It’s easy to stick to your local mainstays and go-to dessert destinations, but some newcomers are worth traveling a little extra for – whether that’s out of your comfort zone or Manhattan. In Astoria’s up-and-coming Ditmars area, chef Scottish Francis is the creative mastermind behind Sugar & Water NYC, a hole-in-the-wall bakery specializing in decadently topped donuts and dossants (an updated take on the croissant-donuts). Instead of your yeast-risen variety or cake-driven rounds of dough, dossants are interwoven with crispy layers of pastry, deep fried in a golden-brown coat and packaged in a playful variety of flavors. With a base that is incredibly light and airy, there’s more than enough room for thickly spread glazes and over-the-top toppings – these are my favorite finds…
Chocolate gold dust dossant
The thought of receiving a diamond Tiffany ring has never excited me, but hand me a gold-dusted dossant and I will love you forever. More than just an Instagram hit, those shimmering flakes of gold make way for a deeply rich dark chocolate spread, which is the perfect partner to its feather-light base.
Pink dossant
The sibling to Sugar & Water’s golden girl, the pink dossant comes with a sweet strawberry-spiked vanilla and lots of brisk white sprinkles. The final touch – besides gold glitter – is slightly unexpected, with marble-colored pearls providing your taste buds with extra pops of flavor and crunch.
Blueberry bruléed cake donut
A donut in this line-up of dossants, this soft round of dough lies beneath a crackling layer of caramelized sugar, which is then lined with fresh blueberry icing and rolled into more sugar. While the whole thing is super sweet, one bite manages to combine crunch with softness, finished off with little blueberries dotting inside.
Confetti dossant
Vanilla glazed with confetti might seem basic, but there’s a reason the classics always stick around (pun unintended). It’s also what’s on the inside that counts, and those crave-worthy croissant-like layers are far from basic. This one is also available as a regular donut, just in case you prefer to keep things entirely traditional.
Address: 29-14 23rd Ave, Long Island City, NY 11105.
