Green Christmas Donut Pops (No-Bake Holiday Donut Skewers)

Green Christmas donut pops are no-bake holiday skewers made with powdered mini donuts, green candy coating, candy eyes, mini peanut butter cups, mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips and red heart sprinkles. Three donuts go on each stick, then the pops are decorated for a holiday tray. For more no-bake Christmas treats, try these peanut butter Christmas trees and these chocolate caramel reindeer.

Why You’ll Love These Green Christmas Donut Pops

• No oven needed: the donuts are already baked, so the work is melting, dipping and decorating.
• A fun holiday project: kids can help add the eyes, hearts and buttons once the coating has set.
• Easy to serve: each pop is already on a stick, so they are simple to lay on a platter or wrap as a small gift.
• Familiar pantry decorations: candy eyes, mini peanut butter cups, marshmallows and chocolate chips turn a plain coated skewer into a festive pop.

What Are Green Christmas Donut Pops?

Green Christmas donut pops are stacked powdered mini donuts on lollipop sticks, coated in melted green candy and dressed up with a candy-cup hat, a marshmallow, a piped face and a few simple decorations. They are a no-bake treat that can set at room temperature or in the refrigerator. For more chilled holiday sweets, see these gingerbread truffles. Store finished pops in a cool place; see this FDA guide to storing food safely.

Ingredients for Green Christmas Donut Pops

• 24 powdered mini donuts
• 12 oz green candy coating or green melting wafers
• 8 lollipop sticks
• 8 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped
• 8 mini marshmallows
• 16 candy eyes
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips, plus a few extra for piping
• 8 red heart sprinkles
• 1/4 cup white decorating icing

Ingredient Notes

The decorations follow a classic no-bake holiday donut pop: a green-coated stack, a mini peanut butter cup hat with a white icing brim and a marshmallow on top, candy eyes, a piped smile, a red heart and chocolate-chip buttons. All ingredients are generic, with no brand names.

• Powdered mini donuts: 24 small powdered donuts make 8 pops, with 3 donuts on each stick. Use the plain powdered style, not filled donuts.
• Green candy coating: 12 oz of green melting wafers or green candy coating melts smoothly and sets firm. Melt it in short bursts, stirring often, so it does not scorch.
• Lollipop sticks: 8 standard candy sticks, about 4 to 6 inches long. Leave a little bare stick at the bottom and a little room at the top for the hat.
• Mini peanut butter cups: 8 unwrapped cups, turned upside down, become the hats. A dab of melted coating holds each cup in place.
• Mini marshmallows: 1 marshmallow sits on top of each peanut butter cup, stuck on with a little coating.
• Candy eyes: 2 per pop. Attach them with a tiny dab of white icing or melted coating once the green shell has set.
• Mini chocolate chips: use two chips as buttons on the bottom donut, and melt a few more to pipe the eyebrows and smile.
• Red heart sprinkles: 1 per pop, set on the middle donut with a dab of icing.
• White decorating icing: 1/4 cup is enough to pipe a brim around each peanut butter cup and to help hold on the eyes and hearts.

How to Make Green Christmas Donut Pops

1. Set up: line a baking sheet with parchment. Unwrap the peanut butter cups and set out the donuts, sticks and decorations.
2. Melt the coating: place the green candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 20- to 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, until the coating is smooth. If it is too thick to spoon, stir in a few drops of a neutral oil, not water.
3. Build the skewers: thread 3 powdered mini donuts onto each lollipop stick, stacking them close together. Leave a short length of stick free at the bottom and a little space at the top.
4. Coat the donuts: hold a skewer over the bowl and spoon the green coating over the donuts, turning so the sides are covered. Let the extra drip off, then set the pop on the parchment. If the coating starts to thicken, warm it for a few seconds and stir again.
5. Let the shells set: leave the pops at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 15 to 20 minutes, or chill them for 10 minutes.
6. Add the hats: dab a little melted coating on the top of each pop and press on an upside-down mini peanut butter cup. Pipe a ring of white icing around the cup for a brim. Attach a mini marshmallow to the top of the cup with another dab of coating.
7. Decorate the faces: attach two candy eyes to the top donut. Melt a few chocolate chips and pipe small eyebrows and a curved smile. Press a red heart sprinkle onto the middle donut, and press two mini chocolate chips onto the bottom donut as buttons.
8. Set and serve: let the pops sit until the icing and chocolate are firm, about 15 minutes. Serve the green Christmas donut pops on a platter.

Hands-on time is about 35 minutes, and setting time is about 30 minutes, for a total of about 1 hour. The recipe makes 8 pops.

Tips for the Best Green Christmas Donut Pops

• Work with a slightly cooled coating: if the melted candy is very hot, it can slide off the donuts. Let it sit for a minute after melting, then spoon it on while it is still fluid.
• Cover the donuts generously: a thin coat can show the powdered sugar underneath. One even coat is usually enough; a second thin coat can hide bare spots once the first has set.
• Decorate only after the shell is dry: eyes and icing smear if the green coating is still wet. Wait until the surface feels firm.
• Keep water away from the bowl: a drop of water can make candy coating seize. Use a dry bowl and spoon.
• Store them cool: a warm room can soften the coating and the peanut butter cups. A cool counter or the refrigerator is safer, following the storage guidance linked above.

What to Serve With Green Christmas Donut Pops

Green Christmas donut pops sit well on a holiday dessert table next to other small no-bake sweets. Add a plate of these polar bear paws or this no-bake gingerbread cheesecake if you want a mix of chocolate and spice. Keep the pops on a flat platter so the hats stay put.

Variations

• Smaller pops: use 2 donuts on each stick instead of 3 if you want a shorter treat. You will get more pops from the same 24 donuts.
• White or red coating: the same method works with white or red candy coating if you want a different holiday color.
• Plain green pops: skip the faces and hats and stop after the green coating sets if you want a simpler tray.
• Half batch: halve every ingredient to make 4 pops. Melt the coating in a smaller bowl.

Storage

Let the green Christmas donut pops set completely, then keep them in a single layer in a covered container at a cool room temperature for 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. See the FDA storage guide linked above and this USDA guide to leftovers and food safety for general storage advice. If you refrigerate them, let them sit out for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Do not freeze these pops; the icing can weep after thawing.

FAQ

What are green Christmas donut pops?

They are no-bake skewers of powdered mini donuts coated in green candy coating and decorated with candy eyes, a mini peanut butter cup hat, a marshmallow, a piped chocolate smile, a red heart sprinkle and mini chocolate chips.

Do I have to use powdered donuts for green Christmas donut pops?

Powdered mini donuts are the usual choice because they are already baked and their size stacks well on a stick. Plain unfrosted mini donuts also work. Filled donuts are harder to skewer and can leak.

Can I make green Christmas donut pops ahead of time?

Yes. Make them the day before you need them and store them in a single layer in a covered container in the refrigerator. Keep the pops cool so the hats stay in place.

How do I keep the green coating from sliding off green Christmas donut pops?

Let the melted coating cool for a minute so it is fluid but not piping hot, spoon it on in an even layer, and let each coat set before you add another. Tap off the extra so it does not pool at the bottom of the stick.

How should I store leftover green Christmas donut pops?

Keep them in a single layer in a covered container at a cool room temperature for a day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let refrigerated pops sit out for a few minutes before serving.