national donut day + a giveaway (closed)

National Donut Day is coming up this Friday and I've got a little giveaway to celebrate the occasion. I'm not as deserving of the Donut Queen title as I have been in years past. I haven't made a new donut pan project since my boudoir biscuits for tiramisu in January. But I do have a set of donut pans for you, straight from the manufacturer, as well as a few items I'll throw in, straight from me. How about a set of my dahlia greeting cards and another little surprise from my stash of past donut projects? Sounds good, right?

All you need to do is leave a comment letting me know you'd like to win. Either comment below on this post, or on my facebook page, or on the donut photos on my Instagram feed. I'll draw a name at random this Friday the 6th at noon, so you have until then to enter. Go ahead, do it!

My sweet donuts. There was a time I was working on the donuts every single week. I am tired, preoccupied and happily home for the summer with Stella (the reason I started this blog exactly three years ago, to write about our summer vacation), so the donut pans have gone on the back burner. I've got supplies here for some new donuts I've been sitting on for ages and a backlog of ideas. But I'll be honest. I'd love to make a book. I think it would be beautiful and I know a lot of people think the same. But I recently had a frank talk with a friend who has worked for two Bay Area publishing houses in their cookbook divisions, and I got a little nervous. The most daunting thing she said was that many publishers would want to publish new work, not my catalogue of the projects I've completed and shared so far. So I am not sure. Do I keep going here, because I do LOVE to work on them and photograph them, or do I stop now and start writing proposals? I have no idea! Anyone out there have any thoughts? Anyone out there want to help write a proposal? 

In the meantime, I picked out a dozen playful and semi-seasonal donut pan projects for you to try with your new pans. And you can see all sixty-one completed projects here: 101 Donut Pan Ideas

I'll be back Friday afternoon with the winner, so don't forget to enter!

piñata cakes

Stack up cake donuts and fill the centers with candies, and you've got individual piñata cakes!

gumdrop donuts

 I used basic flavors in these gumdrop donuts, but think of the possibilities. If you let them

set up a few days they taste and feel just like the real thing, but so much bigger!

donut-peach donut-shaped mini clafoutis

Stone fruit season is great for clafoutis. Conveniently shaped donut-peach slices

fit perfectly in the pans, and they are a great size for picnics.

muffin tops

You heard right, muffin tops. Using a donut pan is an EXCELLENT way to get a muffin that is all top. And while we're in Seinfeld territory, you can also use donut pans to make superior Drake's Cakes!

chalk donuts

Why? Because they are fun to use on the sidewalk, fun to make, and fun to look at.

I know you wish you could eat one. (Try a giant candy necklace instead!)

doggie treats

Something for the dogs. Easy to make, and canine tested. Score them to make smaller segments for smaller dogs!

teething rings

Even something for the babies. These are pretty brilliant, and also kid tested. Easy to hold, easy to chew.

shortbread cookie cups

Using the backside of the donut pans, you can create edible cups for sorbet and other yummy fillings. Lovely!

crunchy granola rings

Granola rings for hiking and camping!

burning rings of fire

Speaking of camping, take some fire starters made from of beeswax and sawdust with you to get things going. Just watch which sawdust you use, some are not good for you.

chia donuts

Currently located in my Pantheon of Fails, but beautiful and curious nonetheless. I have a dear friend who is an amazing ceramicist, and one day we are going to make these work. My first attempt with oven-baked clay dissolved under the wet seeds. BUT, if you know how to work with clay and have a kiln, imagine what beautiful green rings you could grow!

ice donuts

And last but not least, beat the heat with ice donuts. We have these on hand year round, no joke.

They make booze even more fun.

xoxo