A morning treat before a hard day’s work. That was the bribe, my boyfriend and I, gave ourselves as we went to The Donut Experiment in Lombard before a day of packing and moving. For me, a move seems to be a yearly tradition, and getting through one requires an ample amount of sugar! Also, for all of you who are longtime readers, you know I love trying new donuts!
At The Donut Experiment, we loaded up on the sugar of our own donut designs. The shop, located conveniently off of I-88, lets its sunshine vibes color the strip mall with a bright fun sign, welcoming guests inside.
The colors that welcomed us outside also followed us into the shop. Walking through the door we came face to face directly with the register. Murals of donuts and coffee were painted on the back wall adding character to the shop. A crew member came by and asked if we had ever been here before. We said no, and she quickly explained the process to us.
We were handed a form with lots of options to mix and match. There were three major categories: Icing, Topping, and Drizzle. This meant I had a load of choices to make. I could have gone with a more creative and wacky choice, but ultimately decided to go with a safer flavor combo. After some deliberation I crafted a donut, which we would later call the Upside-Down Reese’s. Meanwhile, Jake concocted a Chocolate Covered Strawberry donut.
Our Donut Designs
Donut one: Upside-Down Reese’s (Mine!)
Icing: Chocolate
Topping: M&M
Drizzle: Peanut Butter
Donut two: Chocolate Covered Strawberry (My boyfriend’s)
Icing: Strawberry
Topping: Chocolate Chips
Drizzle: Chocolate
Coming To life
Next, we placed our order and waited our turn to watch our creations come to life. After the group ahead of us was mostly done, we took the opportunity. We squeezed in and snuck up close to the glass wanting to view the whole process which took place right in front of you!
Every new experiment starts off with a vanilla cake donut that is soon to be dunked in the icing of your choice. Next, the crew member slips the freshly iced donut into the topping bins and finishes it off with a flavorful drizzle. And tada, you had it crafted, by your very own imagination, an edible sweet treat!
Breakfast time
The small shop only had tables outside, and despite the freezing day we decided to enjoy the fresh air. The sun was out, and we had donuts. Together, the two things seemed to keep the chill away.
With our photos taken, it was finally time to dig in! I took my first bite, and it absolutely wowed me! The donut base was incredibly fluffy and light, and my design included the perfect amount of crunch with the M&Ms. I had been a bit worried about the Peanut Butter drizzle due to its strong and sometimes overpowering flavor. Instead, it only complemented the other ingredients in this particular donut.
Having sampled my own experiment, I had to try a bite of my boyfriend’s creation. It was also delicious! There was a strong strawberry flavor and the chocolate chips and drizzle worked fantastically well in combination with it.
Our one mistake was only ordering one donut each. There were so many more flavor combinations we wished we had made and had we gone for multiple donuts maybe we would have gone more aggressive playing with flavors that might normally be at odds. The donuts were also a bit on the small side and for us, as a breakfast, one donut was definitely not enough.
Overall, it was such a cool experience and one we would gladly revisit. Working off of a mini-sugar rush we left ready for a big day of moving.
I want to try this place out! Although cake doughnuts are not my go to, I prefer yeast ones, your story makes me want to try them! What a creative idea. Thanks for sharing this yummy story!
Thanks for reading! I would check them out if you have the opportunity and go wild with your creative donut designs!