Created by Judy Beaudin | Photo by Judy Beaudin | 

As baseball fans eagerly anticipate this spring’s Opening Day, many are just as excited about the fun ballpark foods awaiting them at the stadium. You too can replicate some of those familiar flavors, or even create some new dishes in your own kitchen! In a collaborative effort between The Jelly Queens and WakWay Farms, “Dusty’s Blackberry Jam” was born. Use it in this delicious treat, and you’ll gain a throng of adoring fans of your own!

These “bonuts” combine the buttery flakey goodness of a biscuit and the deep-fried sweetness of a glazed donut into one decadent little ball of goodness. The blackberry-cheesecake stuffing is the surprise that makes these extra special.

Chef’s Tip: You’ll need a pastry bag and round metal piping tip (a #7 or #8 is a good size) for stuffing the bonuts. Both items can be found at most craft stores. Another option is to poke a deep hole in the bonut with a metal barbeque skewer. Fill a zip-top bag with the cheesecake filling, snip a corner with scissors and squeeze filling into the bonut. The metal tip will give you a little neater and quicker result, but either way, you’ll enjoy incredibly delicious bonuts!

Ballpark Bonuts with Blackberry Cheesecake Stuffing

Yield: 24 bonuts | Prep time: 1 hour (including stuffing) | Cook time: 25 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients:

6 cups canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup cold buttermilk

Glaze:

1⁄4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1⁄4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1⁄4 cup WakWay Farm Baker’s Blackberry Jam
Optional: decorative icing

Instructions:

1. Fill a Dutch oven with the canola oil and heat until it reaches 350F using a deep-fry thermometer. Turn the heat down if it begins to go over. Place a cooling rack onto a baking sheet and set aside.
2. Make the filling: Combine the first three filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Microwave the jam for eight seconds to melt slightly. Swirl into the filling with a knife without mixing completely. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a #7 or #8 metal pastry tip and refrigerate.
3. Make the glaze: Place the powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl. Blend in the milk and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap.
4. Make the bonuts: Make sure oil is still at 350F (no hotter, no cooler). In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Pulse until blended. Add cold butter. Pulse 10-12 times until butter is the size of small peas. Add the buttermilk and pulse just until dough comes together. Dump out onto a floured pastry mat.
5. Pat dough out into a square one-inch thick. Using a one-inch round cutter, cut out pieces and gently shape into 18 balls. Working in batches of about six at a time, fry the biscuit balls for about four minutes each, rotating with a fork occasionally to make sure they cook evenly. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer to the rack.
6. After they have cooled for about one minute, roll the bonuts in the glaze and return to the rack. Use the metal tip of the cheesecake stuffing filled piping bag to poke a half-inch hole into each bonut. Squeeze for about three to four seconds to fill the bonut with cheesecake filling. Repeat with remaining bonuts.
7. If desired, decorate bonut balls to look like baseballs. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Note: These are best served fresh, but leftovers may be stored up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.