Wild Cranberry, Ricotta & Orange Drop Doughnuts Recipe

Ingredients

250g ricotta, drained
75g caster sugar, plus 150g for dusting
2 oranges, zest and juice
1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from ½ vanilla pod
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg and 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
100g plain flour
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp baking powder
210g cranberry sauce
Sunflower oil, for deep frying

Gingerbread Drop Doughnuts with Jingle Jam An irresistible variation. Swap the caster sugar for 50g brown sugar and 1 tbsp black treacle. Use zest of only 1 orange. Swap vanilla for 1 tsp ground ginger and ½ tsp ground cloves. Increase cinnamon in batter to 1 tsp. Dust cinnamon sugar, as above. Pipe our very own Jingle Jam into the centre.

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Method

1. Whisk the ricotta, caster sugar, zest of both oranges, 2 tbsp orange juice, half the vanilla, ½ tsp cinnamon and eggs in a bowl till smooth. Sift in flour, cornflour and baking powder and stir to combine (don’t overwork the batter, it’s Christmas).

2. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hr or overnight. In a separate dish, mix the cranberry with the remaining vanilla. In another bowl, mix the 150g sugar for dusting with the remaining cinnamon.

3. Come cooking time, place a smallish heavybased saucepan over high heat. Fill it with enough oil to cover a golf ball twice. To test the temperature of the oil, sprinkle in some flour. If it sizzles, the oil is ready.

4. Use 2 spoons: one to scoop up a golf ball-size dollop of the mix, the other to gently scrape it off spoon one and into the oil.

5. Cook in batches of two, for 2 mins or till golden. Turn the doughnuts in the oil as they cook, so they colour evenly.

6. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon. Roll through the cinnamon sugar. Rest on kitchen paper. Fill a piping bag (or make your own with parchment paper) with the cranberry sauce. Pipe into the doughnuts till you can feel them filling up. Eat one before they disappear.