Fall-Inspired Vegan Chestnut Donuts from Donut Feed the Squirrel

The very first time my son and I were inspired to make a recipe based on a book was when we read Donut Feed the Squirrels — a story about a few determined squirrels who come up with increasingly creative (and slightly chaotic) ways to try and get donuts from a food truck. Their plans don’t quite work out as expected, but in the process, they accidentally help create the food truck owner’s number one best-selling recipe, which is — you guessed it — chestnut-flavored donuts.

As I read the book aloud to my son, I realized it had quietly answered a question I’d been turning over in my head for weeks. What was I going to do with the small package of prepared chestnuts I had picked up at my local Trader Joe’s? I had originally imagined turning them into a stuffing recipe — something I still want to try — but suddenly a much more fun idea took shape.

While reading, I looked at my son as a little lightbulb went off in my head and said, “Why don’t we make chestnut-flavored donuts?” His eyes lit up immediately. This is one of those parenting moments that sticks with you — when curiosity and creativity collide and turn into action.

We even ordered a donut pan on Amazon and had it delivered overnight so we could make them. Inspiration really does go a long way sometimes, especially when it starts with a good book.

This story holds an extra special place for us because it was one of the first graphic novels my son ever read on his own. He was six at the time, and an author had come to his school to read another book, Doggo and Pupper. He loved it. From that point on, he naturally gravitated toward the kids’ graphic novel section during our weekly library visits.

Graphic novels became a bridge — helping him fall in love with reading in a way that felt fun, accessible, and pressure-free. That love for stories soon started spilling into other parts of our life, including the kitchen.

Books really do inspire — not just reading, but doing.

When it came time to actually make the donuts, the recipe was a winner from the very beginning. The dash of nutmeg paired with the chestnuts made my kitchen smell like fall the moment the batter came together.

I used my Vitamix to blend the ingredients until they formed a fluffy, dough-like batter. It truly was easy as pie — or more accurately, easy as donuts.

My son helped pour, mix, and taste along the way. There were questions, small spills, and a few moments of impatience while waiting for the donuts to bake — all part of the process. This is where food learning really happens. Not at the table when kids are expected to eat perfectly, napkins in hand ready to wipe their mouths, but during the making, when they feel involved and invested.

A fun side note: the author of Donut Feed the Squirrel, Mika Song, also wrote Apple of My Pie. For that one, you can read my Apple Pie post — a recipe my son created himself as a little chef in the kitchen. Books have a way of opening doors, and sometimes those doors lead straight to flour-covered countertops and piles of apple peels ready for the compost.

These moments are exactly why I love pairing books with food. Stories spark curiosity. Curiosity leads to questions. Questions turn into hands-on experiences. And suddenly kids are more open — not just to eating, but to learning where food comes from and how it’s made — and eaten.

For that, we can turn to nature … where squirrels really do find interesting ways to get their food. We stumbled upon a squirrel with his head inside a pumpkin this fall, eating his own pumpkin pie? My guess! Which reminds me, I used the chestnuts from Trader Joe’s to make the best pumpkin pie I have ever eaten, so feel free to try that recipe out, too.

Lessons to Take Away

There are a few simple but meaningful lessons woven into this experience:

• Books inspire creativity. A single story can spark an idea that turns into a real-world experience.
• Kitchens are meant for creating. They don’t have to be spotless to be successful.
• Let kids experiment — and get messy (when possible). Mess often means learning.
• Get a donut pan. You won’t regret it.

We even used ours later to make blueberry donuts, another unexpected hit in our house. Once kids see the kitchen as a place for creativity rather than rules, everything shifts.

If you want to help your kids feel more invested in cooking and trying new foods, try using one of the Messy Little Eaters Memory Cards during your kitchen adventures. Kids can write or draw what they made, how it smelled, what they liked, and what they might change next time. These cards turn food experiences into keepsakes — little snapshots of learning and growth that you’ll both look back on.

Messy Little Readers Library

Donut Feed the Squirrel by Mika Song

Best For:
Preschool–early elementary (ages 4–8), especially kids who love humor, chaos, and pushing boundaries.

Read Along Focus:
Lean into the silliness. This is not a “sit still” book. Expect laughing, interrupting, and strong opinions.

Things to Point Out While Reading:

• One choice can lead to many unexpected consequences.
• Excitement spreads quickly.
• Not every fun idea is a good idea — and that’s okay to talk about.

Simple Lessons (Still Light):

• Impulse control (without shame).
• Cause and effect.
• Thinking ahead — or laughing when you don’t.

Kitchen Tie-In:
Making donuts works because it mirrors the story: things get messy fast. Let kids help decide shapes or toppings and talk about what might happen next — in the book and in real life.

The Story–Recipe Pairing

Donut Feed the Squirrels is chaotic in the best way. It’s about impulse, excitement, and what happens when one small decision snowballs into absolute nonsense.
Chestnut-flavored donuts match that energy — cozy, a little unexpected, and very much a “why not?” bake. Not everyday food. Special food. The kind you make when the plan is already a little off the rails.

The Moment You’re Creating

This is not a calm kitchen bake — and that’s the point. Mixing dough, talking about squirrels, donuts, and bad ideas, maybe debating whether we would feed donuts to squirrels (we would).

Flour on the counter, laughter when things don’t look right, and donuts that may or may not turn out perfectly.

But they will still get eaten.

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