One perk of traveling is trying local cuisines in a new setting and while a donut shop isn’t necessarily some place new for me, I’ll never pass up the opportunity to go to a regional shop. On a recent visit back to my home state of Massachusetts, I headed to the southern part of the state for a Neil Young concert and was able to also double dip on pleasure with a stop at Basic Batch Donuts in the town of Milford.
What originally began as a pop-up experience back in 2017 transitioned into a full-time affair in October of 2020 (a remarkable feat considering the state of the world at the time) and has since become a wonderful addition in a state dominated by the Dunkin’ chain. Founded by a couple who lost their jobs in the pandemic, one of them has an actual degree in pastry baking and it’s no surprise that she’s put those skills to use, creating some marvelous confectionary treats made by hand with passion and purpose.
Each month the shop whips up a new menu with as many as six additions to their growing list of flavors. On my visit, I opted for my usual Boston Cream (an obvious choice when in the home state and a great constant in which to judge their standards) as well as a Biscoff Cookie Batter cruller. The later was a soft, fluffy, and moist treat, a french cruller style donut dipped in cookie butter glaze with biscoff cookie crumbs and swirls of white chocolate glaze that melted in my mouth with each bite. An excellent option if you happen to see it on the menu, the cookie crumble topping added excellent texture to the airy dough that had a slight crisp, making it a nearly perfect treat.
The classic Boston Cream was also quite good, albeit not quite as fresh tasting at the cruller, but the custard filling made up for what was lacking in the dough. I also tasted the Fruity Pebbles, something that’s becoming more of a standard these days, and was impressed with this option as well.
The quaint shop had lots of other delectable looking baked goods as well like handmade pop-tarts, cookies, cinnamon buns, and fritters as well as some good coffee. It’s inspiring to see such a thriving environment with excellent offerings blossom post-pandemic and come into their own as a (hopeful) favorite of the neighborhood and community. Here’s to hoping they make it for the long haul and continue to offer creative flavors in addition to their super-friendly service.
Scores:
Biscoff Cookie Batter cruller: 9/10
Boston Cream: 7/10
Marc collects vinyl, is obsessed with music, donuts, and has picked up a passion for great service from Jason. His current favorite donut is Carrot Cake from Doughnut Plant.