Blackberries & Cream Slider Doughnuts – Super fluffy yeast doughnuts that are tossed in sugar and then stuffed with a layer of cream cheese filling and topped with juicy blackberries. The perfect treat for any breakfast or brunch!

I have a confession to make…I typically don’t to get super excited for the start of spring. Of course I’m happy to put away my coats and ready for swimsuit season. However, it was never close to the rush of excitement that I get during the start of fall.

But things have changed, people! I’ve gotten a taste for the incredible spring produce so far and man, it’s been unbelievable. Have fruits and veggies always tasted so much better this time of year?! Keep the spring produce coming!

Lately, I’ve been having a love affair with berries. Okay, let’s be real…I’ve had a love affair with berries my entire life. How could I not?! Juicy and sweet and full of nutrients and antioxidants? You can’t beat that.

But recently, the berries have been even better than normal (thanks berry season!) so they’ve been my inspiration for many of the posts this month. Just look at this berry trifle, these blueberry muffin tops, and these berry mimosas. And now I have another berry-rific recipe for you: Blackberries & Cream Slider Doughnuts!

Slider doughnuts are a somewhat new concept, I suppose. Well, they’re new to me anyway. I’ve only seen them at two doughnut shops here in Atlanta but both experiences made quite an impression on me that I HAD to make my own version.

Both slider doughnuts that I tried were yeast doughnuts that were stuffed with a fresh fruit – not a jelly. I love that! Why fill a doughnut with super sugary, boring jelly when you can use fresh, seasonal fruit instead?!

Speaking of the fruit, it’s no surprise that I used blackberries. But guys…these blackberries were the best blackberries that I’ve had in YEARS! Each one was literally bursting with juice in every bite. And on top of it, they were enormous! The blackberries were so big that I had to cut them in half to fit in the sliders. Just look at them!

But before the blackberries get stuffed in the sliders, I spread on a thick layer of cheesecake filling. The tangy, creamy filling is the perfect accompaniment to the juicy, sweet berries. Plus, they help keep the berries in place!

So let’s talk about the process for making the doughnuts. First, let me address the obvious. Yes, they are fried. I really do not like frying anything because it makes my house smell like oil. But I learned a new trick! All I have to do is run my exhaust fan while frying to clear up the smell. You would never know that I fried doughnuts when stepping into my kitchen. Worked like a charm.

And it also helps that the doughnuts only fry for 1 minute on each side so it took only 10 minutes to fry the whole batch. Less frying time = less oil particles in the air. It’s science.

The dough is no more complicated than a cinnamon roll dough. In fact, it’s almost exactly the same. Not as much sugar though. And bonus – this dough is made without a mixer!

Before you make these gorgeous slider doughnuts for your next brunch fest, read these tips to make sure they turn out exactly as planned:

1. If you’ve never fried at home before, don’t worry – you don’t need a fancy deep fryer. Just use a large pot! I prefer using my cast iron dutch oven because it helps keep the temperature steady at 375 degrees. If you don’t have one, you can get them really cheap, actually. I got mine at Walmart years ago for less that $50. Here it is on Amazon, in case you rather get it shipped to you.
2. Speaking of temperature…you absolutely need to have a candy thermometer when frying because the temperature of the oil is sooooo important. If it’s too cold, your food will take forever to fry and thus become super greasy from staying in the oil for so long. If it’s too hot, your food will burn before it’s fully-cooked. A candy thermometer can go up to 400 degrees, which is important since we are cooking the oil to 375 degrees. Your meat thermometer cannot go that high so don’t use it! Here’s a great one from Amazon that you can use.
3. Doughnuts only stay fresh for one day so you’re going to want to make these the morning that you want them. However, you can make the dough the night before to save some time. Let it rise once then punch it down and wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. Let it get to room temperature before attempting to roll it out. You can make the filling ahead of time, too. Just wrap and place in the fridge until ready to use.
4. The doughnuts are tossed in sugar before we make them into sliders. I use superfine sugar for this, which is located right next to your granulated sugar and powdered sugar at the grocery store. But you can use either of those, instead, if you want. I just like the look of the superfine sugar the most and I happened to have it on hand from making creme brulee.
5. Like many of my recipes, you can easily adjust this recipe to make it your own. Don’t like blackberries? Simply substitute for strawberries or sliced peaches or any other fruit you like. Same goes for the cheesecake filling. You can use whipped cream or chocolate ganache or custard if you prefer. The options are endless!

I hope you go crazy for these doughnuts just like we did. My husband even placed it in his top 5 favorite things! I know these will be one of your favorites, too 🙂

Here are all the kitchen tools and serveware that I used in today’s recipe. For each item sold below, I make a small commission. I only recommend items that I own and love so you can trust that each recommendation is tried and true. Thank you for supporting CPA!

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2622591″]

Pin for later:

More recipes that you’ll love:

Strawberries & Cream Danish

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Blueberry Muffin Tops

Traditional English Trifle