Sweet of the Week: Eggnog Doughnut from Firecakes Donuts

I've never really understood everyone's gluttonous fascination with eggnog. People fawn over it each year like it's some sort of caloric holy grail, ravishing in the fact that it's socially acceptable to binge on it for a few weeks before Christmas, right before New Year's resolutions smack you back into reality. Growing up, my dad would go through cartons of the stuff, seemingly by himself. No one else at home really drank the stuff. For me, it always seemed eerily thick and reminiscent of French toast batter. And I didn't like the idea of drinking eggs. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'm certainly not above drinking a good egg-based drink, but I'm still not very keen on nog. Sure I'll have it incorporated in other things now and again, but I never seek it out. That's all about to change now that I've sunk my teeth into the life-affrming eggnog doughnut at Firecakes Donuts. 

Dainty in appearance, the eggnog doughnuts from Firecakes are nothing if not decadent and intense. These diminutive confections pack a wallop of flavor in one hand-held snack, absolutely brimming with slightly sweet eggnog flavor in every morsel inside and out. If you're going to insist I ingest eggnog, I'd prefer it be in doughnut form, so that the nog itself is not beating me over the head with heavy flavor and body. Rather, in this case it melds nicely inside a fried dough pocket, working in tandem to deliver me a solid bite of balanced eggnog. The doughnuts come filled with a punch of eggnog custard, topped off with eggnog icing. One sniff and you know what you're getting into. One bite and you're off the wagon entirely. It's the type of dessert capable of luring eggnog-naysayers like myself and making them a believer. It's a Christmas miracle!

- Matt Kirouac