A Christmas Doughnut Bar
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One of my goals is to fill my children’s childhood with wonderful memories. This is a little bit selfish, as I want lots of happy memories with my kids too. Advent activities are something I know that I will look back upon fondly when my kids are grown and out of the house. I have added in a few new Advent activities this year, including this Christmas doughnut bar.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about how little time I have left with my kids at home. Parenting phases just go by so much faster than I expected. The baby and toddler phase went by in a sleep-deprived blur, which is odd because each day felt incredibly long.
Then I blinked and my time with early elementary kids was already gone. I taught kindergarten specifically because I adore this age range. Preschool – early elementary might be my favorite age.
My kids are 9 and 12 now, but I have no doubt that time isn’t going to slow down. In fact, it seems to be speeding up! Every year seems to go faster than the one before.
Christmas Doughnut Bar
I have fond memories of baking with my mom, so I love to bake with my kids. This Christmas doughnut bar is a great family Advent activity to get your whole family in the kitchen.
You don’t have to have everyone in the kitchen, though! We turned this into a dessert activity after a dinner party one night with pre-baked doughnuts. I baked the doughnuts ahead of time and let everyone help with the decorating.
Step 1: Bake up a batch of doughnuts
You can also buy plain doughnuts if you don’t want to bake them.
My family loves doughnuts, but it is pretty much impossible to find them gluten-free.
Thankfully, it is really easy to make them at home. I double this almond flour doughnut recipe and bake them in a doughnut pan.
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Doubling this recipe makes about 2 dozen. If I’m going to dirty my kitchen, I want to have leftovers. They freeze pretty well in a single layer and are then stored in an airtight freezer bag.
Step 2: Set out a bunch of topping options
Decorating the doughnuts is half of the fun (or my son might argue it is ALL of the fun), so I set out a bunch of possible toppings.
Fun Christmas doughnut toppings:
- White buttercream frosting – it acts as the glue to hold everything onto the doughnut
- Red icing
- Green icing
- Sprinkles
- Unsweetened coconut
- Christmas M&Ms – We chose caramel-flavored this year, but any flavor will work.
- Crushed candy cane
- Candy decorations
Step 3: Decorate the doughnuts
Now that everything is on the table, it is time to decorate. We decorate the doughnuts as we eat them. The leftovers are better if they are not frosted.
Now that the decoration is complete, you have delicious Christmas doughnuts.
This part has the potential to get messy with little ones (or big kids who are way too excited), so be sure to have a wet washcloth or napkins nearby.
Related: Christmas Activities
Step 4: Time to eat!
The almond flour batter makes these doughnuts full of fiber and very filling, so we usually only eat 1-2 per person.
Keep everyone around the table a little longer by reading a bit of a Christmas chapter book. My teens will happily listen to me read as long as they are eating.
Step 5: (Optional) Share with a friend
This Christmas doughnut bar can be boxed up to share with a friend. Just bake (or buy) plain doughnuts and gather an assortment of delicious toppings. Place it all in a pretty box or bag and give it to a friend.
One of our former churches celebrated the church season of Advent by matching up families as secret Advent friends. The goal was to secretly surprise your family each week leading up to Christmas.
The gifts usually centered around the idea of a family Christmas activity. Popular gifts included Christmas movies with cozy blankets, gingerbread houses, and craft projects.
I think that almost any family would love to receive a Christmas doughnut bar box!
Have you ever made a Christmas doughnut bar? I think this would be especially fun after a slumber party!
Related Posts:
- Awesome Christmas Homeschool Activities
- Christmas Activities for Tweens
- Family Christmas Movies
- December Homeschool Activities
- Free Printable Homeschool Christmas Planner
- 12 Sweet Christmas Books and Activities
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