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Mardi Gras Doughnut Holes are the perfect bite-sized snack to celebrate the season. Change up the sprinkles colors for any holiday or event!
I love to entertain, but I don’t do it as often as I would like. Whether it’s just an intimate gathering of a few close friends, or a house full of people, I’m all in. Every time I have a party I commit to doing it more often, but then it’s months before I have another one. When I do entertain, it tends to be around a theme or event, so last week was the perfect opportunity for a Mardi Gras party.
Lately I’ve been really bad about planning food for my parties. You would think, as a food blogger, that I would have all kinds of wonderful plans and go all-out. Parties should be the perfect opportunity for me to showcase recipes. And I’m not even talking formal recipes; this should be the chance for me to try a variety of appetizers. Nope, I am exactly the opposite…I run to the grocery store a day or two ahead and throw a few things together. It’s kind of embarrassing to even write that. I have to change that, and get back to being a planner.
A few days before the party I got on Pinterest to find appetizer ideas. First I considered doing a King cake, but I’ve never made one before and wasn’t sure I would have the time to pull it together. I did find several variations of the basic King cake recipe, but those seemed a little labor-intensive as well. I have a TV in my office, and watch The Today Show in the mornings; on Friday morning they did a segment about Oscar party ideas. When I saw doughnuts dipped in icing and topped with gold sprinkles, I knew I had found my dessert for the party.
I went to Wal Mart, but couldn’t find any full-sized doughnuts. And then I decided a bite-sized dessert would be better, and easier to eat. I found mini cinnamon rolls and briefly considered those so I wouldn’t need to do icing, but couldn’t find enough of them in the bakery section. Next I moved on to doughnut holes. At first I only found powdered and chocolate, but then came across cake doughnut holes. A trip down the baking aisle later, I had all the ingredients for Mardi Gras Doughnut Holes.
These Mardi Gras Doughnut Holes are so simple to make. Sure, you can make the doughnut holes and frosting from scratch. And if you’ve got the time and patience, I’m sure it is well worth it. But in a pinch, store-bought ingredients are perfect.
These doughnut holes have a thin coat of icing already on them, but it’s not enough to provide adhesive for the sprinkles. Besides, the frosting adds another layer of goodness. 20 seconds in the microwave, and the frosting melts beautifully.
The decorating process for Mardi Gras Doughnut Holes is incredibly simple:
- Dip the doughnut holes into the frosting
- Transfer the doughnut hole to a plate or platter, frosting side up
- Top with sprinkles
- Allow the frosting to set for 7-10 minutes
- Enjoy!
I began with a small amount of frosting. The melted frosting will begin to re-thicken in about 5 minutes, and at that point it is difficult to work with. I just added a little more frosting to the bowl, and microwaved it for another 15-20 seconds. Problem solved.
First I tried a toothpick to dip the doughnut holes into the frosting. It was perfect to dip, but kind of a pain to transfer the doughnut hole to the plate. Then I switched to tongs, which made the process much easier. At first, I did the frosting and sprinkles on each doughnut hole as I went, but that seemed to slow me down. For the rest, I frosted the remaining doughnut holes, and then added sprinkles. I think that was a much more effective process.
What I love about these Mardi Gras Doughnut Holes is that they are great for any celebration or event…just change up the colors of the sprinkles and/or frosting. These would be great for 4th of July, a baby shower, birthday party, or any other themed event.
