You'll find lucky charms cereal both in the donut batter and on top of the fluffy marshmallow frosting in these Lucky Charms Donuts. I chose to dye the frosting green to make them a festive St Patrick's Day treat, but you can enjoy them any time of the year!
These donuts are baked, and baking donuts is easier to make than you'd think - all you need is a donut pan and your oven! I have an alternate marshmallow glaze in the recipe notes for you as well if you prefer a more traditional donut glaze.
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Ingredients
- flour + crushed lucky charms cereal: the marshmallows in the crushed cereal will add small flecks of color to the donuts and combined with the flour, the two will hold the donut's structure.
- salt: use an idiozed table salt
- baking powder: this is what causes the donuts to rise when they bake in the oven. Make sure to whisk the dry ingredients well so that it gets evenly distrubuted throughout the batter.
- sugar + vanilla extract: both give the donuts their sweetness and the vanilla extract heightens all the flavors.
- egg + milk + butter
- marshmallow frosting: whip marshmallow creme, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk together and get a light, fluffy frosting with the perfect amount of sweetness!
- green food coloring - optional! I like to add some to the frosting so it's green for St Patrick's Day.
- extra Lucky Charms cereal and marshmallows - use to decoarate the donuts. I like to mix the marshmallows from the cereal box with large ones for some magic marshmallow charm.
Please see the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post.
How to make Lucky Charms Marshmallow Donuts
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients
This is such a simple step, but an important one! You want to make sure that the salt and baking soda are well distributed throughout all the dry ingredients so that they are also evenly distributed throughout the whole donut batter. Otherwise, you may end up biting into a clump of salt or baking powder when eating the donuts, and trust me, no one wants that!
STEP 2: Mix the wet ingredients together
Add the granulated sugar, egg, vanilla extract, milk, and melted butter to a large bowl and whisk until combined.
Tip: Whisk the sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk together first. Melt the butter in the microwave (for about 30 seconds) and then add the butter to the mixed wet ingredients and whisk. When the butter is warm, it's easier to mix. The rest of the wet ingredients are cold, and if your melted butter has been sitting for a while it may have cooled, the cold temperature of the other ingredients can push it to a cold enough temperature to solidify when they come in contact.
STEP 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet
The two should come together easily and create a thick batter. Mix until there are no more streaks of flour. Make sure to scrape along the bottom of the bowl to get all the batter mixed together!
STEP 4: Bake the donuts
Add the batter to a donut pan and bake at 350 for about 10-11 minutes. You know the donuts are ready to come out when the tops will bounce back when lightly touched.
Use a pastry bag to pipe the donut batter into the pan
This is my top tip for easily filling the donut pan! If you don't have a pastry bag, you can use a zip-top bag and cut off one of the bottom corners. Using a pastry bag allows for more control in filling the pan cavities and getting an even distribution of batter. You want to fill each space until the batter meets the center insert.
Bonus Tip: How to easily fill a pastry bag
I do this every time I'm using a pastry bag! Place the bag in a tall glass and fold the edges of the opening down over the rim of the glass. The glass will hold the bag open and upright for you as you fill it with your batter or frosting.
Worried about the filling coming out of the end? You can either wait to snip the end off or roll it up and fasten with a clip! Remove the clip when you're ready to pipe.
Marshmallow Frosting
To make the frosting use an electric mixer to combine the marshmallow creme, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and about a dime-sized amount of green food gel if using. Start the mixer on slow so that the powdered sugar doesn't fly every where and after about 30 seconds, increase to a medium speed.
Once frosted, top the donuts with lucky charms cereal and marshmallows!
Alternative Two-Ingredient Marshmallow Glaze
I love the combination of the Lucky Charms marshmallows with the soft marshmallow frosting, but if you want a more traditional donut glaze, this is a super easy alternative!
Add 1 cup of marshmallow creme and 1 teaspoon of shortening to a large microwave-safe bowl. Melt in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until it reaches a smooth, glaze-like consistency. Once the donuts have cooled, dip the top half of each into the melted marshmallow creme and return to the drying rack to set.
What you'll need to make these donuts
- Donut Pan - The size of the donut cavity will effect the total yield this recipe makes. I found that my Wilton donut pan made about 7-8 donuts and my USA donut pan made six.
- Electric Mixer - You can whisk the donut batter by hand, but I would definitely recommend an electric mixer when making the frosting
- Piping Bags - optional, but I highly recommend using one to fill the donut batter. It makes everything so much easier, and if you invest in a set of reusable bags, you'll end up using them more often than you think!
The original marshmallows were in the shape of arrowheads, fish, clovers, X's, hearts, bells, stars, and moons. You can learn more about the evolution and history of Lucky Charms on the General Mills website.
You can find green clovers, pink hearts, yellow stars, blue horseshoes and moons, and rainbows in your bowl of Lucky Charms cereal!
Yes! You can find bags of Lucky Charms marshmallows at your local grocery stores.
Lucky Charms Donuts
Ingredients
For the Donuts
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup finely crushed Lucky Charms cereal
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (half a stick of butter)
For the Marshmallow Topping
- 1 cup marshmallow creme
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
Toppings
- Lucky Charms cereal
- Lucky Charms marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a nonstick donut pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside. (I recommend using Pam's Perfect Release spray)
- Add the flour, crushed cereal, salt, and baking powder to small mixing bowl and whisk to evenly distribute the ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, egg, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk to combine. Pour the melted butter while whisking, and mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until there are no more streaks of flour. The batter will be thick.
- Use a pastry or zip-top bag to pipe the batter equally into the donut cavities.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the top of the donut bounces back when lightly touched. Turn the donuts out onto a wire rack and let cool.
To make the marshmallow frosting
- Add all the frosting ingredients to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Start on a low speed for about 30 seconds so that the powdered sugar gets incorporated and then increase to a medium speed.
Notes
- To crush the cereal: add whole lucky charms cereal and marshmallows to a food processor and pulse until it forms a fine crumb
- Fill the donut cavities until the batter meets the center insert. The size of the donuts will vary depending on what brand of donut pan you use.
- Using a pastry bag is the easiest way to disperse the donut batter. Place the bag in a tall glass and fold the edges of the opening down over the rim of the glass. The glass will hold the bag open and upright for you as you fill it with your batter or frosting.
Nutrition
Please note, Holiday Sweets N Treats isn't a professional nutritionist. Any and all nutritional information shared is an estimate. If you're following a specific diet or counting calories, we suggest you use the nutrition calculator of your choice. Calories can vary depending on the brands and products used.
Kendall
Delicious! So festive for St. Paddy’s Day! Perfect for kids and easy to follow the instructions.
Emma
Thank you! I'm glad you and the kids enjoyed them!
Martha
These were INCREDIBLE!!! I am addicted, I have made this recipe three times this months
Emma
I'm so glad you liked them!