All sorts of sprinkles, gooey glaze and sugary goodness are common themes as we set off this summer to sample some of the state’s best donuts. Our Minnesota Donut Tour features a few of the finest and most well-known confectionaries in the state. It also includes a couple of lesser-known but equally as good bakeries. Follow along as we traverse the state in search of doughy deliciousness.
Woullet Bakery
A custard-filled long john, an apple fritter and two raised donuts were the selections and each was airy, fresh and so good. Woullet Bakery donuts were excellent but our eyes were drawn to the beautifully decorated tortes, cakes and cupcakes. Woullet was busy the morning we visited and the line stretched out the door. It was easy to see and taste why the bakery is so popular.
Han’s Bakery
If you ever order a donut, eat it and still feel hungry, Han’s Bakery is the solution. The larger-than-average donuts at Han’s are called Texas Style and in addition to being large, they are also big on taste. We chose a couple of chocolate covered with sprinkles and shoved our faces into the doughy delights. If you don’t have a big appetite, order one anyways. Leftover donuts are delicious as well.
Moon Donuts
Moon Donuts is a family favorite. It’s close to home (easy to roll out of bed and get breakfast) and yummy. Our boys love the “frog” donuts. A frog donut has a simple glaze, a few sprinkles and big marshmallow eyes. I really like the variety of bismarcks. Everything from chopped strawberry to Bavarian creme. Moon Donuts also offers birthday donuts, which have been a huge hit in our household.
Mel-O-Glaze
Mel-O-Glaze is another popular metro area donut shop. Here we opted for simple raised glazed donuts. The donuts were heavy, sugary and very rich. We prefer airy and lighter donuts, so this stop on our tour was not a family favorite. We did notice the shop offered treats for four-legged friends and many customers were stopping in with their pets while on their Saturday morning adventures.
Glam Doll Donuts
Glam Doll knows how to do donuts. Our donut selections included a Mrs. Clever (chocolate chip cookie dough), Bourbon Infused Apple Fritter, a Vanilla Scarlet and a Femme Fatale (raspberry curd filled). The most interesting aspect of the filled donuts at Glam Doll is that they use a curd filling instead of a jelly filling. My boys describe it as a sort of pudding. The unique donut offerings and the donut quality make this a must-stop donut shop.
World’s Best Donuts
The name says it all. These donuts may actually be the best in the world. Known for their cake donuts, World’s Best Donuts in Grand Marais, MN will not disappoint. The donuts were both warm and doughy with a crunchy outer layer. We dove into the cinnamon and sugar as well as the chocolate cake donuts after coming out of a back-country adventure at Isle Royale National Park. We also tried a deep-fried Skizzle. They are a must-have when visiting Minnesota’s North Shore.
Duck Donuts
The boys gave the warm, delicious and made to order cake donuts at Duck Donuts a 10 out of 10! We ordered the beach ball, French toast, coconut island bliss and s’mores signature donuts as well as a couple chocolate donuts with sprinkles. It was fun to create your own box of doughy goodness. We were able to watch the donuts fried and then iced by the donut artists at Duck. Hot and fresh, the donuts were some of our favorites.
Mojo Monkey Donuts
Mojo serves up a multitude of creative and clever handmade donut creations. Located in St. Paul, the drive to Mojo Monkey Donuts was a bit far for us but well WORTH it. Our order included a Tiramisu Bismarck (cream filled with Kahlua, dark rum, mascarpone and topped with a lady finger), a Unicorn Sprinkle Sugar Cookie Dough Bullseye (that’s edible cookie dough atop a raised purple sprinkle donut), and Amaretto and Fresh Raspberry Panna Cotta Bismarck (topped with Nutella buttercream and fresh fruit) plus a raised donut with sprinkles. Each of them were amazing. The flavor combinations were spot on and not over-powering. The filled donuts had the perfect amount of light and airy cream.
Cardigan Donuts
Parking is a pain and walking through City Center to get to Cardigan Donuts is not real easy, but the donuts were so very worth it. I can never just eat one donut so I ordered two premium filled donuts; the raspberry lime and the peach and brown sugar. I’m a sucker for filled donuts especially when the filling is light and not gelled. Cardigan delivered. Cardigan has a schedule of premium and specialty donuts so you can plan your pastry visit in advance.
YoYo Donuts
The Dirt and Worms donut at YoYo has been the boys’ favorite. A donut with chocolate frosting, chocolate sprinkles, a gummy worm and a disgusting name wins our kids over. Every. Time. I opted for an apple fritter that did not disappoint. Maybe next time we visit we’ll try the s’mores donut. It looked super yummy.
For more on special places in Minnesota to visit see our posts on ice cream shops, drive-in restaurants and pizzerias as well as our Minnesota Bucket List of Adventures.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle
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