When I was a kid, I remember on Saturdays every now and again, my Dad would take me to Town and Country Village to buy donuts. I don’t think he ever really understood why I was never really interested in actual donuts. Instead, it was the donut holes. He’d ask me, “why don’t you just choose a donut that’s flavored the same as the donut holes?” All I could think about was savoring the flavors and textures in every unique donut hole I chose…cuz of course, he let me choose a dozen! A DOZEN ASSORTED DONUT HOLES I GOT TO CAREFULLY CHOOSE MYSELF WITH GREAT CARE. The person behind the counter would get me my own box ready and I’d point at every single donut hole and ask her what it tasted like - was it soft and fluffy? Was it silky? Is that sugar glaze? Is that cinnamon sugar? Is it cakey in the middle or silky? Is there a filling? I’d ask her all the questions and she’d have all the answers. The excitement! Then when my selections were finally complete, I’d skip out of the store with my very own box of donut holes. My favorites were always the cake ones and the old fashioned buttermilk ones (so…cake ones :)… )…with different flavors added to them sometimes…then rolled in sugar. Clearly, I remember these visits to the donut store with my Dad. When I started creating donut bites this year, I thought about those memories made with my Dad. I also thought about the textures of those donut holes he’d get me and what I loved most about the cake ones. I won’t ever get to savor an actual donut hole from my neighborhood donut store again. But I remember what they were like as if it was yesterday. I knew I could recreate that texture in a whole new family of donut bites…to become the perfect vehicle for my most favorite flavors and new ones yet to be discovered.

Today, I took these here cacao five spice orange donut bites to some of my favorite new creations taste testers. I assumed someone would want more chocolate…others, more orange zest…maybe less five spice. Instead, one of my favorite testers, held my face in the palms of her hands and said, '‘DO NOT CHANGE THESE. THEY ARE PERFECT! I’d like to place an order in advance as soon as they are in production!”

So…I’d like to introduce to you, the cacao five spice orange donut bites. When I first tasted these, I thought I wonder if Dad would’ve liked these? He was a creature of habit. He liked what he liked and rarely ventured out to try new things. But when I’d take him to new places and my eyes would get big when I’d see something I really wanted to try, he’d try it, too…and then it became a new thing he’d venture out to get on his own. Decided. He would’ve liked these! Whenever I make these donut bites, I will always think of my Dad and those Donut Hole Saturdays…and I’d savor a few just for him.