___ holes (treats that are actually balls, not "holes") NYT

The crossword clue "___ holes (treats that are actually balls, not 'holes')" with the answer "DONUT" refers to the popular fried or baked sweet treat, commonly shaped as rings. While the term "donut holes" traditionally refers to the small, round pieces of dough cut from the center of a donut during its preparation, the clue points out the playful irony that these so-called "holes" are actually small, ball-shaped treats.

Donut holes are typically served as bite-sized snacks, often coated in sugar or glaze, and are considered a distinct treat from the full-sized donuts. The clue highlights the confusion between the name "hole" and the actual shape of the treats, which are balls, not holes.

The crossword clue "___ holes (treats that are actually balls, not 'holes')" with the answer "CAKE" refers to a type of cake that is made in small, round ball shapes, often called "cake holes" or "cake balls." These treats are made by crumbling cake into small pieces, mixing it with frosting, and then rolling the mixture into balls, which are sometimes dipped in chocolate or coated in various toppings.

While they are referred to as "holes" in the clue, they are not actual holes, but rather spherical shapes made from cake. This term plays on the idea of "holes" being used to describe the form, though the treats are solid and ball-shaped rather than having a hollow center like a traditional donut.

The crossword clue "___ holes (treats that are actually balls, not 'holes')" with the answer "COOKIE" refers to a playful take on the term "cookie holes," which might describe cookie dough that is shaped into small balls before being baked. While cookies are typically flat and round, sometimes they are made into dough balls and referred to as "cookie dough balls" before being baked.

These are often rolled into balls and then flattened during baking, but the clue humorously suggests that they are "holes," even though they are not literally holes but solid balls of dough that become cookies. The clue points to the fact that the treats are spherical before baking and are sometimes informally called "balls" or "cookie balls," not actual "holes."

The crossword clue "___ holes (treats that are actually balls, not 'holes')" with the answer "TRUFFLE" refers to chocolate truffles, which are typically round, ball-shaped confections made from a rich chocolate ganache. The term "truffle" is used here to playfully contrast the concept of "holes," as truffles are solid, round treats rather than hollow ones.

Truffles are often coated in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or chopped nuts, and despite the reference to "holes," these treats are dense and spherical, not hollow in the middle. The clue emphasizes that while they may be named similarly to "holes" (perhaps because of their small size or appearance), truffles are in fact solid balls of delicious chocolate.