Cravings: Doughnuts

Dusted with powdered sugar, brimming with buttercream, draped in chocolate icing – the doughnut might just be the most versatile confection in the dessert kingdom, a real Everyman treat. When it comes to glazed, the airy rings at Donut Haven in DelCo’s Booth’s Corner Farmers Market are perfection. If you prefer ’em cream-filled, there are none better than those at the Northeast’s Holmesburg Bakery (pictured), where the buttercream has been made the same way – with margarine! – for more than 100 years. (Don’t scoff – there’s a reason they go through 80 dozen on busy Saturday mornings.) At his new Queen Village bistro Adsum, chef Matt Levin’s playful riff on the doughnut hole features a crispy exterior (rolled in sugar and ancho chili powder for a zingy, satisfying crunch) that bursts open to reveal a creamy ricotta filling. Fans of Krispy Kreme, which left the area in 2005, have reason to rejoice, too. The chain is returning to Philly with a new store opening in Fox Chase in November – complete with the all-important “Hot Now” light to alert fans when the doughnuts are just out of the fryer.