I love Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts, and I am lucky enough to have one relatively close to where I live, so I am very familiar with how they taste, but I find that they are more of a textural experience than a flavor one. They're sweet, doughy, and when they're warm, they melt in your mouth. I could eat a full dozen right now and not think twice. But, can popcorn deliver the same experience?
Aldi announced they were going to be selling donut sticks and the internet freaked out a little bit (in the good way) but all those articles and hype posts used the same user-submitted instagram photos. None of them actually bought and made these things themselves, and none of them showed us what the finished product actually looked like. So all this talk of hype and speculation on what they would do with them...is kinda pointless, right?
Never fear! Sometimes Foodie is here, donut-sticks in hand, with before, process, and after photos to let you know if they're worth checking out.
So, seemingly out of the blue, Paczki showed up on at Aldi.
Now, if you haven't heard of Paczki, you're not alone. I hadn't heard of them until a few years ago. From what I understand they are a polish dessert that is very similar to a doughnut, but richer, and they are usually eaten before the start of Lent. As I understand it, this is a last sugary hurrah that uses up all the not-so-Lent friendly ingredients in your pantry so you can indulge now and (ideally) won't be tempted later.
Growing up in a mostly secular household, all of this was pretty foreign to me, but you don't have to observe Lent in order to enjoy this pastry, so let's give these a try!
I found these on an end-cap new the check-out. Visually, they're not much to look at. We have a plastic clam-shell with a plain-looking red, white, and black label. The clear plastic allows the pastries to be the center of attention, but in my opinion, they don't look any different from a classic custard-filled doughnut from Dunkin. Since Paczki are trending right now, with the upcoming holidays, I decided to buy them in-spite of their lack-luster appearance. (Was that a mistake?)
Once opened, they smell....like a typical creme filled doughnut. These smell like fried dough, sweet custard, and vanilla. The aroma is appealing, but it's certainly not unique. The scent is classic custard-filled doughnut. Maybe it'll taste richer or more complex?
At first bite, I was immediately underwhelmed, but then after a few more bites...I graduated to full blown disappointment. The dough base is sweet, fluffy, and fatty. It kind of melts in your mouth, so texturally it's great, but flavor-wise it was so bland. When your doughnut is more texture than flavor, something is wrong. I thought the custard filling might help, but it too was rather bland and flavorless. It has the texture of vanilla pudding, and a bit of egg-y custard flavor, but again, it was mostly bland. This tastes sweet, like sugar, but not much else and while that isn't a bad thing, it certainly wasn't great.
In the end, I feel like this was a waste of perfectly good calories. Oddly enough, my fiance was really into these. He liked the chewy doughy texture and that moist filling. I He thought they tasted much fresher and lighter than most cream filled doughnuts you'd buy in a grocer store, and I can see that. The filling and doughnut weren't overpowering, that's for sure, and and when you compare that to the sometimes crusty sugar bomb doughnuts you can buy in grocery bakeries, it makes sense that this more bland version would be so refreshing by comparison. This wasn't the best doughnut he'd ever eaten, but for a store-bought pastry he was pleasantly surprised.
These are pretty okay doughnuts, and would pair nicely with coffee or tea, but as a stand-alone treat, I consider these a fail. (But to be fair, my fiance would buy these again in a heartbeat, he liked eating one for breakfast with a cup of green tea.) It all depends on your personal tastes, but I'd say you should get your Paczki fix elsewhere.
In case you missed it, I posted a few stash-busting gum reviews over on my Instagram. I'm hoping to do a few of these each weekend to make myself less of a food hoarder. Check out my NEW Quik Review section.
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| Image © Krispy Kreme's website |
It's back! I missed out on this last month, but I've got a second chance! The pumpkin spice original glaze doughnut will be available next Wednesday (11/16/16). Are you going to give it a try?
Apparently it is National Kreme-filled Doughnut Day, so here we are! I picked these up after seeing a 30th anniversary screening of Labyrinth with my sister. On our way home we passed a Krispy Kreme and, well...we just couldn't resist. We got hot from the fryer glazed doughnuts and ate them in the parking lot. (Like the classy ladies we are.) Then I grabbed one each of the new fall doughnuts to review.
I got one Pumpkin Spice, and one Salted Caramel Latte. I've got one minute left of National Kreme-filled Doughtnut Day to review them...so let's get this thing started!
How could I go to Dunkin' Donuts for coffee and NOT get a doughnut? That's just unnatural.
I already had plans to go to Dunkin' on my way home to grab the pistachio iced coffees (reviewed here), but right before my work day ended I saw Matt Zion's post that there was a new doughnut available for spring 2016. I figured, why not kill two food-review-birds with one stone and try both in one go?
Tastykake is an incredibly popular brand here on the east-coast, but I never really understood the hype. Their products are processed, sweet, and snack-cake-y, which has a certain junk-food appeal, but I'd rather have something fresh from a bakery. (Or Krispy Kreme.)
Even though I'm not a fan of their products, I'm a sucker for strawberries.
Welp, the wifi adapter on my main computer is kaput. It lasted over a year and I was really happy with it, but today, out of the blue, it wouldn't connect at all. I thought it might be loose, so I reached to remove it, and it felt like molten lava. I let it cool, then attempted to reconnect it, which worked, but it quickly started reheating and then the internet was gone once again. I already ordered a replacement, so in the meantime I'll be using my older computer that is directly connected to the internet for my reviews. So sorry if things look a little wonky, it's been a while since I've used this one and the monitor might need to be recalibrate.
Anyway, my mother decided to treat my sister and I to some doughnuts, so what better time to try this pumpkin-y limited edition doughnut?
The delicious and pumpkin-y seasonal sweets are already starting to reappear on the shelves, but thankfully Krispy Kreme is holding off until September. I love pumpkin as much as the next food blogger, but August is just too early!
Be sure to try the Summer Classic flavors at Krispy Kreme, Banana Pudding and Carrot Cake, before they get replaced!
© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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It's free doughnut day tomorrow in America, be sure to stop by your local doughnut shop and grab something sweet. What a great way to start your weekend.
Tumblr is being freaking adorable and posting different little dougnuts with messages to celebrate. I love it.
Krispy Kreme's Caramel Coffee Kreme doughnut was pretty impressive, and it actually tasted like coffee and caramel. My coffee addicted boyfriend loved it, and I really enjoyed it too, so I highly recommend grabbing one before this flavor disappears. Now, let's see if the Mocha version is worth checking out.
That's right, doughnut chips. Obviously, this is NOT a diet food, but it's not as bad for you as you might think.
The key lime cheesecake doughnut I reviewed yesterday was pretty yummy, even though there wasn’t much filling, but how will this cake doughnut taste?
This time, the doughnut has a cake base with the same key lime icing, but the whole thing is topped with cream.
Right off the bat, this doughnut is a mess! It is a typical doughnut with a hole in the middle, that hole is topped/filled with cream. When I opened the package cream was everywhere!
The original, glazed, Krispy Kreme doughnuts are amazing, but their seasonal flavors have always been a bit of a let down. Right now the company is promoting 2 different key lime donuts: Key Lime Cake and Key Lime Cheesecake. Since key lime is one of my favorite flavors, I am giving these a shot.
This cheesecake-doughnut is topped with graham cracker pieces and a tangy lime icing. Inside, there is supposed to be a creamy key-lime-cheesecake filling.
