Griffins Marvels Popcorn

Let's start with an education for those who haven't been to Australia.  The Golden Gaytime is a popular ice cream novelty treat, made by Streets, and I've reviewed it before.  The Gaytime is a frozen ice cream adjacent novelty on a stick, with vanilla and toffee ice cream inside, chocolate coating, and biscuit crumble over it all.  It is iconic, and vendors of all kinds try to use it for inspiration for items, like the truly incredible Golden Gaytime french toast I had at Three Williams once (truly the best french toast-ish dish I've ever had), or the savory lamb rib with crunchy nuts at (now closed) Pinbone.  

Snack foods manufacturers also get in on the trend, which leads us to Griffins Marvels, an Australian brand.  They have no connection to Marvels the comics, as far as I know.  They tend to make items like biscuits and cookies (which do come in a Golden Gaytime inspired flavor too), but they also make ... popcorn!  Regular readers of my blog will know how much I adore all things popcorn, so to say I was overjoyed when some Australian co-workers visited and brought me a bag of, wait for it, GOLDEN GAYTIME POPCORN is an understatement.

Golden Gaytime Popcorn.

"A popped time is a Gaytime! Golden Gaytime Popcorn - The iconic combination of Gaytime vanilla biscuit crumbs and toffee you love, now in irresistibly delicious morsels of popcorn!"

I took a huge handful to start.

Wowzer. This is, well, sweet doesn't even begin to sum it up.  It literally makes my teeth hurt to think about it, let alone consume a handful.  And yes, the first ingredient, literally, is indeed sugar.  This stuff is intensely sweet.  Under the thick, sweet caramel there is well popped popcorn, and it is drizzled with additional sweet white and milk chocolates, and coated with some biscuit crumb (although I didn't really find much of that), but the toffee is definitely the dominant thing going on here.

Now, did it remind me of a Golden Gaytime?  Not exactly.  But the vanilla and toffee aspects were definitely there and unique from most caramel corn.  I think if the biscuit component was more prevalent it would be more akin to a Gaytime.

It is good, don't get me wrong, but I really couldn't eat more than a few pieces at at time (which is perhaps good, as the small bag has what they say is 5 servings).  I found it best to just pop a few pieces alongside a dark, black coffee or glass of red wine (the pairings really do work!), or to mix it with plain popcorn.

I was glad to try this, but I don't think I'd actually purchase it again.  ***+.

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Desserts from The Buoy

The Buoy is Korean cafe and bakery in Hayes Valley.  In addition to coffee drinks, teas, and fun beverages like a black sesame or toasted coconut latte, they make a variety of baked goods, and a couple Korean inspired paninis.

"At Buoy, our mission is to elevate your mood with sweet and healthy desserts that cater to everyone. We aim to redefine gluten-free treats and offer a refreshing twist on traditional coffee drinks. Our goal is to provide you with an experience that feels both special and comfortably familiar."

The baked goods are particularly noteworthy as they mostly all use rice flour, and are thus gluten-free.  I only got to try one type of item (roll cakes) at an event I attended that featured them, but I'd love to try some of their other items, such as teh sweet pumpkin cupcake, black sesame brownie, or ssuk tiramisu.

Assorted Roll Cakes. $42 each.

Roll cakes are available in only 3 flavors: matcha, raspberry, and red bean.  They sell for $8/slice, $26 half (3 slices), or $42 whole (6 slices).  We had all 3 flavors, all full size.  The cakes were quite attractive, and the pastry chef / owner's background in industrial design was slightly evident, as care as clearly taken to the visual appeal.

Raspberry.

I started with the raspberry flavor.

The cake had a nice swirl pattern, and was actually raspberry flavored (I had assumed it was just colored, not flavored).  It was light and airy chiffon, which is just never my favorite type of cake.  I prefer denser, sweeter, more buttery American style cake.  But for a chiffon, I think it was well baked.

The filling was fairly heavy, rich dense cream cheese filling.  It was quite fruity and raspberry flavored too, with bits of berries in it.  There was something about the taste of the filling I didn't really like, and I couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly.  It was sour almost.

Overall, this was a very fruity cake, and the lightness of the chiffon and the heaviness of the filling didn't quite seem to play together well.  At least for me, I wanted a lighter whipped cream style filling to match the lighter cake style (or a denser cake to match the cream cheese style).  I wouldn't get this again.  **.

Matcha.

Next up, matcha.  It too had a lovely pattern in the cake.  It too was intensely flavorful, this time, full on matcha.

The cake was similar light chiffon, and quite matcha forward.  Lovely, I'm sure, if you like chiffon cake.  The filling was also deeply matcha flavored, and less rich/cream cheese like than the raspberry cake.  It seemed a better match for the cake, but it was so much matcha that it was a bit one-note.  I think I'd personally enjoy it more to have perhaps the raspberry cake with matcha filling (or really, taro cake with matcha filling, but they don't do a taro version).

So again, a fine cake for the style it is, and definitely ones for matcha lovers, but not something I'd get again myself.  ***.

Red Bean.

I saved the surprise hit for last: red bean.

This cake was actually the most boring, just plain chiffon, no design, no flavor.  So that element was ho-hum, and not a style I like.

But the filling was great.  A cream based filling again, I'm not sure if cream cheese or just whipped cream, as it was minimal, this was mostly mashed red bean, with plenty of bits of red bean in it.  Sweetened, but not too sweet.  And ... surprise!  It had mochi bits!  I loved the texture of this mix, the flavor, and really everything about it.

****+ filling, ** cake, so overall, ***+, and by far my favorite of the cakes.  I'd get this again.

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Junior's Cheesecake

Junior's Cheesecake is one of the more well known brands of cheesecake in the US.  It comes from a restaurant, Junior's, which opened in Brooklyn in 1950.  It has its roots as a diner and Jewish deli, but cheesecake is their claim to fame.  They have since expanded to several other locations, including a ridiculously busy one right near Times Square that I've walked by before.  They also run a wholesale bakery and offer the cheesecake for nationwide delivery (including through QVC, which I honestly didn't realize was still a thing!), and have some retail grocery partners (including Costco, which we'll get to soon).

So why is the cheesecake so "famous"?  First, it is a unique style, using a recipe with a sponge cake base instead of graham cracker crust.  And then there are the actual awards, like how NY Magazine conducted a blind taste test and rated Junior’s as the best.  And the celeb fans of course.  

At this point, Junior's makes a slew of different cheesecakes, in more flavors than the Cheesecake Factory even. You can get fruity flavors like strawberry, pineapple, or key lime, or crumb topped like cherry or apple.  A slew of chocolate options including a multi layer cheesecake and chocolate mousse, epic looking devil's food one with cake layers too, Oreo studded, etc, etc.  Of course they have seasonal offerings too, and low carb ones, and no sugar added ones, and mega 6 pound ones.  And plenty that I'm not sure really qualify as cheesecake ... if the dessert is 60% funfetti cake and 20% frosting and 20% cheesecake ... isn't that more of just a cake?  What about the one that is more brownie than cheesecake?  The restaurants also carry other baked goods like cookies and cupcakes.

I'd heard of Junior's long ago, and have walked by their crazy busy Times Square location many times, but even though I'm a huge dessert girl, I never had a chance to try it until recently, when a co-worker brought in a selection of the Junior's offerings sold at Costco.  Spoiler: I've been missing out!

Mini Variety Pack.

The offering from Costco is minis, truly minis, only 1.5 ounces each. The Costco variety pack comes with 3 flavors: Original, Strawberry Swirl, Chocolate Swirl.  This particular assortment and style is only sold at Costco, although they do sell bigger 4 ounce "Little Fellas" for $5.95 each at their restaurants.

Of particular note is that the minis are all crustless, which I know some people complain about, but frankly, given how much I tend to not like standard graham cracker based crusts, I see as only a good thing.  No soggy sawdust layer to scrape off!  That said, my understanding is that Junior's actually uses a sponge cake base, not a graham cracker one, on their full size pies, which does sound fascinating.  I'm not sure I'd want that texture though with creamy cheesecake?

Original New York

"These mini versions of our Original New York Cheesecake are perfect for parties and can be served with a variety of toppings.  Smooth and light, soft and creamy, heavenly and delicious. The Junior’s cake that started it all."

I started with the most basic: the original.  

I was instantly blown away by just how smooth and creamy it was.  Wow.  Exceptionally smooth cheesecake.  Almost too smooth even, as the consistency, particularly when room temp (which is how they recommend serving it, not fresh from fridge), veered into pudding territory (although it held its shape fine).  More chilled though, the texture is just fantastic.

The cheesecake flavor was pretty standard, not overly sweet, not particularly heavy handed in the cream cheese, just classic NY style (not ricotta based).  It didn't seem to have notes of lemon or anything else, just, pure classic NY cheesecake.  Sweetness level was just right for me. 

This was touch boring since just plain cheesecake, and no crust, but it really was a blank canvas, and easy to add fresh fruit, a drizzle of sauce, etc.  I'd gladly get this again. ****.

Strawberry Swirl

"Set your taste buds awhirl with a strawberry swirl! Enjoy the smooth richness of Junior’s Original Cheesecake blended with a delicious swirl of fresh strawberry puree."

Next up, the raspberry swirl.  I assumed it would be like many cheesecake brands, where the mini has a tiny swirl on top and no real marbling throughout, but this did indeed have strawberry puree in the middle as well.  The berry flavor wasn't super pronounced, but it was fruity and added a bit of interest to the base cheesecake.

The cheesecake body was the same as the original, just so exceptionally smooth and creamy.  No complaints at all.  I again chose to add some fresh berries to jazz this up a bit.  ****.

Chocolate Swirl

"The Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake is pure indulgence. Chocolate is added directly to the famous cheesecake recipe and swirled with the Original New York for a seductive marble effect."

And lastly, chocolate swirl.  I don't tend to go for chocolate cheesecakes, and although the chocolate here was minimal, it still was my last pick to try.  I assumed it would have chocolate inside like the strawberry swirl, but it did not.  So the chocolate component really was just that little swirl on top, and I barely tasted it. And otherwise, this was just yet another fabulous, insanely smooth, excellent cheesecake. **** for this one too, went great with fresh strawberries.

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Hostess Desserts

Update Review, 2024

When I visit my hometown, I sometimes raid my father's snack foods stash, which often has packaged snack cakes in it.  I didn't grow up in a house with Hostess products in it, and they still are fairly rare now, so I still find it novel to try them when I spot them.

Patriotic Cupcake.
(Seasonal)

"Set off the fireworks for limited edition HOSTESS red, white, and blue themed cakes. Star Spangled CupCakes take on a whole new look with fun blue icing and a red squiggle. The yellow cake is moist as ever with creamy filling."

"Celebrate the holiday with HOSTESS® Patriotic CupCakes, available for a limited time only. Popping with sprinkles, these perfect party cupcakes sparkle with colorful red, white and blue. Take a bite into the frosted yellow cake with creamy filling and prepare to LIVE YOUR MOSTESS."

For the 4th of July, Hostess had a special patriotic cupcake available.  I had tried the orange cupcake a year or so prior, and didn't really like it, but how could I resist the limited edition item and the festive topping?  It was attractive enough.

The hard blue icing and sprinkles were probably the best part.  They tasted like sugar, and nothing else, no specific flavor at all, but were fine.  The "creamy filling" tasted like, well, sugar as well, and Crisco or something.  There wasn't a lot of it, but I didn't really want there to be more.  And as for the cake itself ... 

Ingredients!?!

The cake was moist.  I'll give it that.  But wow it tasted like just a bunch of chemicals.  There was nothing fresh, nothing remotely homemade about it.  It too tasted very plain, again no real flavor, not vanilla, not even classic "yellow" cake flavor if you know what I mean.  It just tasted like chemicals, which, it turns out, it was.  The ingredient list was terrifyingly long.  There was no reason to eat this cake.

So, hard sugar topping, chemical moist plain cake, and Crisco cloying sweet filling.  The appeal of these was lost on me, clearly.  I pondered heating another one up and topping it with ice cream, but decided it really wasn't worth trying to jazz it up, I had plenty of other better items to dig into.  *+.

Hostess also makes Star Spangled Ding Dongs, and Red, White, and Blue Twinkies for the holiday.

Twinkie.

"You don’t need a description. This is why you’re here. The Original Golden Snack that’s been putting smiles on faces for generations."

"A ready-to-enjoy snack cake, Hostess Twinkies are famous for their golden, fluffy exterior and irresistible creamy filling. Each sweet bite delivers a burst of soft and creamy goodness. Great for lunches, sharing and snacking on the go. Soft and fluffy golden cakes. Delicious, creamy filling center."

This ... may have been my first Twinkie?! Or at least the only one I've had since I started taking photos of things, or reviewing food items.  I also have no memory of actually eating a Twinkie, so it may very well be true.  Either way, I don't feel like I've been missing out at all.

The Twinkie was pretty similar to the cupcake really: moist but plain and chemical tasting cake, Crisco sweet plain filling.  Again not tons of filling, but reasonable amount, and I didn't want more.  Besides being obviously very processed and fake tasting, it also was just a bit one-dimensional for me.  Imagine just having some jam in there or ... something?  It was fake and bo-ring.  Is this why people deep fry them? *.

Original Review, April 2022

Hostess.  As in, Hostess Cupcakes, probably *the* most well known packaged snack baked goods out there, and yet to me, a relatively unknown entity.  Twinkies, Zingers, Hohos, Snowballs, etc ... I know the names, sure, but none of them were really known to me.

Yes, really.  While other kids at school had lunch boxes complete with these things of wonder (or so I imagined), I always had homemade cookies, unless I was really lucky, and had managed to convince mom to get some Little Debbie Nutty Bars (which, as you may recall from my review a few years ago, still really are good!).  My dad was #teamDrakes (see old review), so when his treats were in stock, it was Devil Dogs.  And thus, Hostess products just never really found their way into my house, even though the cakes are obviously quite iconic.  

Snack Cakes

In adulthood, I finally tried the cupcakes, available in the signature chocolate version with white icing inside, or a similar "golden" version with gold-ish cake.  They also now come in a slew of more interesting varieties like birthday cake, lemon, and even "patriotic" (seasonal).

I finally tried one.

Orange.

"Known for curing appetites, rather than scurvy, these Orange flavored CupCakes will take your taste buds someplace sunny and 75."

Orange is not exactly the variety I would gravitate towards normally, since I'm not generally one for citrus desserts, but for some reason, on a day when I was craving buttercream and frosting and sweetness, these orange cakes jumped out.

The construction of the orange cakes is the same as the more common varieties: cake, white cream filling, hard (orange) frosting top, signature squiggle.

I took my first bite, and was blown away by the strong orange flavor.  There is no doubt whatsoever that these are orange flavored, as artificial as it may be.  Orange, orange, orange.  So strong.  If you like orange, well, these could be for you.

The icing on top was really quite hard.  I'm not sure what I expected, as it clearly isn't fluffy buttercream, but I still was surprised by how firm it was.  It was crazy sweet, the flavor a bit hard to explain, just, um, sweet?  I do not think there was orange flavor in it, despite the obvious orange color.  My craving for frosting was really not met by this topping, but it isn't trying to be frosting.

The cake itself was fairly moist, and quite dense, and wasn't awful, but certainly didn't taste fresh.  It however is where the orange flavor was, and I really did not care for that.  

Inside was a tiny amount of white frosting, quite sweet, and with no actual real flavor to it.  There wasn't enough to make up for the lack of fluffy frosting on top.

So overall, um, orange flavor dislikes aside, not really a cupcake in my mind, as it failed in the primary responsibility: frosting delivery vehicle!  Not something I'd pick up again.

**+.

Pies

There are many brands that make hand held "pies", but somehow in my mind, Hostess is *the* gold standard for these items.  Again though, not items I ever had growing up, but always had some jealousy towards.  They've been around ~forever, introduced in the 1970s.

If you are unfamiliar, these are fairly large "hand" pies, rectangular shaped, with crust all around.  The crust isn't like a traditional pie crust though, and is always glazed.  Inside is a fruit and, uh, goo filling.  Fillings range from fruity classics like apple and cherry, to harder to find varieties like blueberry or lemon.

Cherry Pie.

"Don’t leave these on the windowsill, because the neighbor kids will definitely get their hands on them. Individually wrapped and ready to eat, these pies are a family favorite."

The pies come in a cardboard box, really more of a sleeve than anything, with no inner wrapper.  They somehow have an impressive shelf life even without more protection.

And inside, just one, large pie.  My memory is that they used to have 2 smaller square pies inside?  Am I making that up?  Was that another brand?  Was that Drakes?

Cherry Pie: Inside.

Anyway, these "pies" are good for what they are.  The pie crust is hard to describe if you've never had it before - it is not real pie crust, it is not flaky, it is not buttery, but it is also nothing like a danish, nor a cookie, it just is its own thing.  And it is sweet, entirely covered in glaze.  Sorta like what you'd get if you had an item made up of just the outside of a glazed donut, no fluffy donut insides to it.  If that makes any sense.

The cherry pie filling leaves something to be desired if you expect to find actual cherries.  No, this is not even the quality level of canned cherry pie filling.  It is just goo.  Sweet, cherry flavored goo.  

So if you go into this expecting, um, a pie, or even a hand pie with real crust, and anything remotely resembling fruit, you'll be quite sad.  But if you know what you are getting into, it can be kinda satisfying, although clearly not remotely wholesome, and so full of preservatives.  When I went to write this up, I found someone else describe them as "basically hard glazed donut crusts filled with artificial fruit flavored gel", which I think is shockingly accurate.

Interestingly, the box says you can warm them up in the microwave, something I certainly never remember seeing anyone do.  I tried it, but didn't find it added anything to it, and actually, just left it a bit soggy, and unevenly heated.  Boo, microwaves.

I do think it could be better warmed more appropriately (e.g. toaster oven) and served a la mode?  But if you were eating a whole pie, the ice cream addition would be a bit much, as these things clock in 430 calories in the pie alone.

***, and strangely satisfying, but not something I'd seek out unless I was really craving another.

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Aura Tea & Coffee

Update Review, 2024 Tastings

Aura Tea & Coffee continues to evolve, and I've had a few opportunities to try their product again. 

Cinnamunch Toast Milk  $6.95
+ $0.75 oat milk + $0.75 boba.

“The dessert after your balanced breakfast of cereal. Taste that cinnamon toast milk without all the sugar. Tastes like the real thing!”

So, Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  A breakfast (or snack) favorite for many.  My office has it in our mini kitchens, and I'm always amused by how popular it is.  But me?  I don't think I've ever cared for it.  I keep trying it every few years to see if my tastes have changed, but, nope, I don't care for it.  I do like cinnamon toast (buttered, sugared of course!), but, the form factor as cereal that gets too soggy quickly, just doesn't do it for me.

But I do like Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavored things.  Because, I guess, that basically just means cinnamon and sugar.  Or, in Aura's case, cinnamon and zero calorie sweetener.  For this one, I went with oat milk, as I thought it would pair best with the cinnamon flavors, horchata like.

I took my first sip, and was pretty pleased.  The cinnamon flavor was legit.  It was sweet (although, it did have a slight "fake sweet" aftertaste) and creamy.  Yup, it tased like cereal milk. Nice soft (but not mushy) boba easily came out as I drank it, even without a boba straw.

I did find it got a bit sweet for me about halfway through, and opted to thin it out a little, adding more water/milk myself, and liked it better that way, with the sweetness toned down slightly.  Overall, a good one, great for cinnamon fans.  ***+.

Side note: I think it would be fun to use it as a base for a bowl of cereal, literally, pouring into a bowl and adding a neutral cereal like rice Chex.  Next time ... 

Trix iz for Kidz Strabwerry-Vanilla Latte. $6.45
+$0.75 oat milk +$0.75 boba.

"Our signature Karl the Fog with a strawberry twist! Named after the fun blue and pink yogurt of your youth. Creamy fruity purple herbal flavor. This caffeine free, kid-friendly drink makes for the perfect introduction to boba. Come into the shop and watch it change color as we make it!"

When I first saw my cutely named "Trix iz for Kidz Strabwerry-Vanilla Latte", I thought that perhaps I had accidentally been given a taro milk (which would have been great, as it is actually what I originally ordered, only to find out they were out).  It was a lovely shade of lilac.

But one sip, and I knew this was correct.  There was no question.  Yup, it tasted exactly like strawberry milk!  Sweet, creamy, fruity.  It made me grin a bit like a kid, excited to get a special treat like strawberry or chocolate milk.  I opted for oat milk for this one too, and it was nicely creamy.  Like all Aura drinks, it did have that distinct "fake sweet" to the aftertaste, but the fruity flavor was great enough for me to overlook it.  I don't think this is a flavor I'd crave often, but, when in the mood for it, it really is a classic.  ***+.

Cacoa Mocha. $6.95
+$0.75 almond milk +$0.75 boba.

"Fuel your aura with our immunity-boosting mocha that blends espresso with handwhisked superfood cacao for deep chocolate indulgence without the calories."

I drink coffee every morning, but, I'm a black coffee kind of girl.  Waaay back in grad school I was quite into very sugary flavored lattes (my nickname was "Rasmo", after the raspberry mocha drink I always got when we splurged and got afternoon coffee out), and I did grow up in the land of Dunkin' Donuts where cream and sugar were the defaults, and flavor syrups abound (for free!), but, in my older adult years, I just go for black coffee.

So this was a departure for me, a creamy mocha drink.  The espresso flavor was nicely strong, even with the milk and mocha sauce competing for dominance.  It was lightly chocolately.  I went for almond milk, which was a less strong flavor that the oat milk from my previous drinks, which I preferred for this, since I did want to taste the espresso.

Overall, a nice option for those who frequent coffee shops for iced lattes or mocha, and I really do like having boba in my chilled coffee, I'm still not sure why it isn't more common!  ***+.

Jasmine Milk Tea (Oat).

"Jasmine green tea blended with oat milk and organic cane sugar."

This was a lovely, lovely tea.  The sweetness level was just right - sweet, but not too sweet, just pleasantly sweet.  It was milky but not too milky, allowing the floral notes of the jasmine tea to shine through.  Just really truly a pleasant drink.

I added boba and jellies, both of which were standard quality.

****.

Mango Fruit Tea. $5.

"Jasmine green tea blended with real mango pulp & organic cane sugar."

This was not successful for me.  I found it very biter, which is odd given the sugar added.  Not refreshing either, as the mango puree was really quite thick.  *+.

Original Review, July 2023

Vegan.  Low-sugar.  Keto.  These are not terms normally associated with bubble tea.  No, bubble tea is known for being sugar laden, calorie heavy, really, much like many Starbucks drinks, dessert masquerading as a beverage.

Enter Aura Tea, a new tea shop in San Francisco that aims to reverse that trend, started by a founder who loved bubble tea, but found herself gaining unwanted weight.  And thus, Aura Tea was born.

Setting

Aura just opened in Rincon Center, sorta out of the way in an inner courtyard.

Signage

Aura has signage to draw you in, advertising the 0 sugar, low calorie, keto nature.  I was surprised they don't call out the fact that everything is vegan on this sign as well.

Storefront.

It is a small shop without seating, but there is abundant seating in the courtyard outside.

Drinks

How to Fuel Your Aura.

In addition to a menu with pre-made options, Aura has a guide to "fuel your Aura", walking you through how to pick the base (caffeinated or not, tea or coffee), size, milk, sweetness, and additions.

Like most bubble tea places, the first step at Aura Tea is to pick your tea base.  There are 4 options: classic black, jasmine green (for lower caffeine), butterfly tea (no caffeine), and masala chai.

From there, you can add 1-2 flavors, included with the base price ($6.95): strawberry, mango, pineapple, lemon, watermelon, and peach.  Sadly, these are just standard Torani syrups, the sugar-free ones.  Not quite what I expected, for a health focused establishment, I thought they'd make their own fruit purees.

Then, time for milk.  Since all are vegan, your options are oat, coconut, or almond milk.

Boba is included in the base price.  Only regular boba, or a keto version are available as "toppings" - no jellies, no foams, etc.  Again, they aim to stay healthy so those things are out.

Finally, if you want to add-in more, there are some boosts like ginger, CBD, turmeric and more for an additional fee.

Strawberry Jasmine Green Tea w/ Oat Milk. $6.95.

This was the co-founder's recommendation, jasmine green tea with strawberry syrup and oat milk added.

I was able to try a sample of this at a pre-opening event.

I'll be honest - you could have told me this was a rather flat Italian (cream) soda with boba in it, and I would have believed it without hesitation.  While there was jasmine tea in here, I didn't taste it at all.  There was no tea taste to this drink.

It was quite fruity and sweet, but it didn't taste like real fruit.  This is exactly what I'd expect: no fruit puree, no fruit used, just sugar free fruit syrup.  It was nearly half oat milk, which made it quite milky, and also contributed to the lack of tea taste.

So ... bubble tea?  Uh, not really in my mind.  Fruity milk that happened to have pearls in it?  Yes.  

Speaking of the pearls, they were fairly hard, and not particularly great.

So ... yeah, for sugar free fruity milk it was fine, but I'd prefer it without the pearls, and a carton of oat milk and a bottle of torani syrup could give me this at home just as easily.

Sadly, **+.

Strawberry Butterfly Tea w/ light Oat Milk. $6.95.

Since my visit was in the afternoon and I didn't want caffeine, I went for the butterfly tea, which was a lovely shade of purple.  I got strawberry flavor which created a pink hue at the base, and opted for light (oat) milk.  It really did look pretty, far better than you can tell from this photo.

This was fairly different from any other bubble tea I've ever had.  The butterfly tea base doesn't have a particular strong tea flavor to it, and the strawberry syrup was pretty sweet, making it oddly not refreshing due to the sweetness but almost refreshing due to the light tea quality, if that makes sense.  The boba seemed pretty average, nothing remarkable about them, but at least not clumped together, and the portion was good, not too many, not too few.  I expected to taste the oat a bit more pronounced, but the creaminess it added was pretty neutral.  

Overall, an absolutely fine, sweet, fruity, enjoyable drink, and slightly unique.

***.

Cold Brew with Tapioca Pearls, and Boba Jelly (konjac agar pearls).
No sweet. Oat milk.

Who says that boba is just for tea?  Or that fun espresso drinks must be loaded with sugar?  Not Aura!  I was interested to see the cold brew boba on the menu, as a way to really mix it up.  So at last minute, rather than getting my standard taro milk tea, I went for cold brew boba.

I opted for zero sweetness, and oat milk, but all the standard customizations of sweetness and alternate milks were available.  For my boba, I couldn't decide between their house sweetened tapioca pearls, or the konjac agar crystal jellies, so I went for a mix of both.  It was freshly made, and shaken in a real cocktail shaker, to order.

The oat milk was creamy and made it taste far more decadent than it was, and I loved the textures from both styles of pearls, one was more chewy, the other more bouncy.  I really enjoyed this as a change from regular tea based boba drinks, and it makes me wonder why more places don't offer coffee base.  Sure, you don't get the deep rich flavor of the coffee, but, isn't that true for nearly every Starbucks creation too?

***+.

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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. ***+.

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Johnny Doughnuts

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).

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.

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.

Box #2: Dozen Assorted Donuts. $34.00.

The next box had a similar mix, but some differences:

• 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)

We had several other boxes, all filled with similar mixes.  Combined, we received all varieties of raised donuts that they make other than the Zebra (glazed with chocolate drizzle) and all old fashioned except the plain non-glazed.

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!

Classic Glazed. $3.25.

I started with a classic glazed.  You can't judge the rest until you try a basic glazed donut, right?

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.  ***+.

Sugar Daddy. $3.25.

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). ***+.

Strawberry.

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.  ****.

I also tried the blueberry, equally fruity.

Lime Poppy Seed. $3.25.

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.  ***+.

Sprinkly Guys (Vanilla Version). $3.25.

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!). ****.

Sprinkly Guys (Vanilla, Holiday). (2018).

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). ****.

Classic Chocolate Glazed.  $3.25.

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.

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."

We ordered a big box of vanilla glazed.

Vanilla Glazed Holes. $0.50/each.

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.

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.

Maple Glazed.  $3.25.

This was an incredible donut.  Let me just lead with that.  Like the raised donuts, it was also massive.

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.  ****+.

Chocolate Salted Caramel. $3.25.

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.

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.

Blueberry Wheat-Free Fritter Thang. $3.50.

"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.  ***.

Apple Fritter. $3.50.

"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. ****.

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.

Vanilla Glazed Cinnamon Roll.

I opted to try a vanilla glazed cinnamon roll.  Like all the donuts, these were massive.

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).

Wild Berry Jam .

The fruit filled bismarks are all coated in sugar.

The dough was the same nice yeasty dough as the other raised donuts, as expected.

Wild Berry Jam: inside.

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.  ***.

Encounter #3, November 2016

Another month, another donut party.  We again ordered dozens.

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.

Sugar Daddy Raised Dozen.

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.  ***+.

Of the raised donuts though, I still prefer the sprinkly guys, as I'm a sucker for icing and sprinkles.

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. ***.

Maple Glazed Old Fashioned Dozen.

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.

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!

"The Newb"

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.

Doughnut Display.

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.

Ordering Area.

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.

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!)

Cinnamon-Sugar Crodough.  $3.50.

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!

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.

Cinnamon-Sugar Crodough: Inside.

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 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.

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.

The maple glazed old fashioned is the one I first grabbed, and it continues to be my favorite.

I really love the texture and flavor of the base, and this one came even more generously coated in maple glaze than normal.  Score.  ****.

Sugar Daddy.

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.  ***+.

Zebra.

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. ***+.

Wheat Free Fritter Thang.

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. ***.

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.

Raised Holiday Sprinkly Guys.

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. ****.

Vanilla Glazed Vegan Raised Doughnut.

"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 ... ****.

Crodough.

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 ... *****.

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.  ***+.

Strawberry Cake Doughnut.

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. ****+.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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).

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.

1 Box of MANY.

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 ...

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.  ***+.

Box # 2 ...

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 ... ****.

Box #3 ...

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.  ****.

That Fritter Thang. (Wheat Free).

"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 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.

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 *****.

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.

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.  ***+.

Raised Sprinkly Guys.

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!

***.

Raised Lime Poppyseed.

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.

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.

***.

Old Fashioned: Regular, Maple, Chocolate Glazed.

"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. "

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.

Apple Fritter.

"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."

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.  ***.

Wheat Free Fritter Thang.

"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. "

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!

****+.

Vegan Chocolate Glazed.

"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. "

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?

*+.

Crodough.

"That’s right - it’s a croissant crossed with a doughnut. We could tell you more, but you should really try this for yourself! "

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.

I also just totally forgot how insanely amazing these are.  And why they are quite 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.

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.  ****.

Wheat Free Fritter Thang.

"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]."

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.

Wheat Free Fritter Thang: Inside.

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.

Apple Fritter.

"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."

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.  ***+.

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

Old Fashioned. 

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 might even like this more than a glazed version ... ****.

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