Entenmann's

Update Review, 2024

I grew up in a town with an Entenmann's outlet store, which we drove by regularly, and I vaguely remember enjoying their goodies from time to time (although they weren't that common in my house).  I entirely forgot about the brand until back in 2018 I was reunited with their snack pies, and liked them, so I couldn't resist snagging more items when I was visiting this summer, and saw the donuts on the shelf on sale.

Rich Frosted Donuts.
(8 Count). 

"Chocolate lovers, rejoice! Our rich frosted chocolate donuts are a bite of chocolate heaven. What makes these the best donuts for any chocolate lover? The moist yellow cake wrapped in a rich and silky chocolate coating guarantees our chocolate donuts can’t be beat. 

Looking for the best on the go breakfast? Our rich frosted chocolate donuts are delicious on the weekend with a cup of coffee and the Sunday newspaper, and easy enough to take for breakfast on the go. Busy mornings don’t mean you have to compromise on taste. 

Our chocolate donuts are great in the car, at your desk at work, or even as a fun treat at breakfast while camping outside. Pack a box for your road trip and travel snacks, too! They’re guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s faces! 

Not just for breakfast… Our rich frosted chocolate donuts make a delicious dessert! Serve to guests after a dinner party or enjoy by yourself as a midnight snack. There’s nothing like a late night snack, dunking a donut into an ice cold glass of milk!"

Ok, so I had options on how to eat my donuts!  Breakfast, dessert, midnight snack, in the car, at a desk, while camping or on a road trip.  Heck, I can serve to my guests at a dinner party?  I had to laugh at their suggestions, but I do agree they are pretty appropriate for many situations, particularly compared to regular donuts.

Because regular donuts these are not.  They aren't fresh, obviously, but I also think they are not fried?  They aren't even the same kind of base dough as regular donuts.  They are ring shaped cakes.  Faux-nuts really.

The chocolate coating (that they call frosting) is a nice smooth layer, evenly applied all around.  It is hard though, not soft like frosting.  It doesn't flake off.  Reasonable chocolate flavor.  Low *** shell.

Rich Frosted Donuts: Inside.

Inside is the lofty cake filling.  It doesn't taste stale, but it doesn't taste fresh either.  Not dry exactly, but not moist.  It reminds me of all the packaged snack cakes from Little Debbie, Drake's, and the like.  It is what it is.  Lightly sweet.  There is slight flavor to it that I can't quite pinpoint, almost like lemon, but not really.  Low *** cake.

Overall, these are exactly what I expected.  They aren't great.  They taste highly processed.  But they have their place and time.  Best dunked into coffee.  Low ***.

Baker's Delights Mini Cherry Snack Pie.

"Cherry pie is a true American classic. And Entenmann’s Baker's Delights Mini Cherry Snack Pies carry on that tradition in a big way, only smaller. The lightly glazed and flaky crust is perfectly baked with sweet and tart fruity filling made with real cherries. "

Since I had kinda enjoyed the apple snack pies a few years ago, I decided to give the cherry pies a try.  Again, I went for the mini size, although they make larger (but still single serve) ones too.  It was a cute little thing.

I first tried it at room temperature.  It was ... ok-ish.  The pastry was reasonable, not flaky like a real pie, but pleasant enough, and the glaze was sweet but not cloying.  It didn't taste stale.  The inside was also reasonable, decent amount of both goo and full cherries.  Again, sweet, but not cloying.  Basically, it was a reasonable packaged snack pie, but it certainly wasn't going to trick you into thinking it was bakery fresh or homemade.  Very low *** at room temperature.

Are these wholesome?  Absolutely not.  High fructose corn syrup is before cherries in the ingredient list.  They have palm oil, preservatives, etc, etc too. They obviously don't taste fresh or homemade, but I was pleased they didn't taste quite as processed as their ingredient list implied they were

I also warmed one up, and served it a la mode.  It was considerably better.  The warm cherry filling and the nicely melty ice cream nearly made me forget I was eating a packaged snack pie and not a real slice of pie.  An acceptable dessert this way, but I didn't find myself reaching for another even though I had a box full.  ***.

Original Reviews, 2018

Entenmann's is a wholesale bakery and supplier of packaged baked goods, such as loaf cakes, donuts, cookies, cup cakes, pies, bars, muffins, danishes, etc.  I remember seeing their products primarily in gas stations when I was growing up, and always eyed the boxes of chocolate donuts.  I think we sometimes got their eclairs, but, my memories aren't that strong.

While Entenmann's is technically a bakery, I'm going to put them more into the "snacks" category than bakery, much like Little Debbie or Drake's (both of whose goods I have reviewed before).

On my recent visit to my parent's house, my dad had a box of their goodies, and, one night, a rare case of my mom not making homemade dessert, I tried one.

It was, uh, very satisfying?

Mini Apple Pie.

"An American classic, perfect for a snack anytime!"

Entenmann's makes classic whole apple pies.  But, they also make snack pies, in several sizes (mini or regular, both considered individual servings).

I think calling them "pies" isn't quite accurate, these aren't mini pies, as in, not just small versions of pie, but rather, more like McDonald's pies ... that is, pastry wrapped around filling on all sides.  But I digress.

I opted for the smaller "mini" pie.   Like the larger snack size, these are grab-no-go pies, individually wrapped.

Mini Apple Pie: Inside.

The pastry wrapper wasn't flaky.  It wasn't buttery.  But it was oh-so-sweet, with plentiful hard white glaze on it.  Quality pastry?  Nah.  Fresh pastry?  Certainly not.  But I didn't care.

The filling wasn't just goo, it did have some chunks of apple, and it was decently spiced.

Basically, it was a snack pie, exactly as you'd expect.

Which has its place in life.  Sometimes, a simple little snack pie is all you want.  And when that mood hits, I recommend this one. ***+.