The coconut doughnut (or coconut donut) is a variety of doughnut in the United States and Canada that is usually covered or topped with shredded or flaked coconut topping. It is often toasted or broiled, and there are variations made with chocolate and, in a 1959 recipe, orange juice in the

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavenin ...

and icing. Coconut doughnuts are not usually filled, but there is an unrelated coconut doughnut that uses a coconut cream filling (like a Boston cream doughnut or

jelly doughnut A jelly doughnut, or jam donut, is a doughnut with a Fruit preserve filling. Varieties include the Polish ''pączki'', the German '' Berliner'', the Israeli ''sufganiyot'', the southern European '' krafne'' and the Italian ''bombolone''. Histor ...

s).

History

A 1946 recipe in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' suggested coconut or chopped nuts as a doughnut topping. During a 1964 discussion of doughnut popularity and innovation (such as

drive thru A drive-through or drive-thru (a sensational spelling of the word ''through''), is a type of take-out service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. The format was pioneered in the United ...

stores, the doughnut hole, and a handle to aid coffee dipping) advertising director Carl Zucher of the Mr. Donut company said a customer at a Florida drive-in feeds them to his horse, and especially the toasted coconut variety was the horse's favorite.

Recognition

Andy Ward calls Dunkin' Donuts' toasted coconut variety "the greatest doughnut of them all" in an ''Esquire'' article. He describes it as being unusual and not well respected by food connoisseurs who have never tried it and associate it with being cheap and artery clogging, but credits the "marriage of textures" for making them "so perfect, they make me feel bad for Krispy Kreme. A coconut doughnut from the Sugar Shack doughnut shop at a

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

station on U.S. 27 in

Somerset, Kentucky Somerset is a home rule-class city in Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States. The city population was 11,924 according to the 2020 census. It is the seat of Pulaski County. History Somerset was first settled in 1798 by Thomas Hansford and rec ...

, was determined to be one of the best doughnuts in the United States in 1999. The owners, Patrick and Audrey Godin, fell in love 27 years earlier while working at a Dunkin' Donuts in Nashua, New Hampshire, where 16-year-old Patrick became an apprentice baker. Doughnut connoisseurs have also praised the Toasted Coconut Donut at Dunkin' Donuts. A coconut doughnut that is a "girly shade of pink" is a featured product of " cult" doughnut shop

Top Pot Doughnuts Top Pot Doughnuts is a chain of coffee and doughnut cafes started in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Top Pot began in February 2002 and was started by brothers Mark and Michael Klebeck. Locations , Top Pot has 18 cafe loca ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington. It was one of the varieties included in a 2005 distribution agreement with Starbucks stores in

Western Washington Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as the area of Washington state west of the Cascade Mountains. This region is home to the state's largest city, Seattle, the state capital, Olympia, and most of the state's residents. T ...

. Conan O'Brien praised a coconut doughnut with a coconut cream filling as a "life-altering experience" during a three-day visit to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in 2004, saying "it blew my mind".

Controversy

A mouse was photographed eating a coconut doughnut in the window of a franchised Dunkin' Donuts outlet (Riese Organization's) in Midtown Manhattan in 1998, as part of a front page story of ''

The New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

''. It was noted in a lawsuit where Dunkin' Donuts tried to oust the franchisee.

Gallery

Chocolate white coconut,2011-11-28.jpg, Chocolate white coconut Toasted coconut,2011-11-28.jpg, Toasted coconut

References

External links