Ah, the holiday season— finally the appropriate time of year for Christmas music, ugly sweaters, and, of course, your favorite delicious winter treats. But spending most of your December in the library leading up to finals can really make you miss the days when you could spend your time baking cookies and drinking hot cocoa in your kitchen at home. Thankfully, there’s a remedy for this nostalgia, and it’s the new Dunkin’ Donuts holiday flavors.
Dunkin’s limited edition holiday flavors hit stores across the county on Nov. 20. The line includes three donuts inspired by classic holiday treats: Gingerbread Cookie, Frosted Sugar Cookie, and Snowflake Sprinkle. After grueling months of anticipation, I ventured to Dunkin’ to taste the newest creations of this Northeast staple.
What struck me first was how affordable Dunkin’ is—in a world of gourmet, overly-embellished sweet treats, it was refreshing to see that purchasing all three of the Dunkin’ Donuts holiday donuts cost me only a little over $3. And, they were good, so you aren’t sacrificing the satisfaction of your donut experience. On a student’s budget, these were the perfect pick-me-up for a busy afternoon.
After careful consideration, here’s my ranking of the three Dunkin’ Donuts holiday flavors from good to amazing—you really can’t go wrong here.
3. Snowflake Sprinkle
There’s nothing special about this guy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a solid Dunkin’ Donuts staple. This donut is your basic vanilla frosted with sprinkles, but jazzed up for December with red-dyed frosting and cute snowflake sprinkles. Besides making you feel ~festive~, the snowflakes are larger and crunchier than your standard sprinkles, which I enjoyed.
2. Gingerbread Cookie
If you miss building gingerbread houses, or if you miss eating them (let’s face it, frosting doesn’t have much structural integrity), this is the donut for you. This is a classic vanilla donut topped with a sweet gingerbread glaze. On top of that, there are decadent gingerbread crumbs to give you the experience of eating gingerbread with just the right blend of satisfying crunch and chewy donut. The only thing that would make this donut better would be a gooey filling in the center to balance the drier topping.
1. Frosted Sugar Cookie
WOW. This donut sent my taste buds into a heavenly, sugary frenzy. As an avid fan of sugar cookies, I was elated to see the vanilla frosting and ample cookie crumbs on top of this donut. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I tasted the glorious cookie-dough flavored center—it was like a combination of cookie butter and cookies melded together into one single donut experience.
If you aren’t a donut person, don’t fret—Dunkin’ also brought back their Peppermint Mocha and Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavors for many hot and iced coffee drinks. And all their coffees come in festive cups to get you feeling those holiday vibes with your caffeine fix.
So, zip up your puffy coat and brave the cold to experience the magic of the Dunkin’ holiday season. Nothing warms your soul like donuts, coffee, and holiday cheer.