Doughnut Plant strawberry collection

Every month, Doughnut Plant, the NYC-founded donut shop with locations across Manhattan and Brooklyn that are certified kosher by the IKC, releases a themed collection of treats that showcase the season’s bounty. This May, all the focus is on strawberries. The special collection features four handmade donuts and a house-made drink starring the fruit and, yes, they’re all worth the detour.

The chocolate-covered strawberry shortcake is a classic offering that’s been dipped in Valrhona chocolate glaze and topped with house-made whipped cream and fresh strawberries. There’s the crumble, a yeast-raised donut filled with house-made strawberry jam, dipped in vanilla bean glaze and finished with a crumble topping. Then comes the iconic yeast square—this one featuring peanut butter made from roasted Georgia peanuts and strawberry jam. Also in square form is the vanilla bean and strawberry jam, which pairs perfectly with the strawberry agua fresca drink (as do all the others), a refreshing blend of strawberries, lemon, spring water and organic cane sugar.

Doughnut Plant was founded in 1994 by Mark Isreal, who began baking donuts in the basement of his Lower East Side tenement building using his grandfather’s recipe as a jumping-off point. What started as a humble, word-of-mouth operation (according to the myth, he’d leave bags of donuts outside his door for chefs and neighbors to pick up) grew into one of New York’s most beloved and influential donut institutions. Isreal is widely credited with pioneering the filled yeast square donut, a now-signature shape that set Doughnut Plant apart from the rest of the pack. The brand has since expanded to multiple NYC locations and even internationally, with outposts in Japan and Korea.

To get your hands on the May strawberry collection, head to any of Doughnut Plant’s New York locations, including their shops in Chelsea, the Upper West Side, the Lower East Side and Brooklyn’s Industry City. Monthly special collections tend to move fast, so earlier in the day is always the safer bet.