Review: New Krispy Kreme Smores, Chocolate Firecracker & Maple Crunch Doughnuts

Krispy Kreme has released several new varieties recently, with a few more on the horizon in the coming weeks. The 'New Season' doughnuts are; Smores, Maple Crunch, Chocolate Firecracker and a Salted Caramel Cheesecake (which I wasn't able to find). 

There is also a series of  'Vintage Krispy Kreme' flavours which are being released one by one during September and October. The vintage doughnut flavours planned are; Glazed Kreme (from 5th - 18th Sept), Powdered Blueberry (from 19th Sept - 2nd Oct), Cruller (from 3rd Oct - 16th Oct) and  a Pumpkin Spice (from 17th Oct to 31st Oct). I'm looking forward to the Powdered Blueberry and the Pumpkin Spice!

Smores Doughnut: The Smores is a milk chocolate covered doughnut topped with mini marshmallows, shortcake crumble and a while chocolate drizzle. It also features a mallow filling in the centre. I thought the flavours here all worked really well. The inner mallow filling tasted just like marshmallow fluff, it's super sweet and sugary but with a real marshmallowy flavour. The chocolate icing and toppings add a little extra flavour and texture. Overall it's a fun doughnut, and even though the flavours are not super exciting, I would still buy this one again. Rating: 7 out of 10.

Chocolate Firecracker Doughnut: The Chocolate Firecracker is described as a doughnut dipped in chilli-infused chocolate icing, with a chocolate truffle kreme filling and topped with gold sugar stars. As you can see in my photo my doughnut was missing the gold stars although the icing did look very appealing with a gold glittery appearance. I do appreciate that Krispy Kreme, unlike many other food brands, have not forgotten that there is another season in between summer and Christmas, and the Chocolate Firecracker is a great looking doughnut for autumn. Unfortunately the flavour was not for me at all and I could only take one bite of this one. Even Mr. Grocery Gems found it totally inedible. The chilli heat in the icing does not work with the sweet and greasy nature of the doughnut and the whole effect is rather nauseating. Sorry Krispy Kreme but this one is not for us! Rating: 2 out of 10 (scoring points for looks only). 

Maple Crunch Doughnut: Thankfully the Maple Crunch doughnut was much more appealing to our tastes. Mr. Grocery Gems in particular is a big fan of anything Maple Syrup flavoured. He's also not too too keen on filled doughnuts, so this simple ring doughnut is exactly to his tastes. The maple flavour here is exactly what he was expecting with a distinctive maple syrupy flavour coming through. The crunch on top adds a little extra interest but on the whole this simple doughnut is a flavour winner. Rating: 8 out of 10.

Have you tried any of the New Season Doughnuts at Krispy Kreme? If so I'd love to know what you thought in the comments below. Thanks!

Review: Dum Dum Donutterie - Nutella Cronut

Mr Grocery Gems spotted a stall for Dum Dum Donutterie at Westfield shopping centre and couldn't resist bringing a selection home. Dum Dum Donutterie offer a selection of handmade baked doughnuts (not fried) and also a limited collection of Cronuts. 

I've never actually tried a cronut before (a cross between a croissant and a doughnut) but the Nutella Cronut looked very appealing. Of course it was extremely tasty with a fresh chocolate cream running through the middle of the doughnut ring and a lovely, thick layer of Nutella on top. Even though it was delicious, I thought the texture was similar to a regular doughnut and the croissant element was not very noticeable.

We also got this Chocolate Cronut and this one had very distinctive flaky layers, very reminiscent of a croissant but in the shape of a doughnut. Despite my usual prediliction for Nutella products I actually preferred this chocolate version of the cronut. The layering gave it a lovely light texture which complimented the heavier chocolate flavour. The whole thing is absolutely delicious and obviously a quality baked delicacy. 

Grocery Gems Verdict: Dum Dum Donutterie

RATING: 9 out of 10 overall.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Westfield Stratford.
Price: £3.00p each or 4 Cronuts for £10.00p.

Review: Krispy Kreme Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnut

It was only a few weeks ago that Krispy Kreme teamed up with a popular spread, Lotus Biscoff, to release the Caramelised Biscoff doughnut. This time Krispy Kreme has joined one of the most iconic peanut butter brands to create the Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnut. It's a chocolate iced doughnut, filled with Reese's peanut butter, and topped with hazelnuts and extra Reese's peanut butter drops.

I was pleased to find that the filling in the Krispy Kreme Reese's doughnut is pure peanut butter, rather than a "kreme infused with peanut butter" (which makes it different to the peanut butter doughnut that is usually available at Krispy Kreme). Not only that, but this peanut butter is recognisably Reese's - with an extra salty and sweet peanut flavour. The Reese's peanut butter chips on top are not easy to find in the UK so it's great to see them included on this doughnut - each one adds an extra kick of peanut butter goodness. I don't usually like the chocolate icing that Krispy Kreme uses, but here the chocolate icing, and the dark chocolate drizzle, provides a welcome sweetness to soften the strong peanut butter flavour. Chocolate and peanut butter is always a winning combination in my opinion and it certainly works perfectly in these doughnuts.

I didn't think these Krispy Kreme Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnuts could overtake the recent Lotus Caramelised Biscoff doughnuts as my favourites, but I think the stronger flavoured filling just edges it for me. 

Have you tried the new Krispy Kreme Reese's Peanut Butter doughnut yet? I'd love to know what you thought of it. Also, if anyone spots these available in the Tesco Krispy Kreme stands then let me know in the comments below - thanks!

Grocery Gems Review: Krispy Kreme Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnut

RATING: 10 out of 10.
Buy them again?: YES.
Purchased: Krispy Kreme shop (Westfield Stratford).
Price: 3 doughnuts for £4.50p.

Review: Krispy Kreme Lotus Caramelised Biscoff Doughnuts

It was exciting enough when the delicious Lotus Biscoff Caramelised Biscuit Spread arrived in the UK in 2012, but this new combination of Biscoff Caramelised Biscuit and Krispy Kreme doughnut is just pure genius. I'm assuming if you're reading this review that you've probably already tried either the Lotus Caramalised biscuits or the delicious spreadable version, and are already familiar with their gorgeous caramelised sugar and cinnamon flavours (if not - try it!). 

Apologies for the next photo, if you've browsed this blog before, then you'll know I usually put time and effort into the photography side, but honestly, would you stop and take more photos when you have one of these in front of you? I took this very quick (and terrible) photo of the filling, but I think I'll have to buy this doughnut again just to take more photos... *any excuse*

The Krispy Kreme Lotus Biscoff Caramelised Biscuit Doughnut is described as being filled with a Kreme infused with Lotus Caramelised biscuit spread filling, iced with more Biscoff spread, and topped with Biscoff biscuit crumbs and white chocolate. The filling is a signature "Kreme" with added Biscoff spread. This gives the smooth and creamy filling a lovely caramelised biscuit edge. It's not too strong, but it's just enough to give the recognisably gorgeous speculoos flavour. Most of the actual Lotus Biscoff flavour, however, comes from the layer of Biscoff spread and extra sprinkling of crushed Biscoff biscuits on top of the doughnut. This provides plenty of the gorgeous caramlised sugar and cinnamon flavour that we all love. 

Overall, the combination is sublime and makes this one of the best flavoured Krispy Kreme doughnuts that I've ever tried. I don't often buy Krispy Kreme doughnuts (the last ones I tried were the Caramel Collection doughnuts in 2013), but I'll certainly be back again in future if they keep the Lotus Caramelised Biscoff doughnut on the menu.

Of course, I couldn't resist getting my kids the new Krispy Kreme Love Bug Hug doughtuts. These adorable heart shaped doughnuts are filled with strawberry jam and topped with a super sweet layer of strawberry icing too. I didn't get to try these but my kids absolutely loved them!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Krispy Kreme Lotus Caramelised Biscoff Doughnuts

RATING: 10 out of 10.
Buy them again?: YES.
Purchased: Tesco (Krispy Kreme stand).
Price: 3 doughnuts for £3.45p.

Tesco Lemonade & Cola Doughnuts Review

Tesco released plenty of wackily flavoured doughnuts in 2014, including Smoky Bacon Doughnuts and the most recent Turkey & Stuffing Doughnuts. I haven't tried any of those savoury flavoured doughnuts, as they just don't appeal to me at all. Even though the Tesco Lemonade & Cola Flavour Mini Doughnuts don't sound all that appetising either, I decided I could at least give this sweeter flavour a try. 

There are 10 mini doughnuts in each pack; 5 of the lemonade flavour and 5 cola flavoured doughnuts. Both types are covered with sherbet sugar sprinkles and a sticky flavoured glaze. The Lemonade Doughnuts were actually surprisingly nice with a sweet lemon flavour and with just a little fizz from the sherbet sweets on top. It's hardly a lemonade flavour at all, more of a basic lemon doughnut. The Cola Doughnuts on the other hand were unfortunately not as pleasant. The cola flavour here is quite strong but it just doesn't work well with the chocolate coating. Even with the obvious novelty value, the rest of the family agreed and I doubt we'll even manage to finish half the pack. To be fair, this was not really our type of product in the first place. If you've tried these doughnuts and enjoyed them  more then I did, then I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Tesco Lemonade & Cola Doughnuts

RATING: 5 out of 10 (the Lemonade ones were nice enough).
Buy them again?: No.
Purchased: Tesco.
Price:  £1.00 for 10 mini doughnuts.

New Instore: Lemonade & Cola Doughnuts and More!

Tesco Lemonade & Cola Doughnuts: Following on from their previous wacky doughnut flavours (was anyone tempted by the Turkey & Stuffing Weirdoughs?), are these Lemonade & Cola flavoured doughnuts. although strangely the "Weirdoughs" label appears to have been dropped. Described on the packaging as a fizzy selection to make your mouth tingle. £1.00p for 10 mini doughnuts at Tesco. 

Tropicana Sanguinello: There are several new releases in the Tropicana juice range at the moment. The Sanguinello is made with 100% Blood Oranges. £3.59p at Tesco. 

Peppa Pig Strawberry Jelly: I'm not sure if these are new but it's the first time I've seen them in my local Tesco. These individual Peppa Pig shaped jellies are really cute for a lunchbox treat. They are £0.50p each at Tesco. 

Petit Filous Magic Squares: My kids are fans of the Munch Bunch Double Up yogurts (even though they're far too old for this stuff!) and I couldn't help myself picking up this similar looking offering from Petit Filous - Magic Squares. Instead of being half strawberry and half vanilla yogurt, like the Double Up, the Magic Squares are actually sectioned into quarters. £1.85p at Tesco.

Belvita Breakfast Tops: A few new additions to the Belvita Breakfast range. These "Tops" are available in two flavours; Choco + Hazelnut and Strawberry. £2.79p at Tesco.

Belvita Breakfast Crunchy Choc Chips: Probably not that new, but also available in Apricot and Hazelnut varieties. £2.40p at Sainsbury's.

Müller Light Greek Style Raspberry: The Müller Light Greek Style range is one of my favourites but I tend to stick to the Coconut & Vanilla and Mango varieties. However, I did buy a pack of this new Raspberry flavour. £1.50p at Sainsbury's.

A big THANK YOU to Lucy W. who emailed me the following photos of new products that she bought in Tesco - most of which are not available in my local Tesco yet!

Tesco Red Velvet Doughnuts: These look much more appealing that the first doughnuts in this post! However, Lucy found that they were a little disappointing in terms of the filling. I'm hoping to find them and the Red Velvet Cookies (see below) soon - I have to check a bigger Tesco! £1.00p for a twinpack at Tesco.

Müller Corner Hawaiian Dream Pineapple: I definitely haven't spotted this one in store yet - I would have snapped it up! It reminds me of the Müller Inspired by Bali yogurt from last year, but it looks like the Hawaiian one is pineapple flavoured rather than coconut.

Müller de Luxe Corner Cherry Kirsch: Another decadent looking flavour from the Müller de Luxe range. Like a few of the previous flavours in this range, this one also contains alcohol. 

Carte D'Or Cinnamon Biscuit: Oh wow I really need to try this one! From the packaging it looks like a Speculoos biscuit ice cream! £3.49 at Tesco.

Image: Tesco 

Tesco Red Velvet Cookies: I haven't managed to spot these yet so thank you to both Lucy W. and another reader who left a comment letting me know about that they are now instore available instore. Apparently they are a Red Velvet version of the Tesco Melting Snowman Cookies. 

Thanks again to Lucy for the last few photos - we obviously have very similar tastes as I really want to try all of those new products!

Don't forget if you spot any new products in store please let me know via email - grocerygems@gmail.com. Thank you!

Asda Triple Chocolate Giant Doughnut Cake

Asda have some really cute cakes that are new instore (check out my round up here for more). I couldn't resist picking up on of their new Giant Doughnut Cakes, a bargain at only £1.50 each. Don't be confused by the name, this is not a "giant" in terms of cake size, but rather looks like a very big doughnut. It's about 3-4 times the size of a regular doughnut. Not huge, but nice enough for an afternoon tea or an after dinner dessert. There are three varieties to choose from; Toffee Fudge, Triple Chocolate or Jazzie Raspberry. The last one (Jazzie Raspberry) looks the most like a classic doughnut with pink icing and sprinkes, however I was overruled on buying that one as Grocery Gems boys all wanted to try the Triple Chocolate!

The Triple Chocolate Doughnut Cake is a simple concoction of chocolatey sponge with milk chocolate chips and covered with a chocolate fudge icing. 

I know it's hard to tell the size from these photos so I wanted to include one that gave an idea of scale. Unfortunately I didn't have any actual doughnuts at home, but hopefully this Jaffa Cake will give you an idea of the size.

Inside the cake was nicely chocolately, if a little dry, with plenty of chocolate chips. My favourite part was the topping which had a good chocolate fudge flavour and added plenty of sweetness. There is plenty of novelty value here with this cake, so for £1.50 it's a bit of a bargain. Flavour wise it's not really anything special - the words "nice" and "okay" were used to describe it by some of my testers, although all the children really liked it. As I stated at the beginning, it's a cute little cake to serve up for quick dessert. 

I took a quick photo of the Toffee Fudge Giant Doughnut Cake on the shelf instore. It's a toffee sponge with caramel fudge chunks, covered in a toffee fudge icing.

The Jazzie Raspberry is a plain sponge with a raspberry jam filling, covered in a strawberry icing. I want to try this one next time!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Asda Triple Chocolate Giant Doughnut Cake

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Probably.
Vegetarian: Suitable for vegetarians.
Purchased: Asda. 
Price: £1.50p each .

Review: Starbucks Duffin - Doughnut & Muffin in one

A quick review of the new Starbucks Duffin, which has had a fair bit of publicity as a fusion between a muffin and a doughnut. It's a bit like the next chapter of the Cronut saga - the equally bizarre crossing of a croissant and a doughnut. Starbucks is not somewhere I visit often anymore (I used to be a big fan though), in fact I haven't been to one in quite a while. But today I was caught outside in the pouring rain, and decided to nip in for some much needed warmth. I bought a Pumpkin Spice Latte just to see if it had more pumpkin flavour than it did last year (review HERE)- nope, still no pumpkin to be found here. It's simply a lightly spiced latte, like a weaker version of a Gingerbread latte. 

It was hard to resist trying out the new Duffin at the same time. I mean it's a basically a doughnut in the shape of a muffin, something which is instantly appealing to the kid in me. Despite being partly appalled by this creation, I have to admit it's pretty tasty. The texture of the cake itself is extremely soft with a pleasant hint of vanilla and nutmeg. The top of the Duffin has the crunchy, sugary texture which is instantly recognisable as a doughnut, and sits perfectly with the softer muffin texture within. There is also a generous amount of sweet strawberry jam which finishes off the Duffin nicely.

I probably won't ever buy one again but it has plenty of novelty value, and I did enjoy it as a quick sugary treat.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Starbucks Duffin

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Probably not.
Purchased: Starbucks.
Price: £2.20

Krispy Kreme Caramel Collection Doughnuts

The Caramel Collection is the latest range of doughnuts from Krispy Kreme UK. There are three varieties in this range; Caramel Iced, Caramel Crunch, and Sticky Toffee Cake.

The Caramel Iced, a simple ring doughnut with a sweet caramel topping, was my absolute favourite of the three. The caramel icing had a lovely buttery caramel flavour and tasted wonderful on the original glazed doughnut.

The Sticky Toffee Cake features a toffee flavoured cake style doughnut (these have a slightly denser texture than there original doughnuts), and is drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with extra toffee pieces. This was all a bit too much for me, especially from a sweetness aspect - a sugar overkill. However, the toffee flavour in the cake doughnut itself is absolutely delicious.

The Caramel Crunch is a classic Krispy Kreme filled doughnut. It features a caramel "kreme" centre, and is topped with a caramel icing and crunchy cookie and honeycomb pieces.

Surprisingly this doughnut was not overly sweet, perhaps because of the lightly whipped nature of the inner cream. There was only a small amount of the crunchy toppings, although they still added plenty of extra sweetness and crunch. Again, I did love the caramel icing on top, which is the same as on the Caramel Iced doughnut.

Find these for a limited time at Krispy Kreme in the UK.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Krispy Kreme Caramel Collection

RATING: 8.5/10 (Caramel Iced), 7/10 (Sticky Toffee Cake), 8/10 (Caramel Crunch).
Buy them again?: Worth a try!
Purchased: Krispy Kreme Store.
Price: Approx. £1.70 each.

Krispy Kreme Coconut Ice & Lemon Drizzle Cake Doughnuts

It's been almost a year since I last had a Krispy Kreme doughnut but the lure of this latest Doughnut of the Month, the Coconut Ice, was too appealing for me to resist. It's described as being filled with a smooth coconut filling & hand dipped in the Krispy Kreme signature glaze, and sprinkled with coconut flakes.

I haven't always been a fan of Krispy Kreme's flavoured doughnuts, and most of the time prefer to keep to the delicious simplicity of the Original Glazed doughnut. Coconut is also an easy flavour to get wrong and can be quite disgusting if it's too artificial tasting, so I was equally interested and worried about trying this Coconut Ice doughnut. Luckily there was nothing to be concerned about here, this doughnut is pure coconut dreaminess. The coconut flavour is not overpowering but is still flavourful enough to satisfy any coconut fan. The filling is creamy but not too much so. It's actually quite light, with lots of sweet and satisfying coconut flavour. The super soft doughnut and sugary icing on top finish things off perfectly.

The Lemon Drizzle Cake doughnut is also a new variety for the summer, so of course I couldn't leave without purchasing one of these too. It's not the most attractive of doughnuts, I don't think that the sprinkles in that particular shade of green were such a good idea... Regardless, it's actually a very tasty doughnut. The base is a classic Original Glazed ring doughnut, topped with a creamy lemon frosting, a tangy lemon curd, and lime flavoured sprinkles. The topping is very thick and creamy, and is full of sweet lemon flavour. I didn't expect to like this doughnut but turned out to be absolutely delicious. It's not really like a lemon drizzle cake though, it's more like a rich lemon buttercream cake.

Find these for a limited time at Krispy Kreme in the UK.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Krispy Kreme Coconut Ice & Lemon Drizzle Cake

RATING: 9 out of 10 (Coconut Ice) 8.5 out of 10 (Lemon Drizzle Cake).
Buy them again?: I won't buy them again - but I definitely want to!
Purchased: Krispy Kreme Store.
Price: Approx. £1.70 each.

Sainsbury's Red Nose Day Doughnuts

I picked up these Red Nose Day themed doughnuts at Sainsbury's. They cost a very reasonable £1 for four doughnuts with 15p donated to Comic Relief.

The doughnuts are covered in a red (well really it's a pinkish colour) icing and crunchy white sprinkles. 

Even though they don't look much like a red nose, they still have a fun bright look which is perfectly in keeping with the Red Nose Day theme. 

Supermarket bakery doughnuts can be a bit hit and miss in terms of taste, it often depends on what time of day you buy them as to whether you get a delicious treat or a stale/soggy mess. As I bought these in the morning and they had just been baked, they were very tasty, the doughy part was very soft and light, with a lovely golden colouring. The icing on top was quite firm with a nice crunchy texture from the sprinkles. They're cheap and cheerful and made a lovely half-term treat.

The last time I did a Red Nose Day review (for the Limited Edition Red Nose Day Pez) I felt it fitting to end the review with a joke. This time I'll leave the jokes to the doughnut addict that is Garfield:

Image: Garfield.com

Grocery Gems Verdict: Red Nose Day Doughnuts

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Worth a buy.
Nutrition : None given.
Purchased: Sainsbury's.
Price: £1.00p.

New Krispy Kreme Doughnuts: Chocolate Praline Fudge Cake and Pistachio & White Chocolate Nougat.

Even though I had hotfooted it to Krispy Kreme purely to try their new Salted Caramel doughnut I also couldn't resist buying the other two new doughnuts in this range. I officially have no self-control when it comes to doughnuts.

To be fair the Chocolate Praline Fudge Cake doughnut (is it a cake or a doughnut?) looked delicious and quite irresistible. The doughnut is covered in a rich milk chocolate with golden coloured nuts around the edge. Underneath all that lovely chocolate coating the actual doughnut is not the usual Krispy Kreme but one of their denser chocolate doughnuts.

I hadn't actually read the description of this doughnut online but judging by it's name I was expecting it to taste like a chocolate fudge cake with some nuts on it. I haven't liked many of Krispy Kreme's chocolate doughnuts in the past so I thought this would be vastly inferior to the new Salted Caramel doughnut. I'm happy to admit I was completely wrong in my assumption that the Chocolate Praline Fudge Cake would taste of chocolate fudge cake. Silly me.

Instead I would like you to imagine Nutella in the form of a doughnut. Imagine that the lightly chocolate flavoured doughnut is covered in a rich hazelnut chocolate, with added hazelnut praline pieces along the edges. Congratulations you have now imagined exactly what the Chocolate Praline Fudge Cake tastes like and it's just as delicious as it sounds.

If I had read the description of this doughnut online then all would have been revealed sooner. It's described as "covered in a rich milk chocolate hazelnut sauce, hand rolled in caramelised hazelnuts and drizzled with dark chocolate icing". The clue to the Nutella taste is in the word hazelnut. I'm still not sure how this is the same as a fudge cake but I'll forgive Krispy Kreme because this doughnut is friggin' gorgeous. I might even have preferred it to the Salted Caramel doughnut - sssh don't tell anyone!

Would I buy this doughnut again? Hell yes, and just try to stop me. I almost don't want to know if my local Tesco starts to stock these because then I will find myself nipping out for "milk" quite regularly.

The same cannot be said for the third and final new doughnut from Krispy Kreme, the Pistachio & White Chocolate Nougat. It's not that I had high hopes for this doughnut. In fact I went against all my inner feelings, based on what it looked like, and just bought it because it's new. I do that quite a lot.

Now there might be some people that would look at this doughnut and think "ooh that looks nice" but I'm not one of them. It just looks a bit busy and almost chintzy. If Laura Ashley made doughnuts this is how they would look. The doughnut is lavishly decorated, almost with abandon, with a variety of toppings. It looks like a veritable fruit and nut basket atop a doughnut.

Inside there is what Krispy Kreme describe as a "smooth pistachio praline Kreme". It has a nice pale green colour but that's the best thing I can say about how it looks. Although in the end the look of this doughnut turned out to be the best thing about it.

The fruity bits on top are actually "honey and raspberry flakes" which have an oddly slimy and sticky texture. They are tangy and fruity but are not something that I would want to eat again. The white chocolate drizzle doesn't taste of chocolate at all. If it hadn't been described as white chocolate I would never have guessed it from the taste. It's simply a sugary icing, that's it. Even the pistachio pieces on top of the doughnut are disappointing and don't have much flavour. Similarly, the inner pistachio cream doesn't taste of pistachio, it's just a very sweet creamy, quite bland filling. There is very little taste to it at all. Maybe I tried one from a bad batch but there was nothing about this doughnut that lived up to it's name. It doesn't taste of white chocolate, nor pistachio and where the word "nougat" fits into all this completely baffles me.

I don't want to leave this on a negative note though, the other two doughnuts in this new range are delicious - so two out of three being doughnut perfection is not bad at all! If you've tried any of these doughnuts then let me know how you got on. If not, which one would you choose?

You may also be interested in:
New Krispy Kreme Salted Caramel Doughnut