Donut Tracker 2010

Welcome to the new and improved Donut Database! Thanks to my friends at Really Really Big Industries, Inc.my compilation of all the homemade donut shops in the US and beyond is an interactive map! This means you can add your favorite shop directly to the map for others to discover and squeal with delight!

I trust you guys not to get weird with it, but here are a few ground rules:

• No Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme or other large-chain donut shops 
• Only add non-donut shop bakeries that offer homemade donuts daily 
• Use purple push pins to indicate a donut shop
• Use green push pins to denote a shop with vegan donut options
• Use pink push pins to denote bakeries that also serve donuts

What about a bakery that also serves vegan donuts? I don't know! You pick what's more important to you! If you're new to shared Google maps, check out how to contribute here. 

Feel free to add pictures, videos and reviews to your posts or other people's posts. Email me at Donutroundup@gmail.com with any questions or comments. 



View The Donut Database in a larger map

Doughnuts on a String

I spotted this party idea in the Halloween '09 issue of Martha Stewart Living - Doughnuts on a String. It's not really so much a game as it's a weird way to serve doughnuts to children at your Halloween party. I have to say I would not like to play Doughnuts on a String - especially not if anyone was taking pictures - but I would very much like to watch other people play.

If you are too stupid to figure out how to put doughnuts on strings, you can find the instructions at MarthaStewart.com.

A Visit to Homecut Donuts

Among the many things I did not appreciate about my hometown of Joliet when I still lived there, there is Homecut Donuts. I can count on one hand how many times I made the 10-minute trip from my parent's house to choose from the dizzying selection of always-fresh, always homemade donuts on display. 

Now that I've been in Chicago for 10 years, and really understand what it's like to want for a cute little homemade donuts joint, packed with old people and crazies at any given hour of the day, I can truly say I love and respect Homecut Donuts. 

There are plenty of sweet treats to choose from - honey dipped, German chocolate, cherry cake (which tastes just like cherry grenadine and donut mixed together), sprinkle donuts-on-a-stick, frosted cinnamon buns the size of your head and my personal favorite, the sundae - a dressed-up glazed yeast donut for those who prefer ice cream for breakfast. 

We chose honey dipped, a few sundaes, German chocolate, chocolate cream-filled, toasted coconut and a few other classics and our only regret was also getting a box of coffee to take back home. I should have guessed by the number of old men inside that this was not going to be the strong, dark coffee I have become accustom to as a city slicker. This was, at best, truck stop coffee.

But that's OK, because Joliet is a trucker town and I was the one out of place, eating their food and passing judgement on their beverages. The donuts more than made up for it, and the lesson was learned. I'll be back, Homecut Donuts, so fire up the friers. 

More of my photos live here. Other people's photos live here.