Blackberry glazed brioche donuts? They don’t come much more crave-worthy and delicious than that!

It’s just one of a beautiful collection of 55 bakes and desserts from Emma Duckworth’s Simply Sweet Nostalgic Bakes.

If you dream about the sweets and treats of your childhood but want something a little more special than the standard chocolate chip cookie or vanilla ice cream, then look no further.

Dessert has truly never been more comforting or crave-worthy than with Emma’s dreamy and inspired takes on nostalgic recipes.

Blackberry Glazed Brioche Donuts: Ingredients

Yield: 10–12 donuts plus holes

For the Brioche Dough :

• 2 1⁄4 tsp (10 g) active dry yeast
• 3⁄4 cup plus 4 tsp (200 ml) whole milk, lukewarm
• 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour 1 tsp salt 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla bean paste or extract
• 1⁄2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes
• 8 cups (2 L) canola oil or sunflower oil for deep frying

For the Blackberry Glaze:

• 1 cup (140 g) fresh or frozen blackberries (don’t thaw if using frozen)
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar, plus more if needed
• 2–3 tbsp (30–45 ml) heavy cream, plus more if needed
• 1 tbsp (18 g) pearl sugar or sprinkles

Blackberry Glazed Brioche Donuts: Instructions

To make the brioche dough, add the yeast, milk, and 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the sugar to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes, or until foamy.

Add the flour, remaining sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla, and using the dough hook, mix on low for 5 minutes, or until the dough comes together.

While the mixer is running on low speed, add the butter gradually, and once incorporated, turn the mixer up to medium speed and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl and have formed a “tornado” around the dough hook.

Do the windowpane test on the dough by grabbing a small piece of dough in between your fingers and thumbs and stretching it out. If it tears quickly, the dough requires more kneading. If it stretches thinly and you can see the light through it, it’s perfect!

Tip the dough onto a greased countertop and knead a couple of times until the dough forms a smooth ball. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl and cover with the plastic wrap.  Let it rise in a warm place for 1 1⁄2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Knock the air out of the dough by kneading it gently about six or seven times until it turns into a smooth ball.

Then roll out on a lightly floured countertop until 3⁄4-inch (2-cm) thick. Leave to rest on the counter for a couple of minutes so the rolled dough can settle.

Meanwhile, cut 10 to 12 (4-inch [10-cm]) square pieces of parchment paper, grease their tops lightly with cooking oil spray and arrange them on two baking sheets.

Using a 3-inch (7.5-cm) round cutter coated in flour (or a drinking glass), cut out rounds from the dough. Then cut out smaller holes with a 1-inch (2.5-cm) round cutter in the middle.

Knead any leftover dough, and reroll it to get more donuts. I cut out lots of donut holes with the scraps from this second round of rolling.

Place the donut rings on their individual pieces of greased parchment on the baking sheets, leaving space between each one. Place the donut holes on their own piece or two of parchment as well.

Cover the donuts with a slightly damp tea towel. Proof in a warm place for 45 minutes to 11⁄2 hours, or until doubled in size and puffy.

Fill a heavy saucepan halfway with the oil. Heat the oil to 340 to 350°F (170 to 180°C) using a candy thermometer to check the temperature accurately. Once it has reached this temperature, turn the heat down to stop it from climbing any further. Then regularly check to ensure the temperature is holding steady.

Working with two or three at a time, slide the donuts on their paper into the oil. Use tongs to pluck out the papers, which should float free within seconds. Sliding the doughnuts into the oil on the paper will allow them to hold their shape; otherwise, trying to move them with a spatula might deflate the dough before it hits the oil.

Fry for approximately 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a tray lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat the steps until all the donuts are fried.

Don’t forget the donut holes, which will take about 30 seconds to fry on each side.

Allow the donuts to cool before dipping into the glaze.

To make the blackberry glaze, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blackberries and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly and gently mashing the berries to a pulp with a fork. Remove from the heat.

Place a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl and push the pulp through, leaving any seeds or large chunks behind.

Allow the blackberry juice to cool for at least 10 minutes before using.

Transfer the blackberry juice to a large bowl, add the confectioners’ extract sugar and cream and whisk until smooth.

If the glaze appears too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar ¼ cup (30g) at a time. If the glaze appears too thick, add in a little more cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.

Dip each donut in the blackberry glaze, set aside on a wire rack and sprinkle immediately with pearl sugar or sprinkles. Allow the icing to set for 15 minutes. Dip the donut holes in the glaze or toss in caster sugar.

These are best eaten straightaway or stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Reprinted with permission from Simply Sweet Nostalgic Bakes by Emma Duckworth, Page Street Publishing, Co. 2021. Photo credit: Emma Duckworth