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| Decadence in the morning |
(My apologies in advance if this post is a little sillier than normal. I think the sugar got to me.)
When it was first announced back in June that a Duck Donuts would be coming to Marlton, it was quickly apparent that they already had a loyal following eagerly awaiting their opening. I had never heard of them until the announcement, and assumed they were a small chain of donut shops. However, it appears I was wrong: Duck Donuts touts themselves as the 'fastest growing donut shop in the US'. From their original store, opened in 2006 in Duck, North Carolina, they have grown from just 4 stores in 2012 to almost 200 in 2017. Their newest location is in the Marlton Crossing Shopping Center, near the crossroads of Route 70 and 73, between the Music Training Center and OSushi.
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| Storefront before Duck Donuts. You can see the Google Street View car in the reflection. |
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| Just for fun, the same storefront in October 2011, with the same Google Street View car in the reflection |
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| Duck Donuts 12/24/2017 |
Donuts at Duck Donuts can be separated into 2 categories: 'Featured Donuts' and 'Make Your Own'.
'Featured Donuts' are 'tried and true' fan favorites and some seasonal varieties. Currently there is a 'Winter Assortment', including donuts with snowflake sprinkles. But there is something enjoyable about building your own donut. Much like burritos at Chipotle, Panchero's and Andale, pizzas at Mod Pizza, or stir-fry at the soon to open Honeygrow, having control over the design of your food is empowering.
Make Your Own Donuts are a three step process, and just looking through the possibilities, you get the idea of how different the experience will be compared to a 'regular' donut shop. These donuts are prepared on the spot as you order them - they aren't plucked off a shelf and put in a box. And they are served warm!!
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| The order form on the website also lists chocolate and vanilla as drizzle possibilities. |
Its been a while since I had to do algebra, but I read somewhere the list above gives you over 4000 possibilities of donuts - the company says there is a 'Duckzillion' combinations. And while I have a 'math guy' I usually consult when writing these blogs, he felt that calculating the number of donut combinations was beneath him.
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| Topping and drizzle assembly line. (Photo Courtesy of Craig Ehredt) |
As such, I usually eat really boring donuts. Glazed, powdered and more recently, sour cream. No chocolate filling, no cream, no jelly allowed, no goo of any kind. I don't like surprises in my donuts. (Confession: at a Super Bowl party a few weeks ago, I took a bite of a muffin and unbeknownst to me, there was a gooey filling of some type in it. I had to quickly find a napkin and quietly spit it out. While I don't think my hosts noticed, they do read my blog, so my secret is out. I'm not proud, but that's me and I've learned to accept by limitations.)
But the good news for me is that even for my limited range, there were a few custom donuts at Duck Donuts I wanted to try. And even better news, Duck Donuts believes in a strict interpretation of the word 'donut'. Donuts have holes in them!! So there are no cream filled or jelly filled concoctions to be found on their menu. Hooray! Their donuts are vanilla cake based, not your typical 'dough' in a donut.
I admit I was a little put off by the idea of the Maple Icing with Chopped Bacon donut. Vanilla cake donut? Good. Maple icing? Good. Bacon? Awesome. But all together? I'm unsure. On those occasions when I order pancakes and bacon, I always prefer when the bacon comes on a separate plate. It allows the pancake syrup to flow where it wants, without me having to constantly shift my bacon around the plate to keep it away from the syrup tsunami that always seeks it out. (I have the same problem with French Fries - I need enough room on my plate to place a dollop of ketchup free from French Fry intrusion. I like dunking my fries, not when they get enveloped by a wave of creeping ketchup.)
On those occasions when the bacon and pancakes share a plate, the bacon invariably ends up in the syrup, and I am always disappointed when I first see it, knowing that despite my best efforts in fighting the good fight, I have lost again. But when I taste it, I am reminded that occasionally new flavor combinations can indeed be most excellent.
The Maple Bacon donut is proof of this concept to the extreme. As you bring this donut to your mouth, you will smell the bacon before taste it. And surprisingly, the bacon flavor takes a back seat to the delicious vanilla cake. The sweet and salty combination is a pleasurable mix of contrasting flavors, with neither overwhelming the other. They exist side by side in harmony.
I'm not sure everything that I ate this morning, but because we were sharing them in an office, we cut them into quarters and this is the Frankendonut I made out of my 4 quarters. I highly recommend trying just about everything.
In addition to donuts, the store also sells egg sandwiches (on donuts of course), ice cream sundaes (on donuts of course), and a full range of coffee, tea and hot chocolate options. Like the donuts, the sandwiches and sundaes can also be custom ordered, with the toppings and drizzles of your choice.
After this weekend, Duck Donuts opens every day at 6:00 AM. Stop by for some yummy treats. Welcome to the neighborhood Jennifer and Nora (the owners) and good luck!
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I admit I was a little put off by the idea of the Maple Icing with Chopped Bacon donut. Vanilla cake donut? Good. Maple icing? Good. Bacon? Awesome. But all together? I'm unsure. On those occasions when I order pancakes and bacon, I always prefer when the bacon comes on a separate plate. It allows the pancake syrup to flow where it wants, without me having to constantly shift my bacon around the plate to keep it away from the syrup tsunami that always seeks it out. (I have the same problem with French Fries - I need enough room on my plate to place a dollop of ketchup free from French Fry intrusion. I like dunking my fries, not when they get enveloped by a wave of creeping ketchup.)
On those occasions when the bacon and pancakes share a plate, the bacon invariably ends up in the syrup, and I am always disappointed when I first see it, knowing that despite my best efforts in fighting the good fight, I have lost again. But when I taste it, I am reminded that occasionally new flavor combinations can indeed be most excellent.
The Maple Bacon donut is proof of this concept to the extreme. As you bring this donut to your mouth, you will smell the bacon before taste it. And surprisingly, the bacon flavor takes a back seat to the delicious vanilla cake. The sweet and salty combination is a pleasurable mix of contrasting flavors, with neither overwhelming the other. They exist side by side in harmony.
I'm not sure everything that I ate this morning, but because we were sharing them in an office, we cut them into quarters and this is the Frankendonut I made out of my 4 quarters. I highly recommend trying just about everything.
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| My FrankenDonut |
In addition to donuts, the store also sells egg sandwiches (on donuts of course), ice cream sundaes (on donuts of course), and a full range of coffee, tea and hot chocolate options. Like the donuts, the sandwiches and sundaes can also be custom ordered, with the toppings and drizzles of your choice.
After this weekend, Duck Donuts opens every day at 6:00 AM. Stop by for some yummy treats. Welcome to the neighborhood Jennifer and Nora (the owners) and good luck!
List of all my blog posts