Easy Gourmet Donuts — fruits, cookies, candies: the possibilities are limitless
I have to tell you how these donuts came about. There’s a big food blogger conference called BlogHer Food that took place in Austin, Texas this year. I didn’t go, and at first I was fine with that — until I started seeing photos of gourmet donuts on Instagram.
In Austin there’s a place called Gourdoughs Donuts, and friends who attended shared their donut adventures online. Seeing those creative, over-the-top creations gave me serious donut envy. Missing the conference was one thing, but missing all that food felt worse.
So what did I do? I made my own gourmet donuts at home.
I started with an easy homemade donut recipe, though store-bought donuts would work just as well. Often the magic is in the toppings, and this project was all about experimenting.
We had a blast raiding the refrigerator and pantry to see what we could layer on top. Let me introduce you to Strawberry Sensation.
We used leftover macerated strawberries from a recent dessert — they added bright flavor and juiciness that made the donut unforgettable.
The combination was unbelievable — sweet, tangy, and perfectly fresh.
Next, we turned to the pantry for inspiration: an Oreo Crumb Donut, anyone?
Crushed Oreos sprinkled over a chocolate glaze add crunch and deep chocolate flavor.
My teenage son got involved and reached for the fruit bowl — fried apples became the topping for another favorite.
He loved it so much he licked the plate clean.
I admit I was a little mischievous — the girls weren’t home the first time we made these, so it was just my son and me having fun in the kitchen. These donuts make a perfect, playful breakfast bar for sleepovers, though, and that’s exactly how we used them later.
We started with classic sprinkles because sprinkles make everything better.
We also made a S’mores donut topped with marshmallow fluff and melted chocolate — yes, the chocolate stash went missing for a bit.
Another favorite, Blueberry Heaven, was my daughter Grace’s creation: fresh whipped cream, homemade blueberry syrup, and a scattering of picked blueberries made it light and indulgent.
To keep portions reasonable and encourage variety, we used Pillsbury Grand Jr. biscuits for smaller donuts — perfect for sampling many different toppings without overindulging.
I can’t wait to see what they invent next. There’s already talk of a Peanut Butter Cup Donut and even using ice cream as a topping. Stay tuned for more creations!
Looking for more fun breakfast ideas? Try sticky bun monkey bread, strawberry sweet rolls, breakfast cookies, or a brown sugar cheese danish for other crowd-pleasing morning treats.
