Krispy Kreme Chocolate Iced

Product name: Krispy Kreme Chocolate Iced
Purchase details: £1.50 for a 66g doughnut (Krispy Kreme Doughnuts)
Calories: 278 per doughnut
Country of origin: UK

I was delighted to discover that Krispy Kreme are keeping the Peanut Butter Kreme long-term but it does mean I need to try the other Choco Mania doughnuts before they disappear at the end of the month! This review was meant to be of the Chocolate Cookie Crunch but, unfortunately, the store had sold out by the time I got there after work. I couldn’t possibly leave empty-handed, though, and since I was limited in choice by calories, I opted for the simple Chocolate Iced instead.

Krispy Kreme's website described this as their ‘signature ring doughnut hand-dipped in chocolate icing’ so, unsurprisingly, its main features can be read about in my review of the Original Glazed!

I did have this variety several years ago but, for the simple reason that there are more exciting options on offer, it’s not one I’ve bought since. It had exactly the same scent as the Original Glazed and the only difference in appearance was the smooth, thin chocolate icing that sat neatly on top of the ring (although mine was smudged by the paper bag!).

The chocolate icing had the same sugary-shell type texture as the glaze and tasted a bit like a slightly watery cake frosting. I realise I’ve just made it sound horrible – it wasn’t – but it was by no means an indulgent chocolate icing either. On checking the nutritional information, I wasn’t surprised to see that, despite containing 32% reduced fat cocoa powder, the two main ingredients were sugar and water.

In terms of the icing’s overall impact, it perhaps added a slightly darker and sickly taste to the sweet and juicy doughnut, but not in a big enough way to affect its taste score either way. The texture remained highly enjoyable too – I just found the way the topping tended to slide away from the rest of the doughnut a bit distracting as I was chewing!

Once again, this was a delicious treat from Krispy Kreme. However, I’d probably be more tempted to stick to the Original Glazed when opting for one of the plainer varieties, in future.

Appearance: 8/10
Aroma: 8/10
Taste: 9/10
Texture: 8.5/10
Overall score: 8.38/10

Krispy Kreme Vanilla Cappuccino

Product name: Krispy Kreme Vanilla Cappuccino
Purchase details: £1.75 for a 94g doughnut (Krispy Kreme Doughnuts)
Calories: 409 per doughnut
Country of origin: UK 

I must confess that I was lucky enough to receive this Krispy Kreme Vanilla Cappuccino for free as a thank you for registering my reward card – I promise I’ll start paying for them again from now on!

 

I was really looking forward to trying this new variety but, as my first review of a filled doughnut, I was also a bit gutted I was going to have to cut it open and miss the magic of finding out where the filling was hiding! Prior to this, though, I was impressed by its outer appearance – it was decorated with swirls of vanilla and coffee flavoured icings as well as ‘crunchy shortcake crumble’. 

 

The Krispy Kreme website informed me that this doughnut contained a ‘smooth coffee kreme’ and, on opening it up, I could see that there was a lot of this pale substance. Of course, this excitement came at the cost of calories, but the good thing was that all of the nutritional information was available online so I was able to intentionally have a lighter dinner in order to accommodate this evening treat!

This doughnut wasn’t coated in the famous Krispy Kreme glaze and, as a result, its aroma was more like that of a standard doughnut – sweet and doughy. I found it to be less powerful, and there was no hint of a coffee scent, but it was delicious nonetheless. 

Before diving in, I couldn’t resist trying the different topping components on their own. The shortbread was quite soft but it was crumbly and I thought it tasted like Fox’s Party Rings. The sugary icings had a great texture – slightly crispy on the outside but soft in the centre. The vanilla was very sweet but, alone, had a slight chemical taste to it. The coffee one was better, though, with a decent but not-too-strong flavour. 

The coffee kreme centre tasted just like buttercream but with a hint of coffee thrown in for good measure. It was thick and very smooth. In fact, it tasted so beautiful I would have happily just eaten a jar of it on its own! 

The dough was the same as the Original Glazed (and the majority of other Krispy Kreme doughnuts) and, when everything was mixed together, it was a very tasty experience. It maintained the delicious sweetness that I’ve come to love about Krispy Kremes but added a bit of added interest with a mild coffee flavour. I say ‘mild’, but this was definitely stronger than the Caramel Macchiato that I’ve previously reviewed. 

I had been a little disappointed when I first noticed the absence of a glaze but it definitely wasn’t needed on this particular doughnut. The Vanilla Cappuccino was both sweet and crispy enough from the filling and the topping. 

Now...which one shall I have next?! 

Appearance: 9/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 9/10
Texture: 9/10
Overall score: 8.63/10

Krispy Kreme Caramel Macchiato

Product name: Krispy Kreme Caramel Macchiato
Purchase details: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Calories: 278 for a 65g doughnut
Country of origin: UK 

I’m one of a strange breed who can’t stand the taste of a cup of coffee but really enjoys coffee-flavoured sweet treats. For that reason, I decided to try the Caramel Macchiato doughnut for my free birthday doughnut from the Krispy Kreme Rewards card. Since a few hours have passed since claiming my doughnut and writing this review, I have completely forgotten how much it should have been. In my head, it was £0.05 more expensive than the Original Glazed, making it £1.40, but I may be completely wrong! 

I obtained this doughnut’s nutritional information from the official Krispy Kreme guide (see here), and found from the general website that the Caramel Macchiato was effectively an Original Glazed that had been ‘hand-piped with caramel and coffee drizzles’ and ‘topped with coffee pieces’. As a result, I won’t go into major detail since I’ve said most of it already! 

According to Google's ‘define:’ tool, a macchiato is ‘a drink of espresso coffee with a dash of frothy steamed milk’. How this would be captured in a ‘drizzle’,  I wasn’t sure! 

The doughnut was the same in appearance as the Original Glazed but had the added attraction of the icings which were two different shades of brown and had been applied in a kind of cross shape. I was particularly impressed that most of the coffee pieces had stayed in place despite me having not gone straight home with my treasured treat. 

The main aroma was identical to the Original Glazed but, up-close (and I literally mean holding it right next to my nose!), there was a very, very slight hint of coffee. 

I tried the piping on its own and found that the darker brown coffee flavour tasted like a sugary sweet but slightly bitter coffee creme. The lighter caramel icing initially tasted like the glaze but then an additional buttery kind of flavour kicked in too. I found the coffee pieces to mainly taste of sugar but they did also have a hint of coffee. 

Bizarrely, when eating the doughnut as a whole, it didn’t really taste any different from the Original Glazed at all. I think it may have been a little sweeter but I genuinely couldn’t detect a coffee flavour over this. However, the bumpy icings and hard, crispy coffee pieces did create a more textured experience. 

Since the Caramel Macchiato had all the Krispy Kreme delicious, sugary goodness of the Original Glazed, I would recommend it, but there isn’t really much between them so, if you’re after a strong coffee hit, you might be better off with an actual cup of coffee to accompany the signature doughnut! 

Appearance: 8.5/10
Aroma: 8/10
Taste: 9/10
Texture: 9.5/10
Overall score: 8.75/10

Krispy Kreme Original Glazed

Product name: Krispy Kreme Original Glazed
Purchase details: £1.35 for a 52g doughnut (Krispy Kreme Doughnuts)
Calories: 222 per doughnut
Country of origin: UK 

Since my birthday is fast approaching, Krispy Kreme decided to be ultra-kind and send me a voucher for a free doughnut. As a huge fan of the brand, it shocks me that I haven’t actually eaten once since I started my blog, so I thought I’d go back to basics for my first review with their ‘signature doughnut’ – the Original Glazed.

Although I’ve had pretty much every variety going, I think this may have been the first time I’ve had this simple ring doughnut. However, I pretty much knew what awesomeness to expect, since both the dough and the glaze are used throughout the majority of the Krispy Kreme range. Understandably, this simplified doughnut also contained the fewest calories of the range, according to the website’s nutritional information document.

Their website also provides brief summaries of the product range, with the Original Glazed being described as ‘a light and fluffy dough’ coated in their ‘classic glaze’ and, I think it’s fair to say, it’s this glaze that makes Krispy Kremes so unique compared to other doughnuts. Instead of a granulated sugar or powdered icing sugar coating, they are covered in a thin, slightly sticky kind of molten sugar that, having set, provides a lovely crispiness.

Appearance-wise, this doughnut was like a more attractive bagel, with a smooth, golden outer appearance with its thin sugary glaze clearly visible. I loved how this had been allowed to drip down the sides and accumulate in a crustier layer on the base of the product too. Inside, the bread looked pale and doughy, and the whole product gave off a gorgeous pastry scent combined with sweet icing. 

The Original Glazed had a fantastic doughnut taste and the flaky sugar was so, so sweet – beautiful. The squidgy texture was also amazing – it was so doughy that, if you applied pressure to the inside, it didn’t automatically spring back. Furthermore, it was so moist it was almost juicy. Not to be melodramatic or anything, but there’s nothing worse than a dry doughnut! 

So, just in case you’re in any doubt by this point, I absolutely loved this doughnut and, considering the fact there was no filling or fancy topping, I think that’s quite an achievement. Krispy Kreme – I love you! 

Appearance: 7.5/10

Aroma: 8/10
Taste: 9/10
Texture: 9/10
Overall score: 8.38/10