Avalon, NJ
Avalon holds a special place for us. My wife’s family owned a home here for many years and now we visit as renters at least once per year. As I sit here attempting to make the best of rainy weather on the back deck by the bay, I thought what a better time than to do a side by side comparison of a highly coveted breakfast confection - The Cream Filled Donut.
The “OG” and the Competition
Kohler’s bakery has been the long-standing champion here for Cream Filled Donuts, pulling guests for years from neighboring towns who stand in long lines to get a dozen of these awesome donuts. But now there are two other competitors.
Isabel’s Bakery has been around since 2001 (IIRC) and offers a great variety of baked goods, coffee and breakfast sandwiches. A solid spot for sure. But our focus here will be just the Cream Filled Donut.
High Dune Baking Company opened a few years ago and this will be my first trip. Of course the only item worth trying is the Cream Filled Donut. I understand there is some sort of hubbub between Kohlers and High Dune - not sure what that is but my expectations are high because of it!
First up: High Dune’s Cream Filled Donut
The donut was the smallest of the three, about 50% of the size of Isabels, and maybe 70% of the size of Kohler’s. Cutting the cross section shows ample cream filling.
Upon tasting, the cream had granules of undissolved sugar leaving a gritty taste on the tongue. The flavor of the cream was interesting - there was some flavor that we could not identify. At first we thought extra vanilla but weren’t sure. The cream was also decidedly heavier than expected. The donut itself was soft and pleasant but the exterior of the dough was softer than expected, almost like the oil should have been hotter or too many were made at the same time.
I ordered two donuts and a scone, totaling $9. Gave the cashier a $20, and when I got to the car realized she gave me two $5’s. I guess she tipped herself $1, or she can’t add. Either way, very annoying.
Overall: 
2 out 5 stars
Primarily because of the gritty sugar, odd cream taste, extremely small size. (I didn’t remove any stars for the cashier’s inability to make change.)
Price: $2 each.
Next: Isabel’s Cream Filled Donut
Isabel’s was the largest donut of the three. A cross section showed even cream distribution although not as overstuffed as the other two contenders.
The cream was light, very creamy (no sugar granules) with a marshmallow cream like flavor. One of our guests actually preferred this cream over the others because of that marshmallow flavor.
The donut dough itself was light and soft but lacked any defined outer crust (if you like that fried donut effect). Overall a very good, solid donut experience.
Overall: 3 out 5 stars
Solid contender. The large size and bread to cream ratio reminded me of a grocery store donut, so that pulled away a star for me. (But others here at the house said I was being too harsh.)
Price: $2.25 each.
Finally: Kohler’s Cream Filled Donut
The Kohler’s donut has the overflow dollop of cream at the top - a nice touch that is appreciated! The cream is soft, light, fluffy and flavorful without any sugar granules and the perfect cream flavor.
The dough is soft and fresh with a slight crispness to the outside, indicative of a good fry at a respectable temperature. The contrast of the crisp outer, soft inner and dissolving cream is a pleasure for the senses. It all matches perfectly to make it the best overall cream donut experience.
The only downside is the cost. Six cream filled donuts and two twist donuts totaled $26.
Overall: 4 out 5 stars
Hands down, the best Cream Filled Donut on the island. The standouts for me were the light cream, melt on your tongue dough with the decidedly crisp outside from the fry. Absolutely a treat. Price, however caused the loss of a star.
So, there you have it.
Kohler’s is the winner in my book.
Well worth the price for such a great cream donut experience.