WATCH: How to Make Red, White and Blue Swirl Doughnuts

The Fourth of July is all about celebrating our country, making beach plans and watching fireworks—but let’s be real, it’s also about the food. And while manning the grill should be your main priority, every barbecue needs a sweet ending.

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To commemorate the holiday, we created these red, white and blue swirl doughnuts that are so easy you’ll feel bad about all the compliments you’ll get on them. They only take 15 minutes to make and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already.

The key to saving time is to use store-bought doughnuts. But make sure you get the plain flavor—nothing with a glaze or toppings. If you’ve got some time on your hands and feel like making the doughnuts from scratch, pick a recipe for cake doughnuts. And if you want to skimp on calories, try a baked version (like this cinnamon doughnut recipe from Ina Garten).

The method for creating the swirl is simple. Start with your homemade vanilla icing, add a few drops of red and blue food dye and mix it around with a spoon before dipping in the doughnuts.

Happy swirling—and happy Fourth!

Red, White and Blue Swirl Doughnuts

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
¾ cup heavy cream
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
12 store-bought cake doughnuts
Red and blue food dye
Edible glitter (optional)

1. In a large bowl, whisk confectioners’ sugar with heavy cream until smooth. If icing is too thick, add more cream, one tablespoon at a time. Add vanilla and salt and whisk until combined.

2. Pour 1/3 of the icing into a shallow dish. Drop 2 drops of red dye on one side of the icing and 2 drops of blue dye onto the other. Swirl dye with the back of a spoon, making sure not to blend the two colors.

3. Dip and twirl a doughnut in the icing then gently slide it out. Smooth any drips with a butter knife. Repeat with remaining doughnuts. If the icing becomes purple, start again with remaining icing. Sprinkle with glitter or confectioners’ sugar and serve.