Johnny Doughnuts has been on my radar for a while. Because, well, I love donuts and always have my eye on places with good reviews. I also semi-regularly have the need to provide donuts for my group at work for special occasions, and need to find places that can handle fairly large size orders, which, your average donut shop does not.
I had wanted to try Johnny Doughnuts many times, but, it was never a possibility. For one, they are located in San Rafael, so, I never had a chance to just go myself in person to their shop, But second, for delivery orders to San Francisco, they have a 2 dozen minimum, at $34 per dozen, plus a $50 delivery fee. I haven't ever been able to arrange for this, as I just couldn't justify the higher costs compared to local options.
But finally, finally, we were able to order from Johnny Doughnuts for a team-wide all hands. I was so excited to try them. For that first order, we stuck with raised and old fashioned donuts (plus some fritters, because, um, my favorites), but Johnny Doughnuts also makes bismarks (filled with jams and custards), cro-doughs (croissant + donuts), cinnamon rolls and twists, and even vegan or gluten-free donuts, most of which I tried at subsequent events (keep reading!).
I still haven't visited the donut shop in San Rafael, but, it turns out they are opening one in San Francisco (in Hayes Valley), so, you can bet I'll check it out once they do. They also proved great at handling catering orders (so we ordered from them for our next large team event too), and have multiple donut trucks that they can bring to your food truck party. You'll find them at Off the Grid and other events around town too.
At both events I hosted with Johnny Doughnuts, the donuts were the best rated by the group, and, at this point, we have ordered donuts from a lot of places. They blew trendy places like Dynamo out of the water. They blew SF institutions like Bob's out of the water (stay tuned for review). These are very good donuts, and I've never seen so many of my teammates go back for seconds.
The donuts are also huge. On every single occasion we ordered them, most people immediately commented that they were too big. And I'll admit, they kinda are. I just saved part for later, knowing I'd want more, but most people took to hacking them up with knives to cut off reasonable size chunks. This is one area where I do appreciate how Donut Savant makes the perfect size donuts, smaller than average, where these were much larger than average. Even the donut holes were about 2x the size of normal! But I'm not really complaining, who complains about too much donut? And, obviously, if life gives you leftover donuts, waffle them the next morning (trust me).
The next box had a similar mix, but some differences:
I really appreciated the thoughtful assortment.
Next I moved on to one that looked far more fun: the Sprinkly Guys. These are available in two versions, chocolate or vanilla, referring to the flavor of glaze they are coated in. I picked vanilla.
The base was the same huge, yeasty, fluffy donut.
I adore sprinkles, so, this was right up my alley. It was ridiculously generously coated in colorful rainbow sprinkles. They added a bit of crunch and more sweetness. The vanilla glaze was more appealing to me than the standard glaze from the classic, as it was sweeter and thicker. My favorite of the toppings.
Overall, a fun donut, but VERY sweet. I can't imagine eating a full one in one sitting without being on a ridiculous sugar high. This would be better served as a donut hole in my opinion (and then, all sides could have sprinkles!). ****.
I had another, months later. I didn't love it quite as much this time. The vanilla glaze and sprinkles weren't as overwhelmingly sweet, and I tasted a lot more of the plain doughnut. It was still a fine doughnut, but, it wasn't as magic for me as the first encounter.
And then I had this one, years later. Back to being crazy sweet, loaded with glaze, loaded with sprinkles (holiday colored, because, December). When you are in the mood for sweet, this donut delivers (or, overpowers, if you aren't). ****.
I also grabbed a chocolate glazed for another co-worker. I didn't try it, but, included the photo just to show you how well dipped it was in the chocolate. It was pretty remarkable that the donuts didn't get messed up all in a box together, and transported all the way to us.
We ordered a big box of vanilla glazed.
When I think of donut holes, I think of Dunkin' Donuts Munchkins. They were a big part of my formative years. So, donut holes should be bite sized, in my mind.
This was an incredible donut. Let me just lead with that. Like the raised donuts, it was also massive.
"The Fritter Thang is filled with chunks of fresh fruit, topped with vanilla glaze and heres the best part – it tastes like a doughnut should taste! With texture similar to our Old Fashioneds, this gem – a WHEAT FREE DOUGHNUT?! – is a rarity in the doughnut world, and loved by wheat-free and wheat-loving treatseekers alike."
I read many rave reviews about this, from gluten-free and non-gluten free folks. It was actually the first thing I went for when our donuts arrived. It was certainly the most unique. It was also my least favorite.
It was a crazy looking thing, jagged and all over the place. One of my co-workers said it looked like a chunk of coral. It was coated in a thick layer of the tasty vanilla glaze. I did like the crispy "legs" and the sweet glaze, but, I didn't really like the base flavor of the dough. It tasted kinda like whole wheat to me (which is amusing given that it was wheat free). Sorta too "healthy" tasting for me. Inside the folds were juicy blueberries, a totally different sort of thing to put into a donut than the standard apple chunks.
My co-worker who really liked it said it was like a cross between a blueberry muffin and a fritter, which was a great description. There is no reason not to combine these things, and I don't know why fritters are always apple. Blueberries are better, and blueberry muffins are so standard, so, why not blueberries in donuts?
Anyway, I appreciated this for its uniqueness, but I wasn't really sold on the wheat-free base. I would have happily consumed it, but, luckily, we had many other choices around, and I passed this off to someone else after I cut off a big chunk. ***.
"Caramelized apple chunks folded into our raised dough in this rustic fritter."
And finally, the classic fritter. The donut I always describe as "the king of donuts". In a box of donuts, unless I'm in a really strange mood, it is the one I nearly always go for.
This was a very good, totally classic execution of a fritter. It had plentiful chunks of soft, sweet apple, caramelized and nicely spiced. The care put into the apple was unlike most fritters, as I don't think they are normally caramelized and spiced like this. It was crazy moist inside, yet crispy outside. It was a bit oily, but, that is true of most fritters. It was big and dense, like a big ol' fritter should be. While the other donuts all seemed super sized, this one seemed normal, but, that is because fritters are always freakishly huge. It was perfectly coated in plenty of sweet glaze.
There was nothing unexpected here, but every aspect of it was spot on. A very good fritter. I'd gladly have another. ****.
I opted to try a vanilla glazed cinnamon roll. Like all the donuts, these were massive.
The fruit filled bismarks are all coated in sugar.
The dough was the same nice yeasty dough as the other raised donuts, as expected.
The filling was quite generous, no skimping here. It was a sweet berry goo. I have no real reason why, but I didn't like it. It was just ... berry goo.
I had kinda over-done it with donuts by the time I tried this one though, so I think this was my own fault. I'd like to try it again when I wasn't overwhelmed with donuts. ***.
The raised donuts were as I remembered - large, puffy, fluffy, moist, not oily, decent raised donuts. The sugar daddy and classic glazed were perhaps boring choices, but likely the crowd pleasers. They are classics for a reason. ***+.
The maple glazed old fashioned remained my absolute favorite, and I managed to consume an entire one in one sitting, which, if you saw how big these were, you would realize actually is a bit of an accomplishment.
Johnny Doughnuts actually has 3 different trucks, "The Original", a serious truck used for large events like Off the Grid, "The Butler", a van with an amazing doughnut display bolted on the outside, and, "The Newb", which is the one I encountered.
As you can see, the side of the truck raises up to form an awning, and behind it, a doughnut display! This truck has some serious curb appeal.
The window revealed an assortment of raised doughnuts (Lime Poppy Seed, Zebra, Strawberry, Blueberry, Classic Glazed, both types of Sprinkly Guys, and Classic Chocolate), plus the Wheat-Free Fritter Thangs and Crodoughs (my first sighting!).
Not pictured here, because he was still doing it after I took the photo, is the names of all the doughnuts, written onto the glass.
The ordering window next to the display had another display, with even more options: Assorted Old Fashioned (classic glazed, salted caramel chocolate), Caramel Apple Fritters, Maple Glazed Bars, Bismarks (Wild Berry Jam, Lime Mascarpone, and a seasonally decorated Chocolate Vanilla Cream., and Cinnamon Rolls.
Like all the Johnny Doughnuts, this thing was not for wimps. While the other doughnuts are all massive in their diameter, this one is massive in its height! Look at the thing!
But the crodough isn't just a well fried hunk of doughnut dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar. It was remarkable just in that way, like any good fried dough from a state fair, or a churro on the street, but this had more to give.
The maple glazed old fashioned is the one I first grabbed, and it continues to be my favorite.
My favorite, hands down, was the crodough. No question.
Fantastically crispy, not too fried, light and fluffy, well coated in cinnamon sugar, and I liked the custard filling, although, just like before, I felt it was a bit lacking in how well distributed it was, but the sections that had it had plenty.
This is the only one I went back for another big chunk of. By which I mean ... I went and took a full one a bit later when there were still plenty left ... *****.
I also tried a chunk from the bright pink one (raspberry), as I'd only ever had the strawberry and blueberry before, and this was still sitting there after our event. Very fruity as well, but the raised ones just aren't my favorite.
The second box had more old fashioned (chocolate and maple glazed, the ones I never care for), fritters, and assorted other raised selections, including the vegan sweet potato donuts.
I didn't take anything from here initially, but when I circled back after the event, and there were still plenty remaining ... I sampled the strawberry and blueberry to see how the three fruity flavors compared (I'm not sure I had a favorite ... all sweet and fruity, but pretty similar), and I had a chunk of the caramel apple fritter just to see if my feelings changed on those (nope, still a very good fritter, but not different from other good fritters).
I adored it. My previous encounter with this base was just a small chunk of a glazed vegan sweet potato one, and I had enjoyed that too, but here I was able to really appreciate it. Such a unique flavor from the sweet potato, slightly savory, and really fluffy, airy, light ... for a fried item.
I really like these. Where they rank compared to cro-doughs and maple glazed old fashioned really just depends on my mood however ... sometimes you want light and fluffy, sometimes you want decadent and stuffed with custard. ****+.
I counted 8 boxes in all, each this size, and each with >1 dozen left in them. I was thrilled that people were cutting them up, so I just made myself a giant sampler plate. As if I hadn't tried all the varieties before ...
"No wheat and you would have no idea. This doughnut has texture similar to our Old Fashioned but is packed with fruit and topped with a vanilla glaze. This rare gem is loved by wheat-free and wheat-loving treat seekers alike. [Quick PSA: because our facility uses wheat, this doughnut may not be ideal for treat seekers with Celiac]."
Inside was very well loaded with blueberries. Jammy pockets of fresh berries that burst when you bit in. Very different from a more standard apple fritter. I wasn't sure if I liked them or not. I like blueberries, and I even like blueberry donuts, but the blueberry and strong nutmeg in particular didn't go great together.
"Tons of fresh, caramelized apple chunks go into this one of a kind, rustic fritter. It’s just the right size to fill your heart (and belly) with joy."
I've long been a fan of Johnny Donuts old fashioned donuts, but I don't think I've ever had a non-glazed one. This was a pure, unglazed offering that allowed the quality of the base to shine through even more. I really enjoyed the spicing, almost akin to carrot cake or pumpkin pie spices, but, more muted, the slightly buttermilk tang, and the crispy exterior but soft insides.
I had wanted to try Johnny Doughnuts many times, but, it was never a possibility. For one, they are located in San Rafael, so, I never had a chance to just go myself in person to their shop, But second, for delivery orders to San Francisco, they have a 2 dozen minimum, at $34 per dozen, plus a $50 delivery fee. I haven't ever been able to arrange for this, as I just couldn't justify the higher costs compared to local options.
But finally, finally, we were able to order from Johnny Doughnuts for a team-wide all hands. I was so excited to try them. For that first order, we stuck with raised and old fashioned donuts (plus some fritters, because, um, my favorites), but Johnny Doughnuts also makes bismarks (filled with jams and custards), cro-doughs (croissant + donuts), cinnamon rolls and twists, and even vegan or gluten-free donuts, most of which I tried at subsequent events (keep reading!).
I still haven't visited the donut shop in San Rafael, but, it turns out they are opening one in San Francisco (in Hayes Valley), so, you can bet I'll check it out once they do. They also proved great at handling catering orders (so we ordered from them for our next large team event too), and have multiple donut trucks that they can bring to your food truck party. You'll find them at Off the Grid and other events around town too.
At both events I hosted with Johnny Doughnuts, the donuts were the best rated by the group, and, at this point, we have ordered donuts from a lot of places. They blew trendy places like Dynamo out of the water. They blew SF institutions like Bob's out of the water (stay tuned for review). These are very good donuts, and I've never seen so many of my teammates go back for seconds.
The donuts are also huge. On every single occasion we ordered them, most people immediately commented that they were too big. And I'll admit, they kinda are. I just saved part for later, knowing I'd want more, but most people took to hacking them up with knives to cut off reasonable size chunks. This is one area where I do appreciate how Donut Savant makes the perfect size donuts, smaller than average, where these were much larger than average. Even the donut holes were about 2x the size of normal! But I'm not really complaining, who complains about too much donut? And, obviously, if life gives you leftover donuts, waffle them the next morning (trust me).
Encounter #1, July 2016
We ordered several dozen assorted full size donuts, which included a mix of old fashioned, raised, and fritters. Each box was different, and none were boring plain donuts.
We also ordered donut holes, to satisfy those who wanted a smaller treat. The assortment was perfect.
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| Box #1: Dozen Assorted Donuts. $34.00. |
This box contained:
- Old Fashioned: Maple Glazed, Chocolate Glazed, Vanilla Glazed, Chocolate Salted Caramel (1 each, back row and second row from back)
- Raised: Blueberry, Classic Glazed, Sprinkly Guys (vanilla dipped with rainbow sprinkles). (1 each, middle rows)
- Apple Fritters (2, second row)
- Blueberry Wheat-Free Fritter Thang (2, front row)
The raised donuts were good, the fritters were great, but, the old fashioned were absolutely insane.
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| Box #2: Dozen Assorted Donuts. $34.00. |
- Old Fashioned: Maple Glazed, Vanilla Glazed, Salted Caramel Chocolate (back row)
- Raised: Classic Chocolate, Sprinkly Guys (chocolate dipped with sprinkles), Classic Glazed, Sugar Daddy, Lime Poppy Seed, Strawberry (middle rows).
- Apple Fritter and Blueberry Wheat-Free Fritter Thang (1 each, front row)
I really appreciated the thoughtful assortment.
Raised Donuts
So, let's start with the raised donuts."Our take on a “light and fluffy” doughnut. A Southern recipe dating back to the 1920’s, using fresh potato to the dough to give more of a bite. The yeast in the recipe requires the dough to rise before being fried to give it that airy feel, hence the name – raised. Mix that unique dough with our unbelievably tasty homemade glazes and it’s a win-win every time."These are available in 9 varieties, plus seasonal specialties:
- Classic Glazed
- Classic Chocolate
- Lime Poppy Seed
- Strawberry
- Blueberry
- Zebra (glazed with chocolate drizzle)
- Sprinkly Guys (dipped in chocolate or vanilla and topped with sprinkles)
- Sugar Daddy (rolled in sugar)
We had all but the Zebra. They were all good, fluffy, raised donuts, massive in size. The potato in the dough definitely gave them a little something extra. The coatings were perfectly executed.
One co-worker had one of the dipped raised donuts, I forget which flavor, and said, "Well, I think that was honestly the best donut I've ever had!" Victory!
I started with a classic glazed. You can't judge the rest until you try a basic glazed donut, right?
I also tried the strawberry iced. Like all the iced options, it was perfectly dipped in strawberry frosting, and the icing was thick. The donut was the same as all the other raised donuts, fluffy, raised, massive, but the glaze was incredible. It tasted like fresh strawberries. It tasted like summer. It wasn't a fake strawberry taste at all. Just ripe, juicy, perfect berries at their peak. Incredible how much flavor was captured in that glaze. ****.
One co-worker had one of the dipped raised donuts, I forget which flavor, and said, "Well, I think that was honestly the best donut I've ever had!" Victory!
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| Classic Glazed. $3.25. |
It was a fine donut. Very fluffy, massive. Well coated in glaze on all sides. Not too oily. I think I sorta tasted the potato, not in a bad way though, just in a "hey, that dough has something a little more interesting about it" way, like if you ever have potato bread. It was fresh tasting. Not particularly earth shattering, but, unless it is hot and fresh out of the fryer, a classic glazed rarely is. ***+.
On the basic side, I also tried the "Sugar Daddy", a sugar coated raised donut. It was perfectly coated in sugar crystals, and tasty, but, sugar coated donuts always make me want them to be jelly filled (more on that soon). ***+.
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| Sugar Daddy. $3.25. |
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| Strawberry. |
I also tried the blueberry, equally fruity.
The lime poppy seed caught me by surprise as I thought it was vanilla bean (with specs of vanilla bean, not poppy seeds), so it caught me off guard when it was tangy. If you like lime though, by all means, this was likely a great thing. ***+.
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| Lime Poppy Seed. $3.25. |
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| Sprinkly Guys (Vanilla Version). $3.25. |
The base was the same huge, yeasty, fluffy donut.
I adore sprinkles, so, this was right up my alley. It was ridiculously generously coated in colorful rainbow sprinkles. They added a bit of crunch and more sweetness. The vanilla glaze was more appealing to me than the standard glaze from the classic, as it was sweeter and thicker. My favorite of the toppings.
Overall, a fun donut, but VERY sweet. I can't imagine eating a full one in one sitting without being on a ridiculous sugar high. This would be better served as a donut hole in my opinion (and then, all sides could have sprinkles!). ****.
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| Sprinkly Guys (Vanilla, Holiday). (2018). |
And then I had this one, years later. Back to being crazy sweet, loaded with glaze, loaded with sprinkles (holiday colored, because, December). When you are in the mood for sweet, this donut delivers (or, overpowers, if you aren't). ****.
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| Classic Chocolate Glazed. $3.25. |
Donut Holes
Next up were the donut holes, ordered to accommodate those who just want "a little something.""Our raised dough in easy-to-eat rounds of goodness. Available in Vanilla Glazed or Cinnamon Sugar."
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| Vanilla Glazed Holes. $0.50/each. |
But that is because the whole thing with donut holes is that they fill in the hole of the donut. If the donut is ridiculously large, well, then the hole is ridiculous large, so, these holes were actually likely scaled accordingly. They seemed about two times as big as any other donut hole I've encountered.
The donut holes were very similar to the full sized raised donuts. Fluffy, well glazed. The vanilla glaze was the same as what I had on the vanilla Sprinkly Guys. These were actually a nice size for just wanting a donut, and not feeling overwhelmed. The members of my group who had restraint actually just had one of these each, and said they were satisfied. ***+.
Old Fashioned
Johnny Doughnuts doesn't make basic cake donuts, but they make Old Fashioned, aka, non-yeasted cake donuts with jaggy edges. As in, more interesting cake donuts. At least, that is how I think of them. They say:
"Combining recipes from the 1930’s we’ve come up with an Old Fashioned unlike any other.
With seasonings like nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon in the dough - it’s no wonder these doughnuts are nicknamed The Life Changers. This cake-like doughnut has just enough crunch on the outside and moistness in the middle to truly make you wonder how you had ever gone without it."Old Fashioned are available at Johnny Doughnuts in 5 varieties:
- Classic (no glaze)
- Vanilla Glazed
- Maple Glazed
- Salted Chocolate Caramel
- Chocolate Maple Glazed
I was excited to see old fashioned donuts taken so seriously. Often, old fashioned are only plain. Why wouldn't you want the crunchy exterior of a old fashioned, plus the sweet deliciousness of glaze? Why do I need to pick?
Anyway, our assorted boxes had all but the plain ones. The old fashioned turned out to be the best of our assortment.
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| Maple Glazed. $3.25. |
I'm not normally very excited about old fashioned donuts, so I took a chunk of one of these, just for purposes of reviewing really. I was planning to gorge on fritters and raised donuts instead. But, one bite into this, and I turned right back around and took more.
First, the texture was perfect. Crunchy on the outside, dense and moist inside. They also nailed the nooks and crannies and jaggy bits.
But that isn't what set this apart. No, it was the flavor that set it apart. The base dough was unlike anything I'd ever had before, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Which, honestly, doesn't seem appealing to me. I thought it would just taste like Pumpkin Spice Season, Christmas, or something, trendy but not great. But here, the spices were strong enough to taste, for sure, but subtle enough to not scream spice cake. I was fascinated by the flavor, and really enjoyed it.
The maple glaze was also phenomenal. Sweet, maple-y, and crusty in all the right ways. The sweetness complimented the slightly savory base nicely.
This donut was an absolute winner. Sweet crusty glaze, crispy but not oily fried exterior, moist, dense flavorful interior. Hands down the best old fashioned donut I've ever had. I'd get another in a heartbeat, and I'd love to try some of the other flavor glazes too. ****+.
I loved the maple glazed so much that I was excited to try the chocolate salted caramel version. It sounded like a winner, and the visible caramel made me quite excited.
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| Chocolate Salted Caramel. $3.25. |
Interestingly, I didn't really like this. The chocolate and caramel just really didn't go with the base flavor, at least to me. **+.
I'd love to try the classic vanilla glazed old fashioned too, but I think the maple is likely the winner.
Fritters
So, moving on.
Fritters tend to be my favorite donuts. Does this surprise you in any way? Take something already decadent, and make it even worse for you, and of course I'll want it.
Johnny Doughnuts makes a classic apple fritter, but they also make a blueberry caramel apple version (that I didn't get to try), and a "Blueberry Wheat-Free Fritter Thang", a gluten-free offering (although, they aren't a gluten-free facility, so, be careful if that matters to you).
Fritters are slightly more expensive than the regular donuts ($3.50 vs $3.25), and not included in the regular dozens, but, since I love fritters I asked that we order a few of those too.
The fritters were good, but, the old fashioned remained my favorite.
Fritters are slightly more expensive than the regular donuts ($3.50 vs $3.25), and not included in the regular dozens, but, since I love fritters I asked that we order a few of those too.
The fritters were good, but, the old fashioned remained my favorite.
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| Blueberry Wheat-Free Fritter Thang. $3.50. |
I read many rave reviews about this, from gluten-free and non-gluten free folks. It was actually the first thing I went for when our donuts arrived. It was certainly the most unique. It was also my least favorite.
It was a crazy looking thing, jagged and all over the place. One of my co-workers said it looked like a chunk of coral. It was coated in a thick layer of the tasty vanilla glaze. I did like the crispy "legs" and the sweet glaze, but, I didn't really like the base flavor of the dough. It tasted kinda like whole wheat to me (which is amusing given that it was wheat free). Sorta too "healthy" tasting for me. Inside the folds were juicy blueberries, a totally different sort of thing to put into a donut than the standard apple chunks.
My co-worker who really liked it said it was like a cross between a blueberry muffin and a fritter, which was a great description. There is no reason not to combine these things, and I don't know why fritters are always apple. Blueberries are better, and blueberry muffins are so standard, so, why not blueberries in donuts?
Anyway, I appreciated this for its uniqueness, but I wasn't really sold on the wheat-free base. I would have happily consumed it, but, luckily, we had many other choices around, and I passed this off to someone else after I cut off a big chunk. ***.
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| Apple Fritter. $3.50. |
And finally, the classic fritter. The donut I always describe as "the king of donuts". In a box of donuts, unless I'm in a really strange mood, it is the one I nearly always go for.
This was a very good, totally classic execution of a fritter. It had plentiful chunks of soft, sweet apple, caramelized and nicely spiced. The care put into the apple was unlike most fritters, as I don't think they are normally caramelized and spiced like this. It was crazy moist inside, yet crispy outside. It was a bit oily, but, that is true of most fritters. It was big and dense, like a big ol' fritter should be. While the other donuts all seemed super sized, this one seemed normal, but, that is because fritters are always freakishly huge. It was perfectly coated in plenty of sweet glaze.
There was nothing unexpected here, but every aspect of it was spot on. A very good fritter. I'd gladly have another. ****.
Encounter #2, October 2016
My office can be a wonderful place. Like, when I get in on a Friday morning and there is an e-mail saying, "Whoops, we mis-ordered donuts, and have several extra dozen donuts today, from Johnny Donuts. Come and get them." Let's just say, I went running.
This group also ordered an assortment, including many of the raised and old fashioned donuts I had before, but also, they had a few new items: cinnamon rolls, cinnamon twists, and bismarks!
I was thrilled to get to try more items, but, my favorite this time around was the super sweet vanilla iced Sprinkly Guys. I think I was just in a sweet mood.
Cinnamon
"Cinnamon lovers rejoice! With cinnamon wrapped, rolled and twisted into the abyss of this specialty raised dough, you’ll get the perfect cinnamon flavor in every bite. Not to mention, with their twists and turns they are really like doughnut art."
Cinnamon creations are available in 4 varieties: vanilla glazed or chocolate maple glazed cinnamon rolls, or cinnamon sugar or glazed cinnamon twists.
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| Vanilla Glazed Cinnamon Roll. |
The cinnamon roll itself was fairly unremarkable, just in that it didn't break the mold in quite the same way as some of the other Johnny Doughnuts do. The dough was moist, there was ample cinnamon between the folds, and it was good, and I liked the sweet vanilla glaze, slightly crusty, but not in a bad way. But overall, it was just a good donut-style cinnamon roll, not a game changer. ***+.
Bismarks
And finally ... the ones I had been waiting for: bismarks!
"What is a bismark you say? To put it simply, they are the Holy Grail of filled doughnuts. With homemade jams and custards oozing out of them, they are what we call ‘serious doughnuts.’ We suggest having a napkin and a friend nearby, because you will feel compelled to share these beauties with the rest of the world."Bismarks are available with fruit fillings (wild berry jam, strawberry peach jam, raspberry jam) or custards (lime mascarpone, chocolate glazed with vanilla cream).
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| Wild Berry Jam . |
The dough was the same nice yeasty dough as the other raised donuts, as expected.
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| Wild Berry Jam: inside. |
I had kinda over-done it with donuts by the time I tried this one though, so I think this was my own fault. I'd like to try it again when I wasn't overwhelmed with donuts. ***.
Encounter #3, November 2016
Another month, another donut party. We again ordered dozens.
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| Dozen and dozens of donuts. |
This time the person making the order went more traditional, picking 2 raised (classic glazed and sugar daddy), 2 old fashioned (maple glazed and chocolate salted caramel), and 2 bismarks (wild berry jam and lime mascarpone), rather than the assortments, ordering by the dozen each.
Over the course of the day, I tried almost all of the donuts.
Over the course of the day, I tried almost all of the donuts.
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| Sugar Daddy Raised Dozen. |
Of the raised donuts though, I still prefer the sprinkly guys, as I'm a sucker for icing and sprinkles.
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| Lime Mascarpone Bismark, Dozen. |
I wasn't into the wild berry bismark before, so this time I tried the lime mascarpone. I was excited for a cream filled donut, and for mascarpone in particular, but, I don't care for lime, so I was a bit hesitant.
And ... yeah, while the donut itself was the expected fluffy raised donut, the lime mascarpone was too eggy and limey for my taste. ***.
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| Maple Glazed Old Fashioned Dozen. |
I just love the texture of the cake donut inside, and the spicing that makes it taste almost hearty or even healthy. The slightly crispy exterior is great too, and the insanely generous amount of very sweet, crusty, maple glaze is to die for. The glaze is very sweet, but the base donut isn't, so it just combines perfectly. ****.
I tried the chocolate salted caramel old fashioned again too, to give it another chance, and this time, I tried it first, before I had any possible donut fatigue. But ... yeah, I didn't like it, that flavor combination just does't work for me. **+.
Encounter #4, December 2016: The Truck!
One very chilly day in December, I was walking down the street, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but ... a Johnny Doughnut truck. I was excited to see it in person, but it was closed up, and not open for business. I assume it was just out doing deliveries, ducked into a store to check out a sale rack, and didn't give it another though (ok, that's a lie, I did wonder who the lucky recipient of the donuts was). To my amazement, when I emerged from the store a mere 10 minutes later, the truck was set up and opening for business. The better part? Um, they were giving free donuts to customers of the store I had just left. My morning was suddenly looking *much* better!
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| "The Newb" |
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| Doughnut Display. |
The window revealed an assortment of raised doughnuts (Lime Poppy Seed, Zebra, Strawberry, Blueberry, Classic Glazed, both types of Sprinkly Guys, and Classic Chocolate), plus the Wheat-Free Fritter Thangs and Crodoughs (my first sighting!).
Not pictured here, because he was still doing it after I took the photo, is the names of all the doughnuts, written onto the glass.
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| Ordering Area. |
Crodough
When I encountered the truck, I had already tried nearly every doughnut they had on board. I knew the raised doughnuts were solid, as were the fritters and cinnamon rolls, but that I really liked the Old Fashioned. I knew the bismarks and fritter thangs were my least favorites. But I also hadn't tried the crodough. I didn't really have a choice, did I?
For the unfamiliar, the crodough is Johnny Doughnut's version of a Cronut, the trademarked famed croissant + doughnut hybrid of 2013 fame. In the past 3 years, these sorts of items have been popping up everywhere, including the last place I ordered team donuts from, Donut Savant, where the cronut didn't impress, and even across the world in Sydney, where I had an ok version at Bécasse, and even at Dunkin' Donuts, where, yes, it is just as mediocre as you'd expect.
Johnny Doughnuts describes theirs as:
"This flaky piece of heaven! Our Crodough has laminated layers, just like a croissant. We let these unique doughnut-wanna-bes rise before gently placing them into the frier to become the doughnuts they so desperately want to be. Sometimes rolled in Cinnamon Sugar, or perhaps topped with Chocolate glaze, we make sure the custard is filled through every. Single. Layer."
I was very curious to see how a doughnut-croissant hybrid from a good place would be. Spoiler: amazing, and my favorite Johnny Doughnut item so far (and it really isn't just because it is a hyped item, believe me, I've had a lot of mediocre cronuts!)
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| Cinnamon-Sugar Crodough. $3.50. |
It was absolutely coated in cinnamon and sugar, and the coating went perfectly with the crispy fried dough exterior. I loved how it was slightly crisp on the outside from being fried.
It was a bit hard to just bite into as it was so tall, but I didn't mind ripping (and later, once I slowed down a bit, cutting) it into pieces.
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| Cinnamon-Sugar Crodough: Inside. |
The dough was layered like a croissant, but, not flaky like one, as it is fried rather than baked. It was dense, slightly sweet, and I liked the taste and texture of this dough more than the regular doughnuts event.
But it still had more to go. Inside, was custard filling, a decent amount, all along the middle layer. The cream distribution was pretty good, although you can see in this cross-section that the left-hand side didn't have any cream in this part. The pastry cream inside was rich, creamy, vanilla custard, tasty on its own, and likely the same filling that goes into the chocolate glazed vanilla cream filled bismarks.
This was a winner all around. I liked the crispy exterior and the dense interior. I loved the cinnamon sugar coating. The cream filling was quality. If you like churros, state fair fried dough, boston cream doughnuts, or really, just tasty fried things, sugar, and cream, go for one of these, highly recommended. *****.
Encounter #5, July 2017
Another day, another, "Hey, leftover donuts!" email at my office. I know, hard life. And, another one that offered up the vendor: Johnny Donuts. I went running. Only quasi figuratively.
The selection remaining was great, and I was able to snag not only a whole donut for myself (recall that these are MASSSIVE donuts!), but also cut off chunks of a few favorites that others had already broken into.
I again got to try the cakey maple old fashioned, still really well seasoned and flavorful, dense and moist inside, and crispy outside and perfectly crusted with glaze. I also tried a chunk of a raised blueberry glazed donut, again, crazy lofted, yeasted, moist, and more interesting than your standard donut due to the potato base, with flavorful fruity glaze. I was happy with both of those, but, I opted to take a full size cinnamon roll, try give that another chance.
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| Vanilla Glazed Cinnamon Roll. |
I was again unimpressed with the cinnamon roll.
It was a fine cinnamon roll, don't get me wrong. Fluffy, well risen dough, good cinnamon between the folds, totally covered in crusty sweet vanilla glaze. The inner most ring was super moist, the outer layers more crisp, giving some contrast. There were also some little raisins in there that I could do without, but, I guess added a bit more interest.
But it was just a cinnamon roll. I again felt like it was a waste of a Johnny Donut opportunity, as their other offerings are far more unique than standard donuts, and this was just barely a step above a normal roll. It was also much better when warmed up. ***+.
Now I know to go back to my favorites though, and not try another cinnamon roll.
Encounter #6, February 2018
Yup, another day, another "hey, extra Johnny Donuts!" email at my office. After no one else claimed the rest, I ended up having ... uh, a few more ... |
| Maple Glazed Old Fashioned. |
I really love the texture and flavor of the base, and this one came even more generously coated in maple glaze than normal. Score. ****.
Doesn't the Sugar Daddy look smaller? I am pretty sure it got smaller, at least in diameter. It also didn't look that exciting I guess, as no one claimed it. I put it out of its misery later in the day.
A nice, fluffy, raised donut, decent sugar coating, but yes, not particularly exciting. ***+.
Remember how my assorted box before didn't have the Zebra? Well, now I had a chance to try it. So when it was still there after a few calls to eat the donuts, you know I had to take it.
It was as I expected, the same fluffy raised potato base, the same sweet vanilla glaze, this time, just complimented by a bit of chocolate glaze.
I liked the glaze more than before, nicely sweet, and the chocolate helped balance it. ***+.
Finally, I tried a chunk of the wheat free fritter thang.
I still don't really care for the flavor of these, but, they really are ridiculous looking creations. ***.
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| Sugar Daddy. |
A nice, fluffy, raised donut, decent sugar coating, but yes, not particularly exciting. ***+.
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| Zebra. |
It was as I expected, the same fluffy raised potato base, the same sweet vanilla glaze, this time, just complimented by a bit of chocolate glaze.
I liked the glaze more than before, nicely sweet, and the chocolate helped balance it. ***+.
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| Wheat Free Fritter Thang. |
I still don't really care for the flavor of these, but, they really are ridiculous looking creations. ***.
Encounters #7 & #8: November & December 2018
Yup, my life is hard, as we had multiple days over several weeks with Johnny Doughnuts randomly showing up at my office.
I appreciated that many people were cutting them into pieces, so I could try a large variety of donuts.
I took chunks of at least 6 different donuts, and several full size for myself over these multiple occurrences.
Since photos of chunks aren't very exciting, and you've seen these all before, I'll let you imagine the ones I only "sampled".
The vanilla glazed old fashioned was fine, I still loved how fried and crispy the exterior of these donuts is, but the novelty of the different base style has worn off, and I found myself uninterested in the spicing.
I tried a few raised donuts as well, again pleased with how fluffy they were, really great bases for donuts.
The strawberry icing was again quite flavorful, and I was glad to take all the chunks that fell of of this. ****.
"With texture similar to our classic Raised doughnuts, our vegan recipe calls for Roasted Sweet Potatoes! This baby is glazed in either a Vanilla or Chocolate vegan-crafted glaze just to add to the awesomeness."
Ok, I lied about not sharing photos of chunks, here is a photo of just a chunk, of the vegan offering. I'm not sure if you can tell, but it is actually quite orange in nature, due to the use of sweet potato in the base, rather than the white potatoes used in the regular raised donuts. I wonder why they don't use sweet potatoes in the non-vegan ever?
Anyway, the texture was quite similar to the regular donuts, just as promised. Light and fluffy. And the flavor? Yeah, you could taste sweet potato, which was not a bad thing. It reminded me of my favorite sweet potato rolls. In fact, given the time of year (November), it really just made it seem like a seasonal offering, much like pumpkin or butternut squash. I could imagine this being even better crusted with pumpkin spice seasonings, or done bismark style with cranberry compote inside!
It was a good donut, and I'd really love to see them use sweet potato in a regular one too, although, honestly, I didn't detect anything strange and vegan about this, so I'd even just have a vegan one again ... ****.
Since photos of chunks aren't very exciting, and you've seen these all before, I'll let you imagine the ones I only "sampled".
The vanilla glazed old fashioned was fine, I still loved how fried and crispy the exterior of these donuts is, but the novelty of the different base style has worn off, and I found myself uninterested in the spicing.
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| Raised Holiday Sprinkly Guys. |
The strawberry icing was again quite flavorful, and I was glad to take all the chunks that fell of of this. ****.
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| Vanilla Glazed Vegan Raised Doughnut. |
Ok, I lied about not sharing photos of chunks, here is a photo of just a chunk, of the vegan offering. I'm not sure if you can tell, but it is actually quite orange in nature, due to the use of sweet potato in the base, rather than the white potatoes used in the regular raised donuts. I wonder why they don't use sweet potatoes in the non-vegan ever?
Anyway, the texture was quite similar to the regular donuts, just as promised. Light and fluffy. And the flavor? Yeah, you could taste sweet potato, which was not a bad thing. It reminded me of my favorite sweet potato rolls. In fact, given the time of year (November), it really just made it seem like a seasonal offering, much like pumpkin or butternut squash. I could imagine this being even better crusted with pumpkin spice seasonings, or done bismark style with cranberry compote inside!
It was a good donut, and I'd really love to see them use sweet potato in a regular one too, although, honestly, I didn't detect anything strange and vegan about this, so I'd even just have a vegan one again ... ****.
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| Crodough. |
Fantastically crispy, not too fried, light and fluffy, well coated in cinnamon sugar, and I liked the custard filling, although, just like before, I felt it was a bit lacking in how well distributed it was, but the sections that had it had plenty.
This is the only one I went back for another big chunk of. By which I mean ... I went and took a full one a bit later when there were still plenty left ... *****.
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| Cinnamon Sugar Twist. |
Then, I went for one that I hadn't tried before: the twist! Available glazed or cinnamon sugar coated, I went for the later.
It, much like the cinnamon roll, let me down a bit. Not because it wasn't good. It was good. Light fluffy dough just like all the raised donuts, perfectly coated in just the right amount of cinnamon sugar, and well formed. Not too oily. Really, this is as good as a cinnamon sugar twist is going to get.
So why let down? Because it was just that. As good as a cinnamon sugar twist is going to be. It didn't rock my world. But that crodough? That did. ***+.
Behold! A ... cake doughnut from Johnny Doughnuts? YES!
I knew Johnny Doughnuts made the assorted cake style old fashioned, but, I was unaware that they made assorted cake doughnuts as well. Which could be because they used to be a weekend only special, and still are in most of their shops, but, now available daily in San Francisco!
And since I love the strawberry icing, I went for that.
This was a great doughnut. It had everything I loved about the old fashioned - fantastically crispy exterior, fried but not greasy and off-putting, and very moist and dense inside - but without the spicing that I've grown a bit tired of. The base did still have an interesting tang and depth of flavor. This makes sense, as it is the same base, just, sans nutmeg and friends.
I adored the base, better than the old fashioned, better than the raised, better than the assorted bars and fritters. I still rank the crodough over the cake, but, they are entirely different.
Then, the icing. The glaze was … generous. Extremely generous. Extremely sweet. Slightly fruity. And totally delicious if you are in the mood for some serious sugar.
This was a good choice at room temperature, but I loved it even more when I warmed it up and topped it with vanilla ice cream, which helped balance out the sweet glaze (and, also, made the doughnuts last a second day with NO problem!)
Overall, I really liked this doughnut, my second favorite ever, and I’m glad that Johnny Doughnuts has expanded into traditional cake doughnuts as well. I can't wait to try more. ****+.
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| Strawberry Cake Doughnut. |
I knew Johnny Doughnuts made the assorted cake style old fashioned, but, I was unaware that they made assorted cake doughnuts as well. Which could be because they used to be a weekend only special, and still are in most of their shops, but, now available daily in San Francisco!
And since I love the strawberry icing, I went for that.
This was a great doughnut. It had everything I loved about the old fashioned - fantastically crispy exterior, fried but not greasy and off-putting, and very moist and dense inside - but without the spicing that I've grown a bit tired of. The base did still have an interesting tang and depth of flavor. This makes sense, as it is the same base, just, sans nutmeg and friends.
I adored the base, better than the old fashioned, better than the raised, better than the assorted bars and fritters. I still rank the crodough over the cake, but, they are entirely different.
Then, the icing. The glaze was … generous. Extremely generous. Extremely sweet. Slightly fruity. And totally delicious if you are in the mood for some serious sugar.
This was a good choice at room temperature, but I loved it even more when I warmed it up and topped it with vanilla ice cream, which helped balance out the sweet glaze (and, also, made the doughnuts last a second day with NO problem!)
Overall, I really liked this doughnut, my second favorite ever, and I’m glad that Johnny Doughnuts has expanded into traditional cake doughnuts as well. I can't wait to try more. ****+.
Encounter #10: February 2019
Yup, another team All Hands, another excuse to order donuts. We again got quite the selection, including crodoughs and fritters because I requested them, plus vegan and gluten-free offerings (although the later were forgotten by the delivery guy, doh!). The one thing we really missed out on though was the cake doughnuts that I discovered last time ... I want to try those again!
As always, many people preferred to just have a small bite, so they brought out knives to cut them in chunks, so I was able to try many.
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| Box #1: Glazed Old Fashioned, Maple Glazed Old Fashioned Sugar Daddy Cro-Dough, Raspberry Raised Glazed, Lime Poppyseed Raised Glazed. |
This box had the good things!
The majority of the box was a full dozen Cro-doughs (recall, the Johnny version of cronuts, custard filled, laminated, croissant doughnuts, coated in cinnamon and sugar). My top choice usually for Johnny Doughnuts, and of course I ordered a full dozen of those.
I started with the Cro-dough, having half of one immediately alongside my morning coffee. I liked it as always, but it seemed slightly different than usual. I later realized what it was - I don't normally have them *that* fresh, and, strangely, I actually prefer them a few hours older, as the top gets crispier. I of course discovered this because I had the second half later in the afternoon, and found that I liked it more.
I also took a maple glazed old fashioned, my old favorites (before I discovered the cro-doughs and cake donuts). I found that I enjoyed it, loved the spicing and the sweet maple glaze, but when I went to have the second half later that night (warmed up, a la mode!), the spicing seemed too aggressive, which is how I felt one other time too. I wonder if it intensifies as they get a bit older, or, if I really just need to be in the mood for the spicing?
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| Box #2: Classic Raised Glazed, Sprinkly Guys (Valentine's Edition), Caramel Apple Fritters, Chocolate Maple Glazed Old Fashioned, Vegan Sugar Daddy Sweet Potato, Strawberry Raised Glazed, Blueberry Raised Glazed. |
I didn't take anything from here initially, but when I circled back after the event, and there were still plenty remaining ... I sampled the strawberry and blueberry to see how the three fruity flavors compared (I'm not sure I had a favorite ... all sweet and fruity, but pretty similar), and I had a chunk of the caramel apple fritter just to see if my feelings changed on those (nope, still a very good fritter, but not different from other good fritters).
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| Sugar Daddy Vegan Sweet Potato. |
And then I had a chunk of the vegan sweet potato raised sugar coated donut. And I was floored. I was walking away as I bit into the chunk I had taken (someone else had nicely cut it off already), and immediately turned right back around and took a full one (hey, there were plenty left, since they were vegan, kinda orange-hued, and seemed to scare people off? Their loss, my gain!)
I adored it. My previous encounter with this base was just a small chunk of a glazed vegan sweet potato one, and I had enjoyed that too, but here I was able to really appreciate it. Such a unique flavor from the sweet potato, slightly savory, and really fluffy, airy, light ... for a fried item.
I really like these. Where they rank compared to cro-doughs and maple glazed old fashioned really just depends on my mood however ... sometimes you want light and fluffy, sometimes you want decadent and stuffed with custard. ****+.
Encounter #11: February 2020
"Donuts in the micro kitchen!" Yup, one of my favorite phrases to hear. Of course I went running (er, walking in a rushed, civilized fashion?)
Double delight to hear they were from Johnny Donuts, and ... many, many huge catering boxes were there. Oh yes.
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| 1 Box of MANY. |
For the most part, my opinions were unchanged. The iced raised were good (yay potato in the base for creating that unique texture), but I'm not in love with fruity icing, and slightly prefer the very sweet vanilla iced with sprinkles, but I need to want sweet. The standard glazed, also good, but I do prefer Stan's for a simple glazed. ***+.
I also tried a vegan vanilla iced roasted sweet potato one, and I certainly admire it for being just as airy and delicious as its non-vegan partners. I didn't find the sweet potato flavor quite as striking as before, but still, it was good, and I certainly would have no qualms eating this and feeling like it was a "second class" donut. No sacrifices here for vegans. ***+.
Even though I've never loved the caramel apple fritter, of course I took a chunk (because, fritters are usually my favorite!), and, yup, it is still a fine fritter, great chunks of apple, but, there just isn't anything remarkable about it. ***+.
The Old Fashioned of course called out, and I opted for the maple glazed as always. Excellent spicing, great buttermilk tang, crispy crags, and just an excellent old fashioned donut. I did find the maple glaze a bit too much, but perhaps I was over-doing it on the donuts at that point ... ****.
From the next book I tried a chunk of a bismark, filled with Wild Berry Jam. And ... yeah, I just don't like their jam, as I had noted before. It was extremely generously stuffed though, so kudos on that. ***.
I tried a bit of the Chocolate Vanilla Cream, and one bite of that cream and I knew exactly what donut I needed to select for my full size takeaway treat for "later". OMG it was good. ****.
"The Fritter Thang is filled with chunks of fresh fruit, topped with vanilla glaze and heres the best part – it tastes like a doughnut should taste! With texture similar to our Old Fashioneds, this gem – a WHEAT FREE DOUGHNUT?! – is a rarity in the doughnut world, and loved by wheat-free and wheat-loving treatseekers alike."
The gluten-free members of the group were very well cared for, with a huge box of the That Fritter Thangs. As always, first-timers also just couldn't get past how insane they looked.
I also tried a vegan vanilla iced roasted sweet potato one, and I certainly admire it for being just as airy and delicious as its non-vegan partners. I didn't find the sweet potato flavor quite as striking as before, but still, it was good, and I certainly would have no qualms eating this and feeling like it was a "second class" donut. No sacrifices here for vegans. ***+.
Even though I've never loved the caramel apple fritter, of course I took a chunk (because, fritters are usually my favorite!), and, yup, it is still a fine fritter, great chunks of apple, but, there just isn't anything remarkable about it. ***+.
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| Box # 2 ... |
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| Box #3 ... |
I tried a bit of the Chocolate Vanilla Cream, and one bite of that cream and I knew exactly what donut I needed to select for my full size takeaway treat for "later". OMG it was good. ****.
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| That Fritter Thang. (Wheat Free). |
I took a chunk, and, just like the vegan selections, was really impressed. It tastes just as good as a regular donut, no crazy texture things going on. Interesting flavor, great glaze. ****.
I brought one to a gluten-free co-worker, who contacted me about 10 minutes later wanting to find out the name of the vendor. She talked about the donut for days. Let's just say, it left an impression.
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| Cinnamon Sugar Crodough. |
"This flaky piece of heaven! Our Crodough has laminated layers, just like a croissant. We let these unique doughnut-wanna-bes rise before gently placing them into the frier to become the doughnuts they so desperately want to be. Sometimes rolled in Cinnamon Sugar, or perhaps topped with Chocolate glaze, we make sure the custard is filled through every. Single. Layer."
But who are we kidding. There is one best Johnny doughnut ever, and I know it. The crodough.
It was just as glorious as the first time I ever had it. Just as life changing.
A huge beast. People look at these and make comments on the size. Even I, knowing how much I love them, initially just cut off a chunk. But you take a bite, and return for a full size one. Or at least, I do. And yes, I polished it off in just one sitting this time.
Because it is simply glorious. Lovely layers, not flaky like a croissant, but, distinct layers of fluffy, airy, risen doughnut goodness. Crispy exterior, fried, but not greasy. Absolutely coated in cinnamon sugar, like the very best state fair fried dough (that's a thing for other people too right?). These elements alone create magic. These elements alone would be enough to send my eyes rolling to the back of my head, and put me into a happy dance.
But there is more. So much more. Filled with custard. Does it look like a custard filled donut? Nope. But it is. And they do not skip. Custard between the layers. Custard throughout. Yes, custard everywhere. Thick, rich, luxurious custard. I'd eat a bowl of it as pudding and be thrilled too. And add it inside this already magical creation? SO GOOD.
Seriously, just one of the best donuts of all time. Get it. Now. *****.
Encounter #12: April 2022
RTO. It means many things to many people.
For me, it means, yup, back to the days of "Oops, we ordered too many extra donuts, come and get them!". I was thrilled to get such a message, particularly when I heard the donuts came from Johnny Doughnut. It had been a couple years since I had such glorious donuts!
Spoiler: they are still as incredible as I remembered. Tied for first place for me is the glazed old fashioned, the wheat free fritter thang, and the custard stuffed cinnamon sugar rolled crodough. All are nearly perfect *****.
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| So. Many. Donuts. |
This here is the *extra* donuts this team had. Nearly 8 dozen extra. All kinds, including vegan and wheat free. At $5 per donut, this was a kinda ridiculous amount of extras. I made sure they did not go to waste.
The Sprinkly Guys raised donut always changes the color of sprinkles with the season, and as it was nearly Easter, these took on an Easter-Spring vibe. Unfortunately for me, these used chocolate glaze under the sprinkles, which again, I just didn't like as much as the vanilla glaze usually used on the Sprinkly Guys. But major kudos for the generous sprinkle crusting!
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| Raised Glazed Classic and Zebra. |
"Our take on the light and fluffy doughnut, using a classic recipe from the 1920’s. The dough includes fresh potato to give the final product an extra bite."
Raised donuts are available in 8 flavors, including 6 glazed varieties - chocolate, classic, Zebra (regular with chocolate stripes), strawberry, blueberry, and Lime Poppy Seed, along with two non-glazed options: Sugar Daddy (sugared) and Sprinkly (which changes sprinkle colors with the seasons).
Our boxes had most of the varities, and of course, I sampled several.
The base donut for all was large and lofty as remembered, super soft. I didn't really taste the unique potato nature to them this time, but, still, good, classic raised donuts. I preferred the plain glaze over the Zebra, as for some reason, although I love chocolate, I don't tend to love it on my donuts.
Solid, good, raised donuts. ***+.
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| Raised Sprinkly Guys. |
***.
I was a bit sad we didn't have any of the other fruity raised glazed donut flavors I love from Johnny Doughnuts, the blueberry or strawberry, only the Lime Poppyseed. As you likely know, I don't tend to like citrus flavors in my desserts/baked goods.
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| Raised Lime Poppyseed. |
I still tried a tiny chunk though, and was impressed with the very flavorful tangy icing, and the crunch from poppyseeds was quite unique for a donut. I even almost liked it, and I think if you like tangy lime things, this would be a winner.
***.
"With seasonings like nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon in the dough, this cake-like doughnut’s 1920s recipe has just enough crunch on the outside and moistness in the middle to make you wonder how you ever lived without it. "
"Tons of fresh, caramelized apple chunks go into this one of a kind, rustic fritter. It’s just the right size to fill your heart (and belly) with joy."
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| Old Fashioned: Regular, Maple, Chocolate Glazed. |
And then there are the old fashioned. This is where Johnny Doughnuts really shines. Available in 5 varieties: plain, glazed, maple glazed, chocolate glazed, or chocolate caramel glazed. Our boxes had a mix of all.
These old fashioned really truly are the best I've ever had. There is something about the spice mix that makes them unlike any others. And they are crazy moist inside, and so well glazed ... yes, exactly as advertised, how did I ever live without these?!
The regular glaze are my favorites, ****+, followed by maple glaze if I'm in the mood, ****. Great spicing, great texture, great sweetness, all around near perfection.
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| Apple Fritter. |
Fritters rank pretty high up there on my list of top donuts, but I know the Johnny Doughnuts ones aren't as good as some of the other options, so I usually don't pick them. But, we had sooo many left, and these are beyond massive, so I obviously had to try one.
I felt the same about these as I did prior batches - they are good, don't get me wrong, but they aren't dramatically better than other donut shop fritters. They are massive, quite moist, and have nice chunks of apple in them, although they trend kinda sweet as the apples are caramelized, and the glaze, as you can see, is generous. Fine, but definitely not my top picks. ***.
"No wheat and you would have no idea. This doughnut has texture similar to our Old Fashioned but is packed with fruit and topped with a vanilla glaze. This rare gem is loved by wheat-free and wheat-loving treat seekers alike. "
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| Wheat Free Fritter Thang. |
And then there are the Thangs.
Um, yeah, you hear "Wheat Free" and probably suspect these will be lacking in some way, and you know I say the regular fritter is just ok, but, these ... these are as magic as their old fashioned.
I love the jagged ridiculous shapes. I love how moist and flavorful and well spiced they are. I love the sweet vanilla glaze. Really, I love these, competing for my top choice with the glazed old fashioned and crodough.
Wheat free or not, these are A++. Gluten-free folks, please take note!
****+.
"With texture similar to our classic raised doughnuts, our vegan recipe calls for roasted sweet potatoes. It’s then topped with a vegan Vanilla or Chocolate glaze. "
"That’s right - it’s a croissant crossed with a doughnut. We could tell you more, but you should really try this for yourself! "
I also just totally forgot how insanely amazing these are. And why they are quite so heavy.
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| Vegan Chocolate Glazed. |
For completeness, I tried a vegan glazed. I really, really didn't like it. For all the accolades I give the wheat free, I absolutely do NOT give them to the vegan one. The base flavor just wasn't great, it was kinda greasy, just, very, very meh. I didn't want a second bite. At least it was well glazed?
*+.
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| Crodough. |
All of Johnny Doughnuts items are massive, but the Crodoughs were even heavier than I imagined. A light, fluffy, croissant like item this was not. So. Heavy.
But first, the donut base. Soft, fluffy, lightly fried and not greasy, coated in cinnamon sugar. It instantly reminded me of fried dough from the state fair, which, amusingly, is what I said last time too. Fresh, soft, incredible fried dough. They could have stopped there. But, they didn't.
The Crodough keeps on giving.
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| Crodough - Cross Section. |
Inside was tons and tons of custard cream. Seriously, so well loaded up, even if you can't really see here. The pastry cream with thick and rich, and quite tasty. I used to always get the Bavarian cream topping on my fried dough at the fair, and so this just really completed the deal for me.
As you can see, this isn't a flaky style cronut, but it is slightly more layered than their regular donut.
This is a thing of wonder, particularly if you heat it up a moment. Soft, fresh, fried dough, tons of cinnamon sugar, and lovely cream filling? YES PLEASE.
Huge, horrible for you, but oh-oh-oh so good. Very different from the old fashioned and fritter thing, but equally tied for first place.
****+.
Encounter #13: Sept/Oct 2023
It had been a while since I last had Johnny Donuts! I was too excited to dig into my treats that I forgot to take a photo of the first few.
Maple glazed old fashioned:
The old fashioned really is great. Lovely tang. Nice sweet coating not cloying. ****.
Crodough:
Still pretty awesome. Great cinnamon/sugar coating, flaky and crispy and flavorful croissant dough, and tasty enough cream filling. ****.
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| Wheat Free Fritter Thang. |
I've had the wheat free fritter thang many times in the past, and have had mixed feelings on it. There are times I really like it, and others I don't. Today's version I was pretty lukewarm on.
The shape was a triangle, far fewer crags and bits sticking out than past versions. It was very well glazed with tasty glaze. I did really like the texture too, as they say, sorta like an old fashioned. Great crispy exterior. Didn't taste strangely gluten free.
So, what was the problem? Too much aggressive spicing. In particular, nutmeg. The rest of the base flavor was good, but, the nutmeg was just too strong for me today.
**** glaze and textures, but ** spicing, so **+ overall.
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| Wheat Free Fritter Thang: Inside. |
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| Apple Fritter. |
The classic fritter was just that. A classic fritter. Massive. Greasy. Well glazed. Good bits of apple. A gut buster, no question. Even better warm with ice cream.
Not particularly unique, but, well done. ***+.
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| Brown Butter Pumpkin (Seasonal). |
"Pumpkin, old-fashioned cake dough with a brown butter glaze."
In the fall of 2023, Johnny Doughnuts joined the pumpkin spice craze, and introduced a new donut: the brown butter pumpkin old fashioned. While I'm not one of the masses who loves all the things pumpkin spice, I appreciate brown butter, do like pumpkin in general, and really like Johnny old fashioneds. I was eager to try this, but also, as with all things pumpkin spice, worried that it was going to be too aggressively pumpkin spiced for my taste.
I didn't really care for it. The spicing was actually fine, although it was certainly a spice forward base dough. Not too much nutmeg, as often happens. I didn't taste any pumpkin. It also lacked the buttermilk tang from the regular old fashioned, and the unique spicing I like in the regular old fashioned was masked by the additional pumpkin spices.
The texture is what let me down, I usually really adore the old fashioned donuts from Johnny due to the great crisp exterior and moist inside. This one was just very dense. Maybe brown butter in the base weighed it down (although I'm not sure if there was brown butter in the base)?
The glaze was tasty though. Sweet, complex.
Overall, one of my least favorite from Johnny. **.
Encounter #14: November 2024
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| Old Fashioned. |
I might even like this more than a glazed version ... ****.
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