by Bianca Ohannessian
If National Doughnut Day is just an excuse to eat doughnuts and drool over photos of foodporn, then I’m all for it.
From the city that brought us the most popular doughnut mutation of all time, the “cronut”, you just know New York has got good doughnut game. In fact, I can vouch for it. I have chomped my way through my fair share of interesting bakery creations around NYC. The city excels at artisanal, hand-crafted, locally sourced baked goodness.
So when Doughnut Day (or Donut Day) comes around, my thoughts instantly turn to New York. Here’s a taster of what NYC has to offer, along with foodporn photos, as promised.
Dough
Seasonal flavours as well as reoccurring favourites are handcrafted in small batches so you know their selection is always going to be fresh out the oven. Flavours to get excited about include hibiscus (my personal favourite), chocolate cocoa nibs, pumpkin and toasted coconut. And they look as good as they taste too, decorated with enticing colours, meringues and freshly chopped nuts.
In fact, they’re so delicious that these bakers also supply their doughy treats to several coffee shops around Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Try: Dulce de leche and almond doughnut
Doughnut Plant
With the first bakery opening its doors over 20 years ago, there’s now a few more dotted around the city. The doughnuts are made daily with high quality ingredients and no nasty trans-fats or preservatives. Flavours include carrot cake, salted peanut and cashew orange blossom.
They’re big on limited edition runs too, just like their Mother’s Day rose flavoured creation with a rosewater cream filling. Always innovating, they’ve just introduced their savoury “doughpods”, stuffed with avocado or potato fillings.
Try: Crème brûlée doughnut
Also on my NYC to-eat list…
Orwasher’s
This Upper East Side bakery fill their jelly doughnuts with locally sourced fruit jam and better still, they’re filled to order.
Try: Sour cherry filled doughnut
Source: Instagram @orwashers
The Doughnut Project
In the West Village they have flavours that might just blow your mind, like their hot to trot pineapple and habanero pepper Bulletproof Tiger flavour.
Try: Salted chocolate with buttered pretzel, ritz, & potato chip crumble
Source: Instagram @thedoughnutproject
Dun-Well Doughnuts
These colourful, fun-filled vegan doughnuts will make you want to give up all animal-based products for good (if you haven’t done so already, that is). Go find them in Brooklyn.
Try: French toast doughnut
