D.I.Y. Donuts

Photo by Caroline Mills

Background Research: A new donut shop, “Donutology,” opened up in Westport. Unlike other donut shops, Donutology allows you to customize your own donuts, and embodies a science-y theme, hence the name “Donutology.”

Research Question: Does a self-engineered donut ruin the classicality of a basic glazed or chocolate-sprinkled donut?

Hypothesis: If I order donuts with toppings such as Oreo’s and peanut butter cups, the flavors will be excessive, making Donutology an inadequate donut shop.

Materials:

• Gold cake donuts
• Various toppings ranging from Froot Loops to M&M’S
• Tubs of different flavored icings

Procedure: Pick up an order slip from the front of the shop that shows all the possible combinations of donuts you can make.  Bubble in the type of donut, icing, toppings and drizzles you prefer.  Walk through the assembly line, observing how carefully the workers dip the donuts in buckets of icing and place on toppings.  Finally, approach the cash register where an enthusiastic employee will charge you $4.88 for six donuts.

Results:

The final products of the donuts were presented in a white cardboard basket.  I know I can devour three donuts the size of my face– so at first glance I thought the donuts the size of my palm were too small.  Buried under frosting and toppings though, the donuts must’ve miraculously grown because I was stuffed by the time I left.

After a thorough study of the donuts, I found that the interior was fluffy, but not as moist as my typical Krispy Kreme. However, the presentation of the donuts did surpass that of Dunkin Donuts.  

The drizzles zig-zagged perfectly across the donuts, and the toppings were placed neatly in the center of the donut, causing some hesitancy to dig in. But that hesitancy dissolved when a doughy aroma of warm pancake batter rose from the donuts.  

Maybe it was the fact that the icing tasted most similar to my regular Boston cream filled Krispy Kreme donut, but the buttercream with rainbow sprinkles and raspberry drizzle proved to be my favorite. The drizzle made the donut fruity, and tasted like jelly donut filling; however, the buttercream contrasted the fruitiness with its rich, whipped cream flavor.

Despite the unusual toppings, the other donuts still won me over.  Smelling like a melted Hershey’s bar, the chocolate icing was rich, and the crunchy Oreo’s showcased the smoothness of the chocolate icing. However, the tower of Oreo crumbles and wet icing made this donut one that was not ideal for a messy eater like myself.

The peanut butter icing tasted just as predicted – it had a sugary, peanut butter tang, but held a thinner density than actual peanut butter, making it suitable for a donut glaze.  

The source of error fell on my part for having such a peanut butter enamour.  Due to the size of the donut and the amount of peanut butter ingredients, all that could be tasted was the peanut butter cups. The donut was enjoyable, but when craving something more simple, this would not be the best combination.

Based on my research, Donutology would be an ideal spot for an after-school snack or late-night dessert.  The upbeat background music along with the orange and black colored walls complement its lively atmosphere. To contrast the walls, lightbulbs hanging from red and blue wires added a modern vibe.

Clear volumetric flasks filled with Fruity Pebbles, M&M’S and Butterfinger crumbles line the window, and Donutology’s back wall is complete with outer space-esque objects, giving it a distinct trademark.

Conclusion: This experiment proved my hypothesis false. Though bizarre sounding at first, obscure toppings, such as Oreo crumbles add to the delectable taste of donuts and aren’t too overwhelming. With the unique atmosphere and fresh concept, Donutology exceeded my expectations.