Fried and fluffy, the pastries best accompanied by a fresh cup of joe when consumed in the morning, or a tall glass of milk when late night munchies strike deserve to be celebrated for a hole day.
Every first Friday of June is dedicated to celebrating the handheld delicacies for National Donut Day, which falls on June 7 this year. The foodie holiday dates back to 1938 and was created by The Salvation Army to honor the women, "Doughnut Lassies," who served doughnuts to soldiers in World War I. It was also used as a fundraising tool to help the less fortunate during the Great Depression.
These doughnuts, which once served as a token of hope, now offer a taste of sweet comfort to foodies much like Homer Simpson, the dad on the long-standing animated series, who waters at the mouth from the sight of a pink donut with rainbow sprinkles.
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Some establishments have mastered the simplicity of adding just two layers of sugary icing to create the perfect crunch when you bite, while other establishments have taken donuts to daunting levels adding toppings like bacon, added jelly fillings, mold heart shapes and more.
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While Tallahassee hasn't been the sweetest to some of our former designer doughnut shops, there are still ways to celebrate the holiday. To help you out, we've created a brief list of local doughnut shops to sprinkle into for the holiday and beyond.
Donut Kingdom
1705 W. Tennessee St. 3813 N. Monroe St., 3551 S. Blairstone Rd; dktally.com
Donut Kingdom reigns in Tallahassee with light and puffy doughnuts, beautifully decorated with a just-right balance of sugar and texture. The small, family-owned business was started in 2009 and quickly became a Tallahassee go-to destination for breakfast sweets with three locations. They have a range of yeast doughnuts (Maple Frosted), cake doughnuts (Red Velvet Cake), filled doughnuts (Boston Kreme), even vegan doughnuts (Vegan Oreo). Don't miss out on jumbo apple fritters or cinnamon rolls. Other favorite flavors include French toast, chocolate frosted, strawberry sprinkles, double glazed and raspberry filled. As they say on their website: "Our mission is to spread happiness to our community through the best donuts and coffee."
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Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts has 12 locations in the capital city click here for more info.
With a dozen locations sprinkled in the capital city, it's clear as their slogan says, Tallahassee too "runs on Dunkin." The shop offers 10 specialty donuts and sometimes seasonal creations to pair with its praised fresh brews. The coffee shop and eatery offers classic donuts from a traditional glazed or decorative style with a soft pink glaze and rainbow sprinkle topping. The Boston Kreme, glazed with chocolate and filled with a vanilla custard is also a hit. Since 1950, the coffee shop has generated a die-hard fanbase that wouldn't dare to compare and contrast it with its rival Starbucks. The coffeehouse continues to make waves on social media even outside of its frequent patrons with celebrity endorsem*nts, most recently from two-time Academy Award winner, Ben Affleck.
Krispy Kreme
1300 E Park Ave., 2590 N Monroe St.; krispykreme.com
Another long-standing donut shop recognized for its giant conveyor belt and waterfall style glaze machine that sits in the middle of its establishment, Krispy Kreme is one of the doughnut legend franchises known for creating a timeless recipe perfected to make a crispy and glazed handheld treat. Many flock to the establishment when they notice the "Hot Now" light on signaling that there's a fresh batch up for grabs. For a limited time, the doughnut shop that also offers coffees and other baked goods, has a cinnamon roll and specialty, "Dolly Dazzler" donut in collaboration with musician Dolly Parton. It's dipped in strawberry flavored icing decorated with gold, pink and white glitter sprinkles, topped with a butterfly piece.
Glazed Over Bakery and Deli
102 N Cherry Street; 850-404-3608; Facebook
Located 30 minutes away from the capital city, foodies in the social food group, Tallahassee Foodies, have raved that if you're on the road and happen to be in Monticello, then this donut shop should not be, glazed over. The large and fluffy donuts are made fresh and displayed in large cases at the front, teasing their guests with a number of treats all gifted from the "donut man." The shop was formerly housed in Johnston’s Meat Market in Monticello and expanded to their own brick-and-mortar location last summer. Another hit is their fritters, croissants and even pizza.
Tasty Pastry Bakery
1355 Market St.; 850-893-3752; tastypastrybakery.com
This homegrown, family-owned pastry shop has catered to the city's sweetest of cravings since 1963. Tallahassee's long-standing bakery, which started near the Florida State campus, has provided doughnuts on Market Street for decades now. Their specialty sweets can be found in other local establishments, but if you're looking to pick up a fresh dozen for the office (or maybe just you), there are a good range of flavors to choose from. Whether its raspberry or Bavarian cream filled or maybe you prefer a cake-style doughnut, there's ways to fulfill that sweet tooth. The bakery is popular for a number of items, doughnuts aside, from casseroles to breads, muffins and more. When asking for recommendations on what to get, foodies guarantee that you can't go wrong with anything you order off the menu.
Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ksanford@tallahassee.com. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know!
