If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, it’s no secret that school has moved from the classroom to kitchen during this season of life. And by season, I mean having young children while balancing schoolwork + social distancing. Lucky for this Mom, my children are at an age where the alphabet is part of our daily learning. While I’m not the best at books, worksheets, or crafts, give me a food and a letter of the alphabet, and I’ll make it a learning game! A is for Apple Donuts. You see where I’m going with this???
Really though, when you think of the letter A in school, apple is always an image associated with it in books and worksheets. And whether you verbalize big A or little a, making the A sound correctly is easy when you say the word “apple.” Or so that’s what our Nana taught us. So, while Nana is teaching sounds, Mom is teaching kitchen skills with apple donuts. We make a good team!
I had planned to make these fresh apple donuts in partnership with The Michigan Apple Committee long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Once I realized we’d be doing alphabet work in conjunction with preschool learning, I asked for a blog post-extension because I knew they’d go well with our A lesson for homeschool. You guys know Michigan Apples are always a staple in my grocery cart, and now they are a staple for at-home learning too!
To make the apple donuts, all you need are a few basic ingredients:
- 1-2 large Honeycrisp Apples [or any Michigan apple of your choice]
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Sprinkles or other toppings for decorating
You can either core the apple first and slice into inch-thick pieces. Or I did the slicing first and used a pairing knife to remove the apple core. I recommend doing this part WITHOUT the kids. The rest of the directions are pretty self-explanatory: mix the cream cheese, vanilla, and milk. Spread on the apple slices, and top with sprinkles, dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc.
And there you have em’. How cute are these fresh apple donuts?! I would say nothing can replace a chewy, warm, fresh donut. These fresh apple donuts are NOT a replacement for the real deal. BUT they are a great option when putting together your own lesson plan involving apples, sprinkles, and healthy-ish frosting.
Any thoughts on what I should make for the letter B?!
Nana votes for biscuits and we can cut them with different shape cutters to incorporate a little geometry.
This is absolutely delighted.