Donut Club NYC

After operating for over a decade, Dun-Well Doughnuts is practically an East Williamsburg institution these days. Making their incredible vegan donuts in-house daily, they’ve partnered with vendors to sell their lovely treats around the city and at various events, but nothing beats making the trip to their original storefront and getting a fresh creation.

Dun-Well specializes in rather standard flavors like chocolate peanut, blueberry, maple, and vanilla sprinkle, but they also take things up a notch with their “pie” style donuts. Instead of a traditional filled donut (although they have those too in the forms of Boston Creme and classic Jelly), the “pie” donut leaves the filling on the surface and fills the usual hole of the donut with a dollop of something delicious. To start off 2023, they’ve introduced their latest sensation, The Snack Attack.

Taking inspiration from all of the best snack options, Dun-Well has thrown together their version of a “kitchen sink” style donut and the results are massive. Pretzel bits, potato chip crumbs, chocolate frosting, a sprinkling of salt, and a hunk of deliciously smooth and creamy peanut butter make this one of their all-time best creations. The crunchy/chewy textures and the sweet/savory flavor combos made every bite such a delectable experience, each more satisfying than the last as the flavor profiles popped with freshness.

It’s unclear if this was just a weekend special or if it’ll find a permanent spot in their collection, so here’s to hoping we’re graced with this magical donut again soon.

Snack Attack: 9/10

I love a good collaboration. Two (or many) great minds coming together, bringing the best of what they have to offer, and creating something even greater than the sum of their parts is a dream. Often, collaborations can go too extreme, but when each party plays their part just right, the results can be divine.

For over fifty years, Peter Pan has been serving up some of the best donuts in North Brooklyn. Their old school charm and classic varieties have made them a neighborhood staple for decades. They even landed in the latest Spiderman movie as the workplace of MJ (played by Zendaya). Edith’s is a newbie, one that popped-up during the pandemic and has quickly become my go-to spot for breakfast and lunch. While Peter Pan relies on long-standing traditions, Edith’s is all about innovation with their fantastic approach to the classic New York style Jewish deli counter seen through the eyes of the ever-changing Williamsburg landscape.

A partnership between the two never crossed my mind, but last week when they started to tease a collaboration, I knew something special was headed my way. Resulting in something truly heavenly, the classic sour cream donut from Peter Pan’s is used as the base and has been mixed with Greek Coffee and Tahini glaze to create something totally out of this world.

The standard cake donut is still dense, chewy and full of flavor, but it’s elevated with the not-too-sweet glaze courtesy of the brilliant minds running Edith’s kitchen. There’s a bit of a crunch from the glaze and the extra drizzle on top really sends this one to the next level. It’s an all-star collaboration that almost feels too good to be true, but in the words of the iconic Joni Mitchell, “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” and this one is here for one week only, so don’t miss out.

If you’re in the city and have time (these have been selling out before 11:00am), you must do everything you can to get to Edith’s and try one for yourself. Personally, I made it my mission to go first thing on Monday as to not miss out and I’ll be back again before the week ends.

Score: 9/10

As I’m sure you know by now, this summer has been a hot one. The NYC region has felt the brunt of extreme temperatures over the past few weeks and as delicious as donuts are, they don’t really help to beat the heat. Luckily, Doughnut Plant has things covered with their new creations known as Wonder Wheels (yes, a tribute to the iconic Coney Island ride). Wonder Wheels take mini donuts and use them as the cakes of ice cream sandwiches to make for the ultimate summer treat.

This weekend, even as temperatures took a slight dip, I hit up the plant to finally try one of these cool treats. I opted for the Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate and was incredibly impressed with my decision. Covered in a hard, chocolate shell, the treat was a perfectly frozen goodie that provided much needed relief from the heat. Beneath the chocolate surface was a cake donut and peanut ice cream which included fresh, Georgia peanuts in each bite. It immediately tasted like an old classic, but I’m sure the other flavors make it feel like the real Doughnut Plant experience.

The soft, cake donut was a perfect balance for the ice cream and gave every bite a wide array of flavors and textures. As the ice cream and hard chocolate melted around the donut, everything began to compliment each other in new ways and really heightened the entire experience. It’s hard to think of something else hitting the spot on a hot day quite like these treats and I can’t wait to go back to try other flavors.

These are pricey goods and treating a whole family to them on a hot day may not be what you’re looking to do, but I can confirm that they are indeed worth the cost and when the sun is blazing down, ice cream and donuts are a perfect way to beat the heat.

Score:
Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Wonder Wheel: 8/10

Holidays can bring out the best in donut shops. Moving away from the usual menu, holidays can be a great chance for places to show off or experiment with new, out-of-the-box recipes and creations. Exploring new freedoms and the ability to break the mold, I love to see what chefs come up with when they’re not limited to their typical array of ingredients. While they didn’t come up with the idea themselves, Fan Fan Doughnuts decided to celebrate Purim this year by combining donuts with the traditional Jewish treats, hamantaschen; or the doughnutaschen as they call them.

Typically, I’m a fan of cake donuts vs yeast. I prefer the dense, chewiness of a donut full of rich, thick textures instead of the light, flakey, more pastry-like qualities of their yeast counterparts. Fan Fan specializes in yeast, however, but in my opinion, they’re making some of the best in the city so it’s always worth a visit. This could be due to the fact that their production size is much smaller than some of the other chain-like places in the city such as Dough or Doughnut Plant, which gives them greater control of their quality.

Using their yeast creations as a foundation, the doughnutaschens are triangular in shape, covered in a confectionary sugar, and then filled with with either a salted dulce de leche, chocolate hazelnut praline, or pineapple-lime jam. On my visit, I opted for the dulce and a chocolate (I snagged two other non-themed donuts as well, of course) as fruit is generally not up my alley when it comes to donut flavors.

The base for the doughnutaschens were as fresh as could be, their flakey and airy crusts melting with buttery goodness in each bite. The flavor was rich and delectable and had the sense of the freshest croissant giving it the ultimate pastry vibe. The fillings were also nearly flawless with the dulce de leche having a smooth and creamy, frosting-like taste as opposed to the supreme crunch of the chocolate hazelnut praline (Nutella flavors were plentiful here). The toppings were perfectly nested in the dough so each bite felt in control and not overflowing. The combo was a perfect pairing of differences and gave me a great sense of the dexterity of the baker.

I love the chance to try new things, especially from places already close to my heart. Now, I’m already looking forward to the next year’s Purim so I have a chance to try these again!