Darling Doughnuts Update

Best Time To Beat the Line, Sell-Out Flavors & New Vegan Recipe

UPDATE (for the original article, scroll below)

Business has been booming at the brand new Darling Doughnuts that opened on Broadway in July. Offering a rotating menu of a dozen or so flavors each week (with over 50 total), the local doughnut shop has quickly exploded in popularity with people lining up daily to grab some gourmet doughnuts before they sell out each day — which can be as early as 11AM.

If you haven’t had a chance to stop into the shop yet, here are some tips from Darling Doughnuts’ owner, Natascha Pearl-Mansman:

What days and times are the quietest/shortest wait?

“Honestly there hasn’t really been a quieter day since our opening, but on weekdays the lines seem to be a little shorter and the wait a little less than on the weekends. We’ve sold out as early as 11am, or as late as 1pm, so the best bet for the best selection of flavors is to come early. We do try to keep the line moving quickly and efficiently, and take drink orders for people in line as well.”

Can customers call in orders ahead?

“We do not currently accept preorders or online ordering. People have started lining up an hour before opening each day, so to keep it fair for everyone that’s coming out all orders are first come first served and there is a quantity limit of one dozen regular squares or two mini samplers per person. We hope that when things slow down eventually that we will have preordering available.”

Blueberry Doughrogies are among the flavors that sell out the fastest

Which flavors sell out the fastest?

“As to which flavors sell out the fastest that seems to change day by day. Galaxy Glazed and Churro are two of our most popular flavors and are on the menu every week, but this week the Blueberry Doughrogi seemed to be the first to go! We’re producing on average 1000 doughnuts daily so roughly 100 of each flavor are available every day.”

Anything new we should keep an eye out for?

“We introduced fritters a few weeks ago and they have been a big hit! They’re served hot and fresh starting at 11am each day either tossed in spiced sugar or dipped in a variety of glazes. We’re also developing a vegan recipe and when it’s ready we’ll probably have one or two flavors available daily. Other products we are working on are crullers, which are doughnuts made with choux pastry rather than dough. We are also planning on carrying French macarons from Alchemy Bagel Company and sugar cookies from The Muffin Top Baker.”

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — With 50 flavors to choose from, Darling Doughnuts specializes in handcrafted brioche doughnuts made from all local ingredients. The shop, located at 441 B Broadway in Saratoga Springs, will have its highly-anticipated grand opening on Wednesday, July 29. For the time being, they will operate as a grab n go counter with limited outdoor seating and a rotating weekly menu featuring 10 flavors. (As per NYS guidelines, masks are required inside and social distancing should be practiced).

Natascha Pearl-Mansman with daughter, Clementine on her first birthday

Darling Doughnuts was started by Natascha Pearl-Mansman as a pop-up shop in 2018. A reference to the song “Oh My Darling, Clementine,” the name was inspired by Pearl-Mansman’s first daughter, Clementine. After a year of pop-up events, thousands of doughnuts sold and over 70 flavors developed, Pearl-Mansman was quickly outgrowing her commercial kitchen. In 2019, she partnered with doughnut-enthusiast, Glenn Severance, and they began planning a brick-and-mortar shop in Saratoga Springs.

“People often think of doughnuts as being pretty sweet – but our doughnut dough actually contains almost no sugar (just enough to feed the yeast),” she explains. “We specialize in handcrafted yeast-raised brioche doughnuts. All the glazes are made with real ingredients rather than extracts or flavorings. The fruit glazes are made with real fruit, the coffee flavors have fresh espresso in them, and even our cake flavors have cake blended right into the glaze. All the ingredients for our dough, from the flour to the milk, butter, and eggs come from local farms and producers.”

The menu alone is delightful, with categories like: Fruit, Classic, Coffee & Tea, Sundae, Old School, Cereal, Cake, Savory, and Doughrogies (“a doughnut and a perogi met and had a gooey filled baby”). And each doughnut is as beautiful as it is delicious thanks to Pearl-Mansman’s background in fine art.

For those having a tough time choosing, two of their most popular flavors are their Reese’s doughnut (peanut glazed topped with Oreo cookie crumbles, dark chocolate drizzle, and a Reese’s cup) and the Churro (rolled in spiced sugar and topped with a cayenne-spiced dark chocolate drizzle). Pearl-Mansman’s personal favorite? Blue Strazzberry (strawberry/blueberry/raspberry glazed), which was named for the famous quote in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory:” “the snozzberries taste like snozzberries!”

Reese’s doughnut

Customers have a range of options for ordering – from single doughnuts to minis to a box of holes. You can also get a free quote for custom orders for weddings, birthdays, showers, and other events on their website.

“I’m really so thankful for all of the support we’ve received over the last two years,” says Pearl-Mansman. “When I first started out I had no idea if people would even be into artisan doughnuts, but the business took off immediately. I sold nearly 20,000 doughnuts just doing pop-up shops and special orders for weddings and events, and now we’re just about to open our brick and mortar store. I had always had an entrepreneurial spirit, but never thought it was the right time to ‘take the leap’ – but after having my first child I wanted to prove to her that if you work hard and follow your dreams that anything is possible. My second daughter is just three weeks old now, and I’m thankful that I’ll be able to bring her to work with me and share this experience with my family. None of this would have been possible without the support of all of our customers, all the people that donated to our gofundme, and our friends and family.”

Darling Doughnuts Menu

FRUIT

• Blue Strazzberry
• Lemon Poppyseed
• Cranberry Orange
• Apple Pie
• Key Lime
• Tropicolada

CLASSIC

• Black & White
• Caramel Stroopwafel
• Churro
• Maple
• Cookie Butter
• PB&J

COFFEE & TEA

• Hot Cocoa
• Cafe Mocha
• Chai Latte
• Cafe Latte
• Matcha
• Earl Grey

SUNDAE

• Neopolitan
• Pistachio
• Galaxy Glazed
• Banana Split
• Butter Pecan
• Rainbow Sherbet

OLD SCHOOL

• Pop Tart
• Reese’s
• Dunkaroos
• S’mores
• Almond Joy
• Worms ‘N Dirt

CEREAL

• Cocoa Loco
• Charms
• Honey Bunches
• Fruit Salad
• Cookie Monster
• French Toast

CAKE

• White Wedding
• Cheesecake
• Lemon Bar
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Funfetti
• Brownie Batter

SAVORY

• Alchemy Everything Bagel
• Pizza

DOUGHROGIES

• Seasonal Fruit Doughrogi
• Chocolate Bomb
• Banoffee Doughrogi
• Apple Spice Doughrogi
• Lemon Doughrogi
• Cinnamon Roll

For more information, visit DarlingDoughnuts.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram

July 27, 2020 – Eli King Conklin for Roohan Realty | LinkedIn