. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy frying! xo - Anita

Brioche Donuts with Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Filling

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These Brioche Donuts with Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Filling are fluffy, tender, and irresistible! The dough and filling are both a cinch to make! Make these as traditionally fried donuts or air fry them!

• Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 large donuts

Ingredients

For the Donuts

• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• ¾ cup whole milk, warmed to 100 degrees
• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, soft room temperature
• 48 ounces neutral frying oil or lard *see note

Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Filling

• 1 8-ounce block cream cheese, soft room temperature
• 1 cup (8 ounces) chocolate hazelnut spread (I like this one)

Vanilla Sugar

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder

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Instructions

1. Prepare filling but combining filling ingredients in a bowl and mixing well to combine. Transfer to piping bag or zip-top bag fitted with piping tip and set aside until ready to fill donuts.
2. Prepare vanilla sugar by mixing sugar and vanilla bean powder together in a shallow dish. Set aside.
3. Combine yeast with warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and allow to sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
4. Add flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt and mix with dough hook until a sticky dough forms.
5. Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time allowing it to fully mix in before adding more. Continue kneading with dough hook for 20 minutes at medium speed. The dough will cling to the bowl a bit, but it should be almost in a ball and will be very smooth compared to how it began (see photos above). Add a bit more flour if it is extremely sticky, but be careful, you don't want it as firm and smooth as bread dough.
6. Perform the windowpane test by stretching a piece of the dough between your fingers until it’s thin enough to see light through before the dough tears (see photo above for reference). If dough does not pass, give it 3-5 more minutes before checking again.
7. Remove dough hook, and remove bowl from mixer. Cover bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
8. After dough has been rising for one hour, you can either place it in the refrigerator if you plan to fry these the next morning or proceed with next step.
9. Lightly flour work surface and top of dough. If cutting donuts, roll dough to ½ inch thickness and cut rounds (or any shape you like) and place onto floured cookie sheet to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour until puffed.
10. If dividing and rolling dough balls, place dough on lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour until puffed.
11. During last 20 minutes of rising, prepare a baking sheet with a cooling rack and heat oil in a large, heavy pot to 360 degrees F. Fry donuts for 1-2 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd the pan or the oil temperature will drop.
12. Remove with slotted spoon to sheet tray with rack.
13. Repeat until all donuts are fried.
14. Roll donuts in sugar while still warm
15. Poke chopstick into each donut and wiggle back and forth to make a cavity for the filling. Then insert pastry tip into the middle of each donut and fill until you feel and see the donut puff up. Do not overfill or the donut will crack. You will get the hang of it after the first one.
16. Enjoy while fresh and warm!

Air Fryer Instructions:

(This is the Air Fryer I use.)

After step 10 above, preheat air fryer to 360 degrees for 5 minutes. Brush risen donuts with oil and place oil side down in air fryer tray - do not allow donuts to touch. You will have to work in batches. Brush other side with oil quickly, close tray, and air fry for 3 minutes per side or until nicely golden brown on both sides.

Proceed with steps 14-16. You will need to brush with oil or butter to make sugar stick to air fried donuts.

Notes

The amount of oil will depend on your frying vessel. You want about 4 inches of oil so it is easy to flip the donuts.

I don't worry too much about salted or unsalted butter - use what you have. If you are concerned about it, decrease the salt amount in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon to compensate for salted butter if using. 

• Author: anita | wild thistle kitchen
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• rising: 3 hours
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: breakfast, dessert, brunch
• Method: frying, air frying
• Cuisine: American

Check out more of my favorite snow day bakes:

Salted Malted Chocolate Bundt Cake

Vanilla Bean Scones

Cinnamon Rolls