When you come downstairs in the morning and see a pastry box full of doughnuts from the local bakery sitting in the middle of the table, it just sets the day up to be a good one. I remember as a kid often getting doughnuts on Saturday morning and it was such a special treat. No cereal or toast – we enjoyed chocolate-iced doughnuts with a glass of milk. Yum!

National Doughnut Day
This Friday, June 7, is National Doughnut Day. Yes, you read that correctly – Friday is a day dedicated to the favorite breakfast treat. But the meaning behind this national day isn’t just to honor the deliciousness of doughnuts. National Doughnut Day was created by The Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the women who served doughnuts to soldiers in World War I. This day began as a fundraiser for Chicago’s Salvation Army to help the needy during the Great Depression.

The National Day was so popular it stuck and here we are 81 years later gearing up to celebrate again.

The evolution of doughnuts
Doughnuts have evolved quite a bit through the years. Sure, the classics like glazed, jelly-filled, chocolate, powdered sugar and the sprinkle ones are still staples in bakery cases. At Ashley’s Pastries the glazed croissants are a best-seller for us. Customers love these with a cup of hot coffee on a Saturday morning or any morning of the week, really.

But doughnuts have recently gone more gourmet. There are now cereal-topped doughnuts- think of sugary favorites like Fruity Pebbles, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, and Lucky Charms – on top of your favorite cake donut. There are also tantalizing flavor combinations like caramel bacon or key-lime filled doughnuts. S’mores doughnuts – ones that are filled with a marshmallow cream and topped with chocolate and graham crackers or chocolate doughnuts topped with marshmallows and graham crackers – can go beyond the breakfast table. These make tasty treats outside around a fire pit on a cool summer night.

We’ve even noticed trends where doughnuts are topped with favorite candy crumbles, from M&Ms to gummy bears to NERDS candy… really, it seems if you can dream up a doughnut combination, it can become reality!

There are even trends of doughnut cakes served at birthday parties or amazing arrays of doughnuts in all flavors placed on fancy platters on dessert tables at weddings. When it comes to doughnuts these days, it really seems the sky’s the limit.

Stop in for specials
Ashley’s will be celebrating National Doughnut Day with specials all day long on Friday. Stop in to see us and pick up a dozen doughnuts to share with family and friends. And if your family is anything like mine, they’ll love seeing the pastry box on the table when they come down for breakfast. What better way to celebrate National Doughnut Day than by enjoying the good stuff?! We hope to see you on Friday!

If you could make any doughnut, what would you choose? We’d love to hear from you so drop a note below.