Since we weren’t sure if we’d get a chance to return to the Pacific Northwest, we wanted to see as much of it as possible. We began our day of exploration with a stop at Legendary Doughnuts in Tacoma WA.
Will we choose a Fat Albert or a Homer Simpson?
All I can say is OH MY G-D!!! You can’t even imagine the variety of pastries were on display inside this beautiful donut shop. If you scroll through the menu on their website you will count more than 86 different donuts. And several of those have variables due to different fillings. I’m not even counting the donut balls, doggie donuts, seasonal items and custom orders in that number.
Legendary Doughnuts Tacoma WA
What lies beneath the lid of this donut box from Legendary Doughnuts Tacoma WA?
History
This is only half of the donuts that were available for our enjoyment at Legendary Doughnuts in Tacoma WA
Shannon and Ken Patten opened Legendary Doughnuts in 2010, in the Lake Hills community of Auburn Washington. It quickly became a Pacific Northwest icon. Using unique flavors and quirky names, each donut is hand created and made fresh daily with premium ingredients.
Their mission was to spread love and joy in the form of donuts. And they have been rewarded with a loyal following and Best of Tacoma Award for three years in a row, qualifying Legendary Doughnuts for the 2016 Tacoma Business Hall of Fame.
The Pattens wanted to open a spot where “everyone in the community would be welcome. Whether it was young kids, elderly folk, or business people popping in for a doughnut or coffee, Legendary Doughnuts was created as a place to spread the love. Because nothing in the world makes us happier than the perfect doughnut!”
So many delicious looking donuts at Legendary Doughnuts Tacoma WA! How do we choose just one?
At any given time you will find at least 30 different donuts available. But if what you desired is not on display, just ask. They will make it for you right away! That’s what I call amazing customer service and dedication to their patrons.
The quirky names are part of the appeal. These extravagant donuts are named for celebrities, television characters and philosophers to pay homage to everyone who has made life what it is today. A few of those honored with pastries named for them are Lucille Ball, Charlie Brown, Albert Einstein, Snow White, and even Captain Jack from Pirates of the Caribbean. And of course we can’t omit their pride for the state and its cities with their Sleepless in Seattle cake doughnut which is dunked in a mocha glaze and cream, topped off with a flourish of chocolate coated espresso beans.
Legendary Doughnuts are truly legendary as they are the kind of fluffy, freshly made doughnuts that we all dream about. But that’s not all that they sell. You can also indulge your craving for sweet baked goods with brownies, lemon bars, cannoli and seasonal treats such as hot cocoa bombs, traditional Pack for Mardi Gras and even treats for your canine fur babies.
The Oprah Donut
And if you are celebrating something you can order a variety of Celebratory Cakes which consist of giant glazed donut rings stacked like a layer cake. There are cakes that look like a hamburger in a bun, complete with “French Fries” of donut dough, donut towers, booze filled doughnut balls. If you’re looking for a truly legendary dessert consider the King Kong. The King Kong is a maple bacon cake that is two feet in diameter and weighs about 11 pounds. That’s a lot of cake!!!
If that’s not enough, in 2016 they had an innovative idea to create the Polar Panini. This summertime treat is a doughnut/ice cream hybrid surrounding cooling ice cream with a fluffy donut thus bringing us the quintessential ice cream sandwich. Sound impossible? Here’s how they do it. A doughnut is sliced in half and stuffed with vanilla ice cream. Then it’s grilled in a custom panini press for exactly 9 seconds. You can choose whatever filling you like.
The categories
If variety is the spice of life – Legendary Doughnuts is very, very spicy!!!
So sorry to do this to you, so just be thankful that there are zero calories in just reading these descriptions. I promise. But I really want you to fully understand just how hard our decision was.
The menu at Legendary Doughnuts is divided into categories and I’m going to describe a few donuts in each of their categories, beginning with the Legendary section.
Legendary Doughnuts
Menu items are highlighted on the walls of Legendary Doughnuts
In this category you will find the Twix, a raised bar covered in chocolate icing, shortbread cookies and drizzled with caramel. The Snickers Bar is a raised bar dunked in chocolate, sprinkled with peanuts, and topped with a drizzle of caramel. The Oprah Bar is a raised bar frosted with maple icing and sprinkled with freshly cooked bacon. The Hot Fudge Sundae is a raised ring or chocolate cake frosted in chocolate, drizzled with caramel, and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. The Almond Joy consists of a raised ring or chocolate cake donut topped with chocolate icing, sprinkled with almonds, and finished with a pile of coconut cream. And the listings in the Legendary category go on and on!
Famous Doughnuts
Under the Famous heading are donuts like the Sex and the City, a chocolate cake doughnut dunked in chocolate icing, drizzled with thick caramel and sprinkled with sea salt. The Fred Flintstone is a raised ring dunked in vanilla icing and fruity pebbles. The Captain Jack, a seasonal item, is a boozy chocolate cake doughnut dunked in rum flavored chocolate icing, drizzled with fudge and topped with chocolate sprinkles. Their homage to New Orleans is the Bourbon Street, which is an old fashioned doughnut dunked in chocolate and peanuts, then drizzled with caramel. And let’s not forget the Albert Einstein, a raised ring or chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate icing and coconut flakes
Amateur Doughnuts
Donuts of every shape and color are available at Legendary Doughnuts
This category includes temptations like the Double Chocolate, a chocolate cake doughnut covered in chocolate icing. Casper the Friendly Ghost is a raised ring rolled in powdered sugar. And the Blues Bros, a glazed blueberry cake doughnut, which is only available during blueberry season.
Doughnut Balls
Under this heading you’ll find Boozy Balls, raised glazed ball shape doughnuts filled with Brown Sugar Bourbon cream or Bailey’s cream. Assorted doughnut balls in every flavor, and filled doughnut balls which also come in assorted filling flavors. And we can’t leave out the Fire Balls, raised ball shaped doughnut filled with habanero jelly and topped with cream cheese icing.
How did we choose
It was mind boggling to say the least. With so many to choose from, each description sounding more delicious that the one before, how do you possible narrow it down to one choice? Well I defy you to choose only one. We couldn’t, that’s for sure.
An Oprah, a Double Chocolate and a Tart Lemon Pillow
An Oprah and an Apple Fritter
An Apple Fritter as big as my head!
After considerable deliberation, Steve and I whittled our choices down four. We chose the Oprah Bar, which happens to be their best seller, a Tart Lemon Pillow, a Double Chocolate, and an Apple Fritter that was as big as my head. I have to say that it would be worth going back to Washington just for more of those Legendary Doughnut. They were that good!!!
Trackbacks/Pingbacks