Here in Florida, we’re lucky enough to get 2 strawberry seasons – one at the very beginning of the year when strawberries go into season here in Florida, and then another during the summer months when they’re in season in other places in the US. Around both of those seasons, there are tons of strawberries in my grocery store, they all look amazing, and they’re cheap…really cheap! I can help but stock up. Because strawberries are one of those foods that my kids live on. Cheap or expensive, I’m going to buy them, but, needless to say, I much prefer when they’re cheap. And at $2 or less per carton, you best believe my fridge is full of them.
Of course, all those strawberries in my fridge has only prompted me to find creative ways to use them. Sure they go in the girls’ lunchboxes or there’s the occasional fruit topped dessert, but I wanted to do a little something special. And for my kids, there’s nothing more special than donuts. If given the opportunity, they’ll waaaayyyy too many donuts. I’ve never made donuts before, but recently got a donut pan
They’re sweet, but not too sweet, and you can really taste the fresh fruit. I actually had plans to double frost them (by putting the glaze on the entire donut and then frosting the top), but the glaze is just perfect. No need to double frost, and sprinkles just seemed to take away from the fresh fruit peeking through the donut batter. They were a hit! 
You will need:
1 box strawberry cake mix
2 eggs
2 Tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup fresh strawberries (diced)
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a donut pan with non-stick spray.
Step 2 – Combine cake mix, eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk in a medium size mixing bowl and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Once well blended, gently stir in the diced strawberries using a spatula or spoon.
Step 3 – Spoon or pour batter into a plastic bag, cut the tip off of the bag, and pipe the batter into the donut pan. Be careful not to fill the donut pan more than 1/2 full, or your donuts won’t have holes in the center.
Tip: You can spoon the batter directly into the donut pan and the donuts will bake okay, but I highly recommend you use the piping method. It gives you so much more control when it comes to filling the pan.
Step 4 – Bake the donuts in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a baking rack.
Step 5 – To make the glaze, combine milk and vanilla in a sauce pan over low heat. Once warm, slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, whisking until blended. Remove the sauce pan from the heat and dip donuts in the sauce pan one by one to glaze. To keep the glaze from hardening between donuts, you can place the bottom of the sauce pan in a bowl of warm water.
Step 6 – Allow the newly glazed donuts to sit on the wire rack until you’re ready to eat. Enjoy!
