Caramel Coconut Snowmen Donuts

How long did you think I’d go without posting a donut recipe? :) I bet some of you were starting to think that I didn’t like donuts anymore!

Well, don’t fear, I still like donuts. Especially if they look like snowmen!! Actually, it was really difficult eating these guys because they were just too cute. But if I handed this plate of donuts to preschoolers, I am very confident they would have had no problem eating them.. eyeballs, carrot noses and all!

One evening this week Ryan and I drove around our neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. Part of our neighborhood puts on a special christmas light display each year, but the past few years we didn’t get a chance to see it, so this year I was determined to see it.

In fact, I was so determined that we ended up going before it was technically ‘open’. Which I don’t get if you spend all that time decorating your house and yard, hauling TONS of christmas decorations out of storage and setting them up in anticipation for the light display, why wouldn’t you turn them on? I mean, I can see them sitting in your yard.. turn them on! So we might just have to go back once it officially begins.

After looking at the christmas, or lack thereof, I was trying to explain to Ryan that I really love decorating for any holiday. I told him whatever normal people do to decorate for the holidays, I want to do it but times ten! So naturally he thought if normal people put up one strand of lights, I want to put up 10. Yes. I wouldn’t mind 10 strands of lights, because right now we have one.

I also dream of having crazy inflatables, reindeer, and a manger. I don’t suppose my landlord would appreciate the fact that the decorations would have to stay up all year since I have no where to store them :) I’ll just have to wait until we own a house.. in 10 years!

This recipe is very simple. First, you will make the caramel donuts, dip them in white chocolate and top them with coconut. Now you have a caramel coconut donut! To make a snowmen, cut 6 carrots into long triangle shapes (like noses) and attach them to the donuts using a toothpick. Stick one end of the tooth pick in the carrot and stick the other in the donut where you want it.

Next add eyeballs. I used white m&ms and drew black eyes on them using a black food coloring paint marker. You could also use tint some of the white chocolate black and use a new paintbrush to brush the black colored chocolate onto the white m&ms. To get the eyeballs to stick to the donuts, use some of the melted white chocolate as glue.

Finally, add round black candies to make a mouth. I found my round black candies in the bulk section of my grocery store. Use the melted white chocolate to glue the candies to the donut.

So if my love for christmas decorations wasn’t enough of an indication of what kinds of recipes I’ll be sharing this season, they are all going to be super christmas-y and super cute. I have a new found love for cute treats, which I already shared a few, but there are more!

I hope these bring a big smile to your face :)

5 from 1 rating

Tap stars to rate!

Caramel Coconut Snowmen Donuts

By: Beth

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 donuts

SaveSaved Pin Rate Print

Baked caramel donuts are dipped in white icing and coconut to make fun, fluffy snowmen.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3 tbsp sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp caramel flavor
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 3 whole rectangles of vanilla candiquik plus 1/2 tbsp vegetable shortening, divided* some used for dipping the donuts, some used as ‘glue’
• ▢ shredded coconut, enough to generously cover each donut
• ▢ carrots, cut into triangles for noses stuck into the donut with a toothpick
• ▢ round black candies to make mouth
• ▢ round white candies for eyes with black food coloring paint or black colored white chocolate

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a donut pan with cooking spray, use a paper towel to lightly spread/remove excess spray.
• In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine caramel flavor, egg, and oil. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stir until combined and no flour remains.
• Transfer the batter to the donut pan, either using a large piping bag or a ziploc bag with one corner cut off. Or you can spoon the batter into the pan using 2 spoons. Fill each donut hole about 2/3 full – but not completely full.
• Bake the donuts for 10-13 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the donuts sit in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
• Melt 3 rectangles of vanilla candiquik in the microwave. I like to microwave mine with a little bit of crisco for 2 minutes on 50% power. Continue to microwave on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted.
• For dipping, it’s easiest to transfer the chocolate to a small shallow dish, but large enough to fit a donut in. While hanging onto the edges of the donut, dip each donut into the chocolate and pause for a few seconds while the donut is upside down to allow to excess to fall off. Allow the donuts to cool on a tray for a few minutes before adding the coconut, however you don’t want them to cool completely, otherwise the coconut won’t stick to the chocolate.
• Place the shredded coconut into another shallow dish and dip each donut into the coconut, making sure that all of the chocolate gets covered with coconut. Return the donuts to the tray.
• Begin to add the snowmen details. Cut a carrot or carrots into 6 long triangle shapes (like noses) and attach them to the donuts using a toothpick. Stick one end of the tooth pick in the carrot and stick the other in the donut where you want it.
• Next add eyeballs. I used white m&ms and drew black eyes on them using a black food coloring paint marker. You could also use a little bit of melted milk chocolate to draw eyeballs onto the white m&ms. To get the eyeballs to stick to the donuts, use some of the melted white chocolate as glue.
• Finally, add round black candies to make a mouth. I found my round black candies in the bulk section of my grocery store. Use the melted white chocolate to glue the candies to the donut.

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 284mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!