Some donuts are just too addictive to ignore. Handmade with care, these three New England gourmet donuts (plus six bonus donut shops) are well-worth seeking out.
By Amy Traverso
Oct 01 2021
Fresh crullers from Lil’s Cafe in Kittery Point, Maine
Photo Credit : Photo courtesy of Lil's CafeMmm … maple-bacon doughnuts. If the mere thought of syrup-glazed orbs encrusted in bacon hunks has you drooling, you’ll understand why this only-in-Connecticut chain is the state’s sweetest success story. Now with four locations (and two in the works) since the original opened in Shelton in 2015, Donut Crazy has achieved doughnut domination by constantly unleashing new flavors with wow-factor taste and visual appeal—and by offering evening hours for fans who know that crème brûlée, s’mores, and cannoli doughnuts are worthy desserts. Additional locations in Stratford, New Haven, and Westport.
In 2012, Chittenden County fell in love with the doughnuts at Winooski’s Misery Loves Company, where baker Ren Weiner crafted pillowy sourdough rounds flavored with in-season fruits, veggies, and even flowers. Then, in 2014, Weiner went solo. These days you can find her sweets—glistening with local ginger glaze or plump with wild grape jelly—at locations ranging from Burlington’s Scout & Company and Onyx Tonics to the farmers’ markets in Burlington and Winooski.
Glistening honey-dipped rounds, fat jelly doughnuts sparkling with sugar, big creamy maple bars—at least four generations have stood before this glass counter and tried to decide which to bite into first. There’s bread hot from the oven, and the case is filled with cinnamon buns dripping with frosting, muffins bursting with local blueberries, and whoopie pies. Harvey’s also has a lunchroom and a solid menu (which includes a standout pork pie), but it’s the jellies we’d stand in line for.
So enormous, so artful, these doughnuts look as if they were handcrafted for a “food that’ll blow your mind” photo shoot. But they were baked in the wee hours for devoted fans waiting in a line out the door (thankfully, it moves fast). Each month’s new menu of limited-edition delights features both crumbly, cake batter–style doughnuts and brioche dough creations that are surpassingly fluffy. Local collaborations make every morsel—and sip of coffee—an only-in-RI experience.
Everyone from The New York Times to Condé Nast Traveler has waxed poetic about these sweet treats, and for excellent reason: Fresh, cheap, and available between 7 p.m. and 12:58 a.m. in-season from the rear door of Martha’s Vineyard Gourmet Café & Bakery, these doughnuts might just be the island’s worst-kept secret (as demonstrated by the nightly long lines). Raised and cake varieties are on offer, and favorite flavors include maple-bacon and butternut crunch. Conflicted about deviating from your summer frozen-dessert routine? Order the “Charlie,” a doughnut of your choice topped with chocolate or vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate.
Some doughnut shops excel at coming up with fun flavors (looking at you, maple bacon and pumpkin ale). Others master one form—the cake doughnut or the yeast-raised type—but fall flat on the other. Blackbird wins because it does it all, serving up inventive flavors such as chocolate pretzel and strawberry rhubarb and pulling off all styles with panache. The Boston cream is a dream, and the classic chocolate glazed is so richly chocolaty no one can top it.
Do you have one or two (or, like us, three) favorites when it comes to New England gourmet donuts? Let us know! This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated.Food Editor Amy Traverso oversees the Yankee Magazine Food department and contributes to NewEngland.com. Amy's book, The Apple Lover's Cookbook (W.W. Norton), won an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook award for the category American.
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