A jelly donut is a sweet pastry filled with a portion of flavored jelly in the center. This is but one of many types of donuts that many people enjoy which can be made in a variety of ways. Some jelly donuts are made to feature different flavors of jelly in the center while some other varieties are made with different flavors of jam and some other types are baked or fried with various flavors of custard in the center. A jelly donut may be found in most stores that specialize in donut desserts and some people even prepare special recipes of homemade donuts featuring a jelly filling.
Often referred to as a filled donut, when making donuts cooks create a jelly donut variety by inserting jelly into the center of the pastry after the donut mix has been formed into a round donut shape and deep fried in hot oil. Many other donut flavors are sold in a round shape with a hole in the center, but a center hole is not a feature of a jelly donut since the center is needed to hold the jelly inside. These types of dessert creations may feature a sweet, glazed outer coating or may be sprinkled with granulated or powdered sugar before being served.
Some types of doughnuts are baked instead of fried. Baking donuts still creates a sweet pastry, but many prefer such recipes as they are believed to be healthier alternatives to fried varieties. Even after baking, jelly can be inserted in the center of donuts.
Donut flavors, such as the jelly donut or the jam donut, may be found in various places throughout the world, as this dessert is a favored snack, particularly of those who enjoy jelly desserts. Many Jewish people also look forward to enjoying a jelly donut during the Hanukkah holiday. The oil that donut dough is fried in is believed by many to be symbolic of a miracle spoken of in the Jewish holy scriptures where a single night’s worth of oil was burned, yet that little bit of oil continued to burn for a total of eight days while fresh oil was being prepared. This miracle is a celebrated part of the eight-day festival of Hanukkah. For other Jewish people, however, the jelly donut is favored because of its sweetness, which is believed to correlate to the sweetness of the holiday.