Donuts are something that do not have a long history here in Korea. Baked goods are not a typical form of snack, as rice has long been our staple compared to wheat.
With the influx of western culture over the last 70 years, many more desserts and dishes have become popular here, and donuts is one of those foods.
For a long time, most of our donuts were Korean style, and often involved red beans or other interesting fillings. As far as I can remember, Dunkin’ Donuts was the first company to enter the Korean market, and certainly the first big chain in Ulsan. Originally they had a very American menu, but over time they have added many donuts with a local taste.
I first heard about Krispy Kreme while traveling in the United States. I never had a chance to try one, and so when I first heard about a store in Busan, I drove there just to try it out. It was love at first bite!
The soft pillowy donut, which I am sure some people don’t like, just melted in mouth! It was heavenly.
Since then, Krispy Kreme has expanded and we even have a store here in Ulsan.
Krispy Kreme, much like Dunkin Donuts, first started here in Korea with their American menu for the most part, and has slowly evolved to add some donuts with local tastes, and some interesting creations that can almost not be called a donut.
For most of the major holidays or big events, Krispy Kreme creates special themed donuts, and this Christmas holiday is no exception. I took a look at a few other countries websites for Krispy Kreme and couldn’t find any other place that has the same styles as Korea, so I just had to give them a try.
When I went to the Krispy Kreme store in Ulsan it was deserted. These days, most cafes and restaurants do not offer seating, so I had to get the donuts to go. The display case was fully loaded with delicious treats, and they even had a Christmas tree set up in one corner.
There were three donuts that had a distinct Christmas feel: The Pure Snowman, Snow Crystal, and Christmas Wish Tree. There was also a double donut, the Christmas Double Tree, but I passed on this. Sadly, I wish that I had chosen it, but sometimes these things happen!
After a few more stops, I got home with my box of donuts.
Opening the box up, the donuts still looked as good as when I bought them in the store. (Sadly my finger slipped and made a small mark in the white cream on the Christmas Wish Tree!!)
The first donut I tried was the Christmas Wish Tree. It starts with a basic Krispy Kreme plain donut. On top is a coating of green apple flavored icing, a ring of white cream, some candy sprinkles, and a yellow chocolate star.
The Christmas Wish Tree was delicious. The green apple icing was tart and really helped to balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients. The sprinkles added a nice little crunch, and the cream was soft and sweet. I really do love green apples, so this one was perfect for me.
Next I tried the Snow Crystal donut. This is a filled donut with a light cream, covered in white chocolate which is sprinkled with powdered strawberry and sugar. The donut looked wonderful, and the outline of the snowflake was so nice to look at.
Sadly, I had to cut into it and try it. The donut was also delicious. It was much sweeter than the Christmas Wish Tree however. The white chocolate layer and the powdered toppings were nice, as the strawberry powder was very subtle. The light cream, which had touch of custard to it, was outstanding. It really made the donut, and it was so enjoyable to eat. Krispy Kreme really should use this more, as they used to use it more in the past.
Finally I tried the Pure Snowman donut. This has white icing on the top, and has a strawberry jam filling. The outside is actually also sold in the Krispy Kreme locations in Japan, although it looks like it has a chocolate filling and not strawberry.
The Pure Snowman was my least favorite of the three. It was good, sweet, but not quite as good as the other two.
Overall, the Krispy Kreme winter donuts were excellent. I really enjoyed them! Missing out on the Christmas Double Tree was a bit regrettable, but it would have been the same taste as the Christmas Wish Tree, just more. I would definitely buy them again!
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