This homemade version is almost as good as the real thing! The ingredient list may look daunting, but it is not a hard recipe to master. If you don't have mascarpone, cream cheese is a good substitute, just add a tad more powdered sugar.
Bonuts
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), frozen
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbls. sugar
3/4 cup chilled buttermilk
2 Tbls. butter, melted
1 1/2 quarts vegetable oil
1 cup granulated white sugar (for rolling)
Mascarpone Cream
8 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup lemon curd (store-bought or homemade)
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbls. powdered sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
Blueberry Compote
1 pt. fresh or frozen blueberries
2 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
1 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbls. water
Directions
Bonuts
If you want to skip making the dough, grab a couple of cans of biscuits from the market! Cut each into four pieces, roll into balls and skip to #7.
Grate frozen butter using large holes of a box grater. Toss together grated butter and flour in a medium bowl. Chill 10 minutes.
Add yeast and 1 Tbls. sugar to warm water, stir to dissolve.
Make a well in center of mixture. Add yeast mixture to buttermilk, and stir about 15 times. Dough will be sticky.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly sprinkle flour over top of dough. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches). Fold dough in half so short ends meet.
Roll dough to 1-inch thickness. Cut into 1 inch squares, reshaping scraps and flouring as needed.
Roll each piece into a ball. Place balls into a greased pan and cover with a dish towel. Let rest for 30 minutes. (At this point make mascarpone cream and blueberry compote).
Start heating up your oil for the bonuts, about 25 minutes after letting dough balls rest. Using a temperature gauge to keep oil between 300-310 degrees.
Fill a shallow dish with 1 cup white sugar.
Using a spider or slotted spoon put 4-5 balls of dough into the oil and fry them until golden brown on both sides. Adust heat as needed. Cook for about 3 minutes, carefully turning so all sides cook through. Cooking time might vary.
Carefully remove the balls and place directly into the bowl of white sugar. Toss with a spoon to coat. Allow to cool slightly before adding to blueberry compote.
Mascarpone Cream
Mix the softened cheese with the lemon curd until fully combined.
Pour the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar into a separate bowl. Whip until thick and fluffy.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the curd and cheese mixture.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Scrape into a piping bag or a plastic storage bag with the corner snipped off.
Blueberry Compote
Place blueberries into a small saucepan with 2 Tbls. white sugar, 1 Tbls. lemon juice, and 2 Tbls. water.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
To serve, spoon blueberry compote onto a plate. Place a couple of bonuts on top of the compote.
Pipe mascarpone cream on top of bonut.
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