THRIFTY DOUGHNUT IDEA

We weren't able to take advantage of the free doughnut offer this past week and I've been craving them since! Not having the energy to completely make doughnuts from scratch, I scoured my fridge for inspiration and came up with an idea that worked out beautifully.

I used Pillsbury Grands biscuits to make doughnuts instead! The whole process took about 20 minutes and everyone loved it! Not only that, but I purchased these Pillsbury Grands back in March, when we were able to get them for only .17, so this breakfast treat was also a great deal. The shortening was the biggest expense with this little project, but even so, I estimate all 16 doughnuts and doughnut holes to cost less than $2 total, or about .06 each!

Here's what I did:

I used 2 cans of biscuits for our family of 5. If I could do it again, I'd only do one. We had the doughnuts, along with fresh fruit and cereal for those who wanted it and 1 doughnut per person was more than enough.

Heat 2 cups of shortening in a pan on the stove on medium heat. While the oil is heating up, you'll prepare your biscuits. Unroll the can and lay each biscuit flat. Using whatever tool you can find, punch a hole in the biscuits. In the past I've used the lid to a plastic water bottle. The holes are a bit smaller and you have to convince them to come out of the lid afterwards, but it's not too difficult. I got these Ateco Cutters last year as a gift and love them!

Before you begin frying, get your toppings in place, because the doughnuts cook really fast and you want to coat them while hot. We used homemade hot fudge sauce and a simple powdered sugar glaze. Spoon each out onto a shallow dish. You can also put some powdered sugar in a paper bag for coating.

Once the oil is hot enough, add a few doughnuts or holes and begin frying. It took my oil about 10 minutes to heat up sufficiently. Keep an eye on the doughnuts as they brown quickly. Mine took about 2-3 minutes to cook each side, if that.

Once they're cooked, set them out on a paper towel and let them cool for a couple minutes. After that, coat them with your choice of yummy goodness! Let them cool an additional 5 minutes at least.

Enjoy!