An easy and complete tutorial on how to make Homer Simpson’s absolute favorite snack – these fun, pink glazed doughnuts with sprinkles (The Simpsons Doughnuts) – with perfect results, every time!
You can also check out my comprehensive post on how to make donuts for all the tips and tricks to make the best deep-fried donuts at home.
One of the most well-known families in the world for the past 25 years is without a doubt the Simpsons! I remember watching them when I was growing up and I still love the show. I love the couch gags! I even owned the Simpsons Album on Cassette tape and sang along to Do the Bartman.
A couple of months ago when the FXX channel advertised the #EverySimpsonsEver (The Simpsons marathon where they aired every single episode since the beginning, non-stop over a 12 day period) I was doing cartwheels in my head. AND there was more exciting news to come.
My favorite animated family (The Simpsons) and my husband’s favorite animated family (Family Guy) were going to do a crossover episode! That’s 60 minutes of pure animated sitcom heaven and it airs in less than a week! (Sept. 28).
I hope you will get to celebrate America’s favorite animated family by making these amazing LARD LAD Simpsons doughnuts! I made these in time to watch The Simpsons marathon last month, but honestly, do you really need an excuse to have these any other time of the year?
The perfect doughnut is a beautiful experience. In fact, the perfect doughnut I had was at Universal Studios Hollywood at the “Kwik-E-Mart” 🙂 Coincidence? I think not.
A beautiful dough that’s not too sweet or oily, soft and airy inside and a bright beautiful glaze on top! Yep, that my friends is the perfect doughnut. So naturally, I had to replicate this at home with my own recipe for simpsons doughnuts.
My first batch came out fine, but not perfect. I still coated them with cinnamon sugar and froze them to use later for other desserts (which I will talk about later). My second batch was perfect! Absolutely perfect!
I made the doughnut dough the night before and after the first rise, left it in the refrigerator overnight.
I cut about 10 doughnuts that were about 3.5 – 4 inches in diameter, but you can cut it to your preference. Check at 30 minute intervals to see if the dough has risen properly. If it rises too much, it will collapse when you lightly poke it. If you poke and the indentation stays, then you’re good.
I ate a doughnut hole a few minutes after it came out of the fryer – you know, for taste control purposes… – and it was crispy on the outside and so fluffy on the inside with NO OILY RESIDUE! Yep, I was a happy gal!
The glaze had to be a bright pink with the most colorful funfetti sprinkles for these simpsons doughnuts. However a chocolate glaze would have been decadent too. The glaze also had to be thin enough to be able to pour on top, but thick enough to spread slowly and set on the sides. You can use a spoon to spread the glaze on top, or just dip the doughnut in the glaze for a neater glazed top.
Next the sprinkles went on top while the icing hadn’t set completely yet.
Don’t these look amazing? Although you can’t see it, I enjoyed one right away with a nice hot cup of coffee! Even my husband wanted to come home early from work just to have one. Who could blame him?
Recipe
The Simpsons Doughnuts
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
Dough for Doughnuts
- 500 g AP flour 4 cups – spoon and leveled
- 120 mL lukewarm water ½ cup
- 120 mL lukewarm milk ½ cup
- 2 ¼ tsp yeast 7 g . Active dry yeast
- 1 large egg
- 1 large yolk
- 50 g sugar ¼ cup
- 56 g butter ½ stick. softened
- ¼ tsp salt
Glaze
- 1 cup icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp meringue powder optional
- Pink coloring
Instructions:
Doughnut Dough
- Set aside about ¼ cup of the flour, and place the rest of the flour in the mixing bowl with the sugar, milk, yeast mix, egg, yolk and salt. Leave the excess flour (¼ cup) aside in case you need it later.
- Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment or kneading hook in your mixer until the mix comes together.
- If you used the paddle mix, switch to the dough hook and start kneading the dough.
- Add the softened butter (1/2 – 1 tbsp at a time) until it’s all incorporated. Add some flour, if you need to get the dough off the sides of the bowl. Add the rest of the flour if needed to form a soft dough ball.
- Knead the dough for about 5 – 7 minutes until you have a soft, shiny, slightly tacky dough.
- Knead the dough for a couple of minutes in your hand to have a smooth dough ball.
- Place the ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl (with enough room to rise) and cover with plastic wrap. Remember to place the dough, with the seam side down.
- Let the dough rise at room temperature (70-75°F) till it is has doubled in size – this should take about an hour, maybe less depending on how warm it is.
- Gently release the air in the dough and refrigerate it overnight at this point. This helps develop the flavors of the dough better and it's is easier to handle when it is chilled as well.
- However you could roll out the dough and start cutting at this point if you wish. I recommend leaving it overnight (or at least a few hours) in the refrigerator.
- Next morning, take the dough out on to a floured surface and roll out the dough till it’s about ½ inch thick.
- Cut out 3.5 – 4 inch diameter doughnuts with a doughnut cutter – or use a large and small biscuit or cookie cutter.
- Place the doughnuts and doughnut holes on a parchment paper. Knead the left over doughnut dough lightly and let it rest for about 30 minutes, and repeat rolling and cutting once more.
- Cover the cut doughnuts and doughnut holes with plastic wrap and let them rise for about 1 hour (see tips in the post to check if the doughnuts are proofed properly).
- Heat a good amount of oil or shortening (the doughnut needs to float at least 2 inches above the bottom of the pan) in a heavy bottomed pan.
- When the oil is heated to 375°F – carefully drop in a doughnut. After 30 – 45 seconds check to see if the doughnut has turned a golden brown. If it has, flip it over. If it hasn’t leave it for a few seconds longer and then flip it over. The doughnut will darken as they cool, so be careful not to let it darken too much while frying.
- Transfer the doughnut on to a wire rack to let it cool.
- Dip one side in the pink glaze (or drizzle it over the top of the doughnuts), followed by rainbow sprinkles on top before the glaze sets.
For the Glaze
- Sift the icing sugar and meringue powder together. Whisk in the water, 1 tbsp at a time until you get a thick but pourable consistency. Add a couple of drops of pink coloring to get the desired color.
- Make more as needed.
Recipe Notes
If you have too many doughnuts, freeze them without the glaze, then thaw them out later to eat with whatever glaze you like.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
A tip when you are frying these Simpsons doughnuts – it’s very important to keep the oil close to 375°F. I did this with my thermometer.
A piece of bread dropped in would brown in 10 seconds and not burn if it is at the right temperature. If the oil is too cold the doughnuts WILL ooze oil when you take a bite. I guarantee it.
If it’s too hot, the outside will burn too quickly and it will be raw in the middle. So be careful. Don’t overcrowd the fryer either as this will lower the temperature greatly.
Now that you have a recipe in hand go ahead and make these fun Simpsons doughnuts this week. Heck, why even wait? Do it tonight so you can have some an awesome snack tomorrow. They are absolutely worth it.
They are so soft and fluffy inside and perfectly sweet that you would want to make these again and again.
Remember to subscribe for updates on the blog with your email below or right at the top of the sidebar. Another amazing Simpsons dessert recipe is coming up later this week. So you may want to stay tuned for that.
More donut recipes you’ll love
- Coffee donuts (with caramelized white chocolate pastry cream)
- Mini rainbow donuts (with unicorn glaze)
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