The champagne bubbles must have gone to my head with all the bubbly DIYs (champagne guide + DIY photo booth) lately but I couldn’t help it: I had to keep the champagne flowin’!! I mean, if there was ever a season to pop fizz clink, it’s the Christmas season. And it involves donuts…so this was practically mandatory! I really had no choice, guys. Champagne Bubble Donut Bites HAD TO HAPPEN!
For a split second though, I thought the donut bites weren’t going to happen. I resurrected my champagne flute cookie cutter, which I used last year to create New Year’s Eve Cookies, with the intention of making a NYE baked good that was BIGGER + BETTER! Everything was going swimmingly. Dough was perfect, the oil was heated + the sugar glaze was set. What could do wrong? Well, my champagne flute shapes didn’t really hold up in the oil. Each time I tried to turn the champagne flute would-be donut over, it lost its shape. And I nearly lost my motivation. I started drafting an apology post to you all. I really had my champagne popping heart set on creating a NYE donut. And then inspiration hit me: Champagne Bubble Donut Bites! Break out the bubbly because we’re in it to win it!
Nothing always goes to according to plan but in this case, we definitely made lemonade out of lemons by making donut bites out of donuts!
These little donut bites are an easy addition for your New Year’s Day brunch, sitting pretty right next to a bottle (or several) o’ bubbly! The dough can be prepared the day before and after that it just takes a few minutes to fry ‘em up. Don’t have a deep fryer? Neither do I! A big pot with about an inch of canola oil gets the job done. Dip the bites in a little glaze and sprinkle with “pearls” (because obviously) and you’re in business! And you want to know what the best part is?!?! You can easily pop one or two or five into your mouth without putting down your champagne flute.
Donut Bites Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
4 cups flour
Directions
1. In a large bowl, add the sugar and butter. Using a mixer, blend until combined. Add the salt, baking powder, nutmeg, vanilla extract, eggs and milk until mixed together.
2. Add the cups of flour one-by-one and mix until the dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for about 2 hours. It’s tough being donut dough, man.
3. Take the dough out of the fridge and pinch off enough dough to create a ball about 1 1/2 inch thick. Eyeball it! As long as the donut bites are about the same size, you’re all set.
4. Heat up an inch of canola oil in a large pot. Test to make sure the oil is ready to rock ‘n roll by pinching off a bit of dough and dropping it in the oil. If bubbles immediately start going crazy around the dough, it’s donut time.
5. Let each donut bite hang out in the oil about 2-3 minutes, turn each bite over a couple of times. Once it gets golden brown, take it out of the oil.
6. Place the donut bites on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil + let cool before you glaze them.
Donut Glaze Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 drop ivory food coloring
Directions
1. Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar and milk in a small bowl. Add the drop of ivory coloring and continue whisking until well blended.
2. Spoon the glaze onto the cooled donut bite and top with Wilton Sugar Pearls if your little champagne poppin’ heart tells you to! Mine did ; )
Written by Lauren of DC Girl In Pearls
