Gingerbread Glazed Doughnuts Are Back At Krispy Kreme For A Limited Time

Gingerbread is one of many examples of delicious desserts only consumed once a year. Much like hot cocoa, peppermint, and eggnog, gingerbread is reserved for the winter months. While some may think of this as a bad thing, the flip side is you get to look forward to the flavors all year. Few things are sweeter than anticipation, right? Gingerbread found its way onto breakfast tables long ago in the form of Starbucks' Gingerbread Latte. But, this year you can double-fist the spicy-sweet taste of gingerbread thanks to the return of the Krispy Kreme Gingerbread Glazed Doughnut.

Beginning Wednesday, Dec. 19, the seasonal Gingerbread Glazed Doughnut will be available at Krispy Kreme locations nationwide. Per Krispy Kreme, the Gingerbread Glazed is a variation on the original, but swaps the traditional yeast dough for gingerbread dough, and is covered in a warm gingerbread molasses glaze. The spicy-sweet notes in gingerbread are typically a result of its unique and heavy-handed incorporation of spices. So, it is safe to assume the doughnut will tickle your tastebuds with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and pepper. The molasses provides a richer, thicker finishing touch. It could be argued the Gingerbread Glazed doughnut is reserved for a more sophisticated palate.

Another highlight from the array of offbeat gingerbread-flavored treats you can snag this season is Gingerbread-flavored Halo Top. Last year, Food & Wine revealed Halo Top to be the most popular pint of ice cream in the United States. Once you taste the seasonal Gingerbread House variety, this will make all the sense in the world. Per Halo Top, the flavor is "loaded with ginger cookie bites and rich swirls of icing." The icing swirl really mellows the spiciness of the gingerbread, which in itself gives an extra layer of decadence to the treat.

Boutique confectionary Sugarfina has also released a take on the classic. The brand's mini mouthfuls are called Santa's Cookies, and, per their description, "...taste like they are fresh from the (North Pole) oven." Adorably tiny gingerbread cookies are coated in a layer of creamy white chocolate infused with cinnamon and spice, and wrapped in a limited-edition label sporting an illustration of the big man himself: Santa Claus.

Of course, naturally, nothing pairs better with a doughnut than coffee. If you want have the ultimate gingerbread experience for breakfast, you mind need to make a few stops. Krispy Kreme isn't releasing any gingerbread-flavored coffee drinks this year (finger crossed for next year). But, why try to improve on the perfection that is the Starbucks Gingerbread Latte? Per the coffee chain's description, the Gingerbread Latte is where "sweet and delicately spicy gingerbread flavors mingle with our classic espresso and steamed milk and are topped with whipped cream and ground nutmeg for the perfect holiday touch."

It is the most wonderful time of the year: gingerbread season. Good things never last too long, so make sure you get to Krispy Kreme before Christmas Day, when the gingerbread doughnut retires to the North Pole for the rest of the year.