Store-bought donuts are either bundles of sugary bliss or a sad, bland mess sitting idly by in a cardboard box. If you have unfortunately ended up with the latter, all hope is not lost. Rather than settling for unsatisfying, flavorless bites, you can always fix them up in a flash with some unexpected canned ingredients. Sometimes, the difference between boring donuts and ones laden with a sweet, salty richness is just a can of bacon away. And yes, you read that right. Canned bacon does, in fact, exist, and it’s the shortcut you never knew you needed for instant donut transformation.
There are many reasons why you should keep canned bacon in your pantry, but who would’ve thought jazzing up donuts would be one of them? Take a powdered donut, add crunchy bits of bacon, maybe drizzle a little syrup on top, and you’d almost forget you’re merely eating a treat brought home from the store. When the buttery sweet base meets the canned bacon’s smoky, savory whisper, you get a flavor complexity unlike any other. Moments of depth and vibrancy seamlessly balance each other out, creating a harmonious contrast. This also extends to the texture realm, in which the bacon brings a slightly crispy edge to the otherwise pillowy softness. And because the bacon is canned, you can skip right over the sizzling pan, the grease splatter, the burnt bits, and the hassle of cleaning up afterward.
Bacon adds a gourmet twist to your store-bought donuts
Already cured and cooked, canned bacon is ready to eat straight from the tin, making it the perfect one-step upgrade for all your donut cravings. Now, if you’re still craving that fresh-off-the-pan warmth and true crispness, just quickly heat it up in the air fryer. Once done, just chop the strips into tiny crumbles or medium-sized pieces and sprinkle them over glazed donuts for savory sweet magic in each decadent bite. Even better when the glaze is maple syrup or hot honey, taking it from simply good to downright irresistible. You might even be able to have it for breakfast or a lazy brunch with some scrambled or fried eggs on the side.
For a fall rendition, try coating the donuts with apple cider that’s infused with cinnamon and brown sugar. A caramel glaze does the trick in weaving an intense sweetness, with its salty undertone a perfect match for the savory donuts. If you’ve got a jar of bacon jam sitting in the fridge, add small spoonfuls to intensify the bacon taste even further. Just in case the bacon isn’t already enough for the textural joy, a bit of toasted nuts will help seal the deal. On a more daring feat, try this bacon twist with chocolate donuts. The bittersweet frosting hardly clashes with the bacon. Instead, it sets a rich foundation for the savory bits to shine, and even more so when laced with a few sprinkles of warm spices.
