Most people picture a fried dough affair topped with a layer of sugary frosting and sprinkles when they hear the word “donut”. It’s a classic American treat, a favorite of Homer Simpson and lazy cops in movies. While I don’t particularly like donuts, perhaps that’s because I’ve only ever had stale, chewy rings from Dunkin’ Donuts that have been sitting on the shelf for half a day. So over the weekend, my parents treated me to a donut run to four different shops, running from the widely-loved Krispy Kreme to lesser-known, local locations. How did they stack up against each other? Let’s find out.
- Krispy Kreme
Our first stop was a Krispy Kreme location in Harlem, New York. I’ve heard many positive reviews of this franchise, so my expectations were high as we entered the small location. Right inside the entrance, a long window displayed a machine that resembled an assembly line, with rollers sending rows of golden-brown rings under a waterfall of sugary glaze. The display case showcased a respectable variety of donuts, toppings varied and colorful under brought white lights. We purchased a box of six donuts for $11.18: Pumpkin Spice Cake, Original Filled Kreme, Original Glazed, Chocolate Iced, Cake Batter, and Reese’s Classic. While the donuts were certainly visually appealing, I have to say that I was rather disappointed with the franchise. My favorite was the birthday cake donut, as it was filled with cake-flavored cream filling, but none of the other donuts made much of an impression. There were about average, as the dough base of each donut was rather stale and had an overly yeasty flavor. I think that this is a shame, as the machine displayed so proudly behind the glass would make you think that the donuts you received would be freshly made. The toppings for each donut were generous, but were slightly too sickly sweet. The results were doughy pastries covered in a saccharine layer of artificial-tasting frosting that were definitely not worth the price. But donuts aside, I do want to note that the staff were extremely nice and accommodating, so at least this branch of Krispy Kreme hires polite workers. It was also rather busy, with customers lining up behind us as soon as we entered, so I guess people still find the donuts enjoyable.
- Dipped Donuts
Our next stop was at a small local shop in New Jersey. The shop was rather empty, and there were very few customers within. The ordering process was different from Krispy Kreme, with a stack of order forms and pencils placed on a small table at the entrance. The form allowed you to customize your order, from the flavor of the coating, toppings, and drizzle. A metal deep-fryer sat on a counter in the back, and a glass shield showed a customizable bar containing metal pails of crushed cookies and other toppings. After we paid and handed in our form, a worker pulled donuts from the fryer and dipped and topped them according to our order. I was impressed by how skilled the worker preparing our box was; she drizzled and sprinkled and dipped efficiently, creating colorful donuts with even stripes right before our eyes. I had a much better experience with Dipped Donuts than at Krispy Kreme. The treats were still warm and fresh from just being fried, and the doughy bases were airy and light. While I liked how versatile the ordering process was and the fact that they were added on the spot, my one complaint is that the toppings are rather sparse. The glazes and garnishes were tasty and aesthetically pleasing, but I feel that it was a rather thin layer. However, overall the final product is satisfactory, with fresh, fluffy rings topped with flavorful coatings. Thus, although I think that these donuts were rather stingy with their toppings and probably still weren’t worth the $11.20 that the box of six cost, I would be more willing to pay for these than a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.
- Duck Donuts
Next was a relatively new location in New Jersey- Duck Donuts. I had never been to this shop before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. However, the length of the line we were waiting in implied that this shop had already made a positive impression on many patrons. We decided to stray from the six-donut box formula we had been following and purchase a donut sundae instead, which we customized with an order form similar to the one at Dipped Donuts. Our final order was a vanilla cake donut with a vanilla coating, hot fudge drizzle, rainbow sprinkles, with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. (It was definitely indulgent…) While I was a little dismayed with the price of $5.75 for one small sundae, I was stunned at the product we received. The dessert consisted of a scoop of ice cream on top of a frosted donut, and it was incredible. The donut was fresh and warm, and I loved how it was slightly crispy outside but soft and airy inside. Furthermore, the place where the layer of icing that coated the top of the pasty met the ice cream created a deliciously chewy combination of flavor and texture. The contrast between the toasty donut and the cold ice cream was such an interesting combination, and I could understand why so many customers were flocking to the store. While we had to wait a considerable amount of time, I have to say that taste-wise this was probably my favorite shop so far.
- Federal Donuts
Our last stop was Federal Donuts, a shop in Philadelphia. It was the most expensive place so far, with a box of six donuts setting us back a total of $13.50. However, this shop produced donuts unlike the others we had purchased so far. They categorized their desserts into two categories: Fancy and Hot Fresh. The Fancy donuts involved a more elaborate combination of flavors and toppings, while the Hot Fresh donuts were made on the spot. We ordered all three types of Hot Fresh donuts- Cinnamon Sugar, Strawberry Lavender, and Cookies and Creme. The last three donuts were Fancy- Pumpkin Roll, Double Chocolate Cheesecake, and Apple Cinnamon Crunch. Out of the three shops that we ordered six donut boxes from, this was my favorite by miles. What set these apart from the others was that their bases were soft, fluffy, and dense, more cakelike rather than the fried dough that is the standard for donut bases. I also appreciated how they were very generous with the toppings- these donuts were positively loaded with coatings-which were flavorful and beautiful, but not overwhelming. I was most curious about the Strawberry Lavender donut, which turned out to be one of my favorites. It consisted of a soft donut covered in a layer of strawberry-flavored sugar granules with a floral hint of fragrant lavender. My other favorite was the Double Chocolate Cheesecake donut. Unlike the other donuts, which were exclusively sweet, the flavor of cheese cut through the denseness of the rich chocolate donut and was complemented by the crunch of graham cracker crumbs.
My donut trip reminded me that just because a franchise is lesser-known doesn’t mean that it’s less capable of producing delicious food. I was taken by surprise by the donut sundae from Duck Donuts, as the texture and temperature difference between the warm pastry and cool ice cream created a unique dessert experience. However, when it comes to just donuts, Federal Donuts really came through, surprising me both in terms of bases and toppings. The bases were fluffy and thick, which paired very well with the dense layer of toppings that they were rolled in. However, I’ve realized that my favorite orders during this donut trip were ones that did not purely consist of donuts (i.e. the donut sundae) or were altogether unlike traditional donuts (i.e. Federal Donuts). So, my biggest revelation from this trip was this: I just don’t like donuts very much.
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