Top 5 doughnuts on the Gold Coast

DELICIOUS doughnuts, dripping in salted caramel or oozing chocolate, we find the best on the Gold Coast.

Paddock Bakery in Miami has been voted the Best Bakery of the Gold Coast. Semi-sour dough artisan donuts. Picture by Scott Fletcher

DELICIOUS doughnuts, dripping in salted caramel or oozing chocolate – sure does have a ring to it. Rose Sadleir finds five of the best temptations going round

PADDOCK BAKERY

Location: Hibiscus Haven, Miami

At Paddock Bakery, you will never sink your teeth into a doughnut that’s been on the shelf for more than two hours.

Owners Ursula Palmer and Ben Watts pride themselves on quality over quantity and their semi-sourdough doughnuts are no exception.

“We want to make sure every person who gets a doughnut is having an epic experience,” says Ursula.

The doughnuts are complete with Nutella and chocolate popping candy or gooey salted caramel with pretzel cookie crumbs. A new flavour, homemade lime curd with torched meringue, will be introduced this week.

“We are pretty serious about our doughnuts,” says Ursula.

“Our baker boys hand shape them before proofing them. It’s a labour of love but at the end of the day it’s something we are proud to stand behind.”

Some of the delicious doughnuts on offer at the Paddock. Pic by Luke Marsden.

BLACKBOARD COFFEE

Location: 7/240 Varsity Parade, Varsity Lakes

Marc Kinvig and Nick Pearce have the awkward honour of being known as “those syringe guys”. The Blackboard Coffee owners have made a name for themselves with their salted caramel-injected doughnuts.

“Nick was at a big coffee expo in Melbourne and people were saying, ‘Hey, you’re those syringe guys’,” says Marc.

“We never intended it, but it’s become our thing.”

Blackboard Coffee has signature salted caramel injectable doughnuts. Picture: Regi Varghese

While they’ve garnered a cult following, the doughnuts, which are served with a syringe full of hot, salted caramel sauce, were a happy accident.

“Over a year ago we did a special dessert that had injectable caramel and had all these syringes left over. We were using them to fill the doughnuts. I was having a coffee and left one of them in a doughnut while I was drinking it and Nick said to me, ‘That’s it, we’ve got to do that’. The main attraction is that they make adults feel like children again.”

SKULL & BONES ESPRESSO BOUTIQUE

Location: 2577 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

Step aside cronut, there’s a new big brother in town. A cross between brioche and a doughnut, Skull & Bones’s bronut is the perfect mix of buttery golden goodness.

Owner Jesse Garlick gets them specially made from Adrian Grazioli at The Pastry Emporium.

“He brings them in plain and we do all the fillings and toppings in-house,” says Jesse.

“At the moment we only sell them on Fridays and Saturdays. We always sell out. They are so popular, each week we increase our orders.

“Everyone wants a guilty pleasure. They are like little pillows of goodness.”

It doesn’t help that as soon as Jesse posts one of their fun fusions on social media, people appear from nowhere.

“Every time they go up (on Instagram) people lose their mind,” says Jesse.

“Some people roll in with suggestions for flavours, and often if we have the ingredients we do them up.”

DONUT FORGET I LOVE YOU

Location: Palm Beach Farmers’ Market

Hot, fresh and fluffy – Rosie Welk and Kelly Murray have hit a hole-in-one with their organic doughnuts.

“I seriously love doughnuts and ice cream – they are my thing,” Rosie says.

A chef by trade, Kelly came up with their own organic recipe and the pair have been peddling them fresh at the markets ever since. The double proofed treats come in a variety of flavours, including white chocolate ganache, Mexican chocolate, berry compote and salted caramel.

Donut Forget I Love You’s healthier doughnuts are made with rice bran oil and dehydrated sugarcane juice.

Donut Forget - I love you does hot, fresh, fluffy doughnuts.

DONUT BOYZ

Location: Burleigh Farmers’ Markets

Sweet and crispy on the outside and fluffy and light on the inside, Donut Boyz treats are a round trip to heaven.

From caramel pecan to pistachio, glazed blueberry, chocolate and peanut butter or salted caramel popcorn, they’ll hit a sweet spot.

Or, opt for the not-so-plain cinnamon sugar doughnut.

Made from scratch, Donut Boyz’s Saturday market stall at Burleigh Heads is an extension of Scott Hoskins and Tony Kelly’s booming doughnut empire on the Sunshine Coast. Be quick though, they often sell out midmorning.