Just a few days into the greatest season of all, Fall offers up the best of the Midwest: cider, donuts, cozy weather, and time to enjoy it all! Throughout the next several weekends, I will be venturing out to the (within a day's drive) areas of Michigan that offer up apples, cider mills, and most importantly donuts. In each blog, I will be updating my definitive ranking of the best cider donuts in Michigan. If you are a fan of fall flavors, fluffy rings of calories, and getting cinnamon sugar all over your fingers, take this journey with me and see if you agree with my decisions!
My donut expectations:
light and fluffy
full of fall flavor
considerate dusting of cinnamon sugar/ spice
fresh and warm
My Cider Mill expectations:
fun experience
cute fall scenery
gift shop options
marketing to represent the company
Parmenter's Northville Cider Mill + Northville Winery and Brewing Company, Northville, MI
The first stop in my donut journey this year, I went to Parmenter's almost two weeks ago (before the official first day of fall.) A good friend of mine just moved to the area and we wanted to check out some local attractions. There were a lot of cool things about this location: shares a parking lot with Northville Winery and Brewing Company, family friendly activities outside the buildings, beautiful marketing, walkable to downtown Northville, and a scenic area for photos.
Sadly, I wasn't impressed with the donut. Though there was actual cinnamon flavor throughout the donut dough itself, the coating was not made up of coarse sugar, but a much finer sugar blend that actually feels as if it loses some of the flavor. Additionally, it seemed as if the sugar application was long after the donut had already cooled. They were not fresh out of the fryer and warm to the touch upon eating them shortly after purchase. The donut itself was dense and sadly unsatisfying for me.
Meeting donut expectations:
light and fluffy? - not at all
full of fall flavor? - there were hints of fall, but subtly
cinnamon sugar dusting? - yes, but the wrong texture
fresh and warm? - sadly. no.
The cider mill itself was very cute. There were the typical kid attractions sprinkled throughout the outdoor areas (wooden trains, photo opportunities to stick your head into frames, haybales, etc.) Additionally, they had a bratwurst stand, as well as a few other stands that weren't open on that day. The gift shop contained local small business products for interested buyers. Across the parking lot, we visited Northville Winery and Brewing Company. I have been told I am a bit of a wine snob, which isn't exactly wrong... so for a fair evaluation of the location, I selected a hard cider. If you are a fan of lavender flavored things, try out the Wallflower cider, it is incredibly refreshing and tasty.
Overall donut ranking: 4/10 - Would go back for a good time with friends but probably wouldn't get another donut.
Diehl's Orchard & Cider Mill, Holly, MI
Fair warning, I am very partial to Diehl's. This was the first cider mill that I truly enjoyed upon moving out here. It has been my favorite for the last eleven years and I bring guests to visit this place anytime they are in town. Plus, I have taken Killian here a time or two and he is too precious in a cider mill environment.
On the first day of Fall, I went on an adventure with my mom around to four different cider mills. I wanted Diehl's to be our first stop and, as always, I was not disappointed. There are so many cute photo opportunities, a plethora of options in the shop, an opportunity to watch them make the donuts while you wait in line, and a large assortment of apple options. We bought apples, sauces, salsas, cups, and so many donuts. The hot cider at Diehl's is one of my favorites ( and the only one I bought this day to avoid overdoing the sugar levels.) One thing I do wish Diehl's did better is their marketing on bags and cups. Though the ones they have clearly work fine, I enjoy the aesthetic of posting a picture with a branded travel cup or bag of donuts.
Now, the donut itself! Here are the reasons this donut has been my favorite for the last several years: you can see the cinnamon sugar in the above picture and it is clearly a nice amount of coarse coverage, the donuts come right off the fryer conveyor belt and go into a bag upon your order, they are fluffy and have a great cider and spice flavor, and they feel like home when you eat them (regardless of the fact that cider donuts are not often or ever made at home.) I will continue to return to Diehl's year after year to enjoy the experience and the flavors of Fall.
Meeting donut expectations:
light and fluffy? - fluffy and cloudlike
full of fall flavor? - cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg- all present
cinnamon sugar dusting? - covered my fingertips and my pants
fresh and warm? - watched as they came out, waited until cool enough to eat
Overall donut ranking: 9/10 - It may be the nostalgia factor at this point for me, but this is just a really solid donut that brings me so much joy and signifies the start of my favorite time of year.
Parshallville Cider Mill, Fenton, MI
This was by far the most picturesque location we visited. Truly a gorgeous area, with immense amounts of foliage, a river running right past the mill, and adorable bridges along the walkway. The owners are ready to sell the business however, as it is adorned with a FOR SALE sign out front. If anyone has aspirations of running a cider mill, now is the time! All of the staff inside were incredibly friendly and welcoming. The gift shop options were vast, and even included options from American Spoon, one of my favorite stores in Michigan that generally only has locations Up North.
As much as I enjoyed the environment of the store, the mill, and the surrounding nature, that had no effect on my enjoyment of the donut. I watched as they pulled the donut bag out of a warm box behind the register, which I feel is the fall donut equivalent of a hot 'n ready from Little Caeser's; it gets the job done but it's just not as satisfying as the real thing. The donut was cold by the time I finished taking pictures outside and sat down to eat it. The crumb was dense and while it was the right texture of cinnamon sugar, it was a light dusting and there was a strange flavor added to their spice mix that I just couldn't put my finger on. Additionally, I could taste the oil and that always takes me out of the enjoyment I get from eating a donut. This was the second cider mill we visited that day and I quickly realized that I would not be able to eat a full donut at each location. They also didn't have an option for a single donut here so we had to buy at least six donuts.
Meeting donut expectations:
light and fluffy? - dense.
full of fall flavor? - not much flavor could overcome the oil taste
cinnamon sugar dusting? - not nearly enough
fresh and warm? - essentially a hot 'n ready
Overall donut ranking: 2.5/10 - it was still a donut, but my face in the above picture says it all- not great, unsatisfying, but the views were pretty.
Markillie Orchard, Howell, MI
At this point in our journey, I was getting overwhelmed by the sugar and I was ready for lunch. It seemed like a cute place, but after the last location I had low expectations. Then we went inside and it was so open, with a few small things for sale. It was pretty and green outside but seemed fairly basic and boring. Perhaps I was being a bit judgmental of the surrounding area because I was fully prepared to not enjoy this donut. When I looked at the menu, you had the option of a cinnamon spiced donut, or you could get them covered in fruit flavored frosting; all of that seemed like too much and that it would be gimmicky.
Though I didn't even think to entertain the thought of the frosted donuts, I bought a single cinnamon spice donut, took my photo, and got in the car to venture off to have some food without sugar. I am so disappointed that I only bought a single donut. This place served the single best cider mill donut I have ever experienced. It was hot. It was light and fluffy. It was thick. It had flavor throughout the dough as well as in the cinnamon sugar coating. Everything about this donut surpassed my expectations of what a cider mill donut should be. I am ashamed of the judgments that I made going in, and I will be going back to purchase and enjoy more of these donuts very soon.
Meeting donut expectations:
light and fluffy? - gave light and fluffy a new definition
full of fall flavor? - a field of mums worth of Fall
cinnamon sugar dusting? - surpassed expectations
fresh and warm? - like a blanket right out of the dryer
Overall donut ranking: 9.5/10 - Only because I don't know what else is out there and don't want to scream perfection too soon...
Barkham Creek Farms, Haslett, MI
This was our last cider mill visit of the day. After Markillie, we stopped at Bergdorf's Winery also in Haslett, and did a quick tasting there. This cider mill was right around the corner and though we were really hoping for some vegetables or other healthy food options, the wine paired with cheese and crackers certainly helped cleanse our palettes for the next donut eating venture. Barkham Creek Farms seemed fairly popular with a good amount of cars and people. The aesthetic was very fall, and very farm forward so it was a cute place to visit. I couldn't find a great place to take a picture with signage of the farm though so their marketing needs some work. The employees didn't seem overly friendly and honestly seemed kind of annoyed that they needed to stop their side conversations with each other because I was ready to order.
As far as the donut goes, it was pretty forgettable. The texture was fine, not too dense but not really light. The flavor had floral notes, but it wasn't cardamom so I am not really sure which spice they added to be different; I am not sure I am really a fan of it though. There wasn't much wrong with the donut, just not really much that was enough to make me feel warm and fuzzy and cozy. Especially after a wine tasting, I expected to really like anything I ate from there.
Meeting donut expectations:
light and fluffy? -more so like a muffin, not dense but not light
full of fall flavor? - floral, but not in a delightful way
cinnamon sugar dusting? - lightly dusted
fresh and warm? - ehhh, more humid warm than comforting warm
Overall donut ranking: 3.5/10 - With nothing memorable, it gets a mid rating.
With that, we have come to the end of part one of our donut tasting journey! Hopefully I can keep the unnecessary calories from creeping in, but I know for sure this will be an adventure filled with fun and enjoyment! Here are the standings after the first five stops:
Markillie Orchard
Diehl's Orchard & Cider Mill
Parmenter's Northville Cider Mill
Barkham Creek Farms
Parshallville Cider Mill
Check back for more Fall flavor reviews!
Comments