This blog entry is about mini sparkle donuts. That’s it! Nothing complicated here! I like them. The vanilla one is my favorite. The frosting is wonderfully sweet and rich. I don’t even know what those sparkles are (okay, I assume sugar) but they’re wonderful little sprinkles. The donut part of the donuts is moist and yummy. And these little guys are a bargain at seventy-five cents each. Starbucks launched the mini donuts on January 12, 2010, and I hope they stick around for a while, though I can’t count on it. Starbucks is notorious for rapid new food launches. One minute it’s there, the next minute it is gone.
I felt like my last two blog entries had a little intensity to them – an intriguing interview with Bryant Simon, and an intense discussion of customers making donations at the register. When all is said and done, I felt like it was time for an easy short blog post. Here it is: I like sparkle donuts. The photo for this blog post was taken January 16, 2010 at one of my favorite Starbucks. I asked for for-here ware. As an aside, this store has great for-here ware. The beverage was a whole milk chai latte. I don’t admit it often, but yes I drink a number of non-coffee beverages.
Hope that you enjoy sparkle donuts too! Has anyone here tried them?
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I want to give them a shot, but so far I haven’t seen them at either of the two Starbucks that I’ve visited since they were released.
My son and I LOVE the sparkle doughnuts! He’s a big Top-Pot fan. I don’t care that much for doughnuts in general, but the mini sparkle ones are great!
I took my son and his friend sledding the other day and we stopped at Starbucks for hot chocolate and mini doughnuts. I think my son’s friend liked them too because I only ended up with one for myself!
I actually love dunking the chocolate ones in my chai, mmm
(Reply to Mike & CD) – Even in Seattle where top pot is based, I notice that the mini sparkle donuts are quite popular, and if you don’t get to the store by morning or early afternoon, the odds are, they’ll be all gone.
Mike, if you get there early and there is none there then I’ll start to wonder! Maybe they don’t sell them in Florida? Can anyone confirm or dispel this idea?
CD- I’m not even into donuts either but these things are a nice treat.
They sell them here in Florida, Melody. You just have to get to the stores in the morning since they are usually gone by the afternoon/evening.
Does anyone remember the 12second channel that Starbucks had? I think I remember a customer suggesting these from that site.
I cannot wait to try these! They look so adorably delicious. I’m heading down to our local Starbucks today and I am hoping upon high that they have some.
We had mini donuts over the pond here for a while, they were ever so popular as a little treat. We phased them out and replaced them with Top Pot donuts which are ACE!
If they’re still around by summer I’ll take a sample.
Top Pot donuts are great. Not seen any sparkle donuts in my local (Leicester) starbucks… yet?
Ah! These look so good… I may be headed there tomorrow or the next day!
I’ve said it on Twitter before, but Starbucks figured out how to make donuts even better – Add frosting and sugar! They’re super sweet, but I love how they balance out the bitterness of my Americano.
They’re a fantastic addition to the menu.
really wish we had these, they look so yummy! I have a serious sweet tooth
Ooh. Doughnuts? I approve of doughnuts. Especially mini ones. Especially mini chocolate ones. (Somebody mentioned chocolate, yes?)
I like to have something to do at a Starbucks – there’s that “always available familiar living room” thing. But I don’t drink coffee. Bitty chocolate doughnuts and the largest milk they’ll pour me would do very nicely. Sugar. Mmmm.
ChickenFreak
I saw these yesterday and was amazed at just how sparkly these little suckers are. So cute!
I love the sparkle doughnuts, especially the chocolate ones! As much as I love the old-fashioned Top Pot doughnuts, the glaze makes my hands sticky, and they probably have a few hundred calories apiece. The little sparkle doughnuts, on the other hand, are less sticky and make me feel less guilty about indulging. So delicious. The sparkly sugar crystals remind me of snow, so in my subconscious mind I assumed they would be a winter/seasonal product, but I truly have no idea.
I really wish we sold Mighty-O instead of Top Pot. The new mini-donuts are good, but if I’m at my store I’m just going to cross the street and get cinnamon donuts from Daily Dozen.
On a much less negative note, that store in the picture looks awesome. I wonder where that is and how many handsome baristas with beards they have….
(Reply to Jeremy) You gave me a good laugh out loud! LOL Your store does have the most distinctive for here ware. I was there yesterday and Taylor was working. I met a newer barista who probably wondered, “that’s strange – a girl taking pics of her donuts!”
Sparkle Donuts! The cheapest way to earn a Star!
I did try one, it was pretty good. I’ll have to try the chocolate, I may like it better.
Had one this weekend. Only one. Their last one (vanilla).
Will hunt down more this week. They’re so cute & yummy!
But are they healthy?
I’ve tried the chocolate ones and think they are good. I wish they had chocolate frosting on them as I’m a chocoholic. They are good with brewed coffee. And I’m loving the price!
But how healthy are they? If you buy a chocolate doughnut with your coffee I hope you had the barista ring them up separeately to get 2 stars otherwise you only got 1.
Say I notice you said you were a chocoholic. Ruth’s Steak House has a chololate sin cake I think you’ll like. The reason they call it “sin” cake is it is 100% chocolate. When I asked the waiter how many calories he just rolled his eyes and said “a lot”. Not too healthy but it is oh so good.
(Reply to Steve) – I assumed you were joking. Everyone knows that donuts are not healthy. Nobody buys a donut thinking he or she is doing something good for their body.
Yup Melody I was being a little facehious. Naturally nobody eats doughnuts for their health just like that chocolate sin cake at Ruth’s isn’t the most healthiest thing on the menu.
Say I got that $1. off card for oatmeal and panini in the mail with a letter from Cecile saying that they would be handed out in “limited quantity” but she had set some aside for special MSI customers. Come to find out they were in the Sunday paper so everyone got them. Not very limited.
Looks yummy!! Hopefully there will be some in stock when I go to Starbucks tomorrow.
Re:
“But are they healthy?”
Eggs! Eggs are in chocolate donuts! And milk! Oh, goody! And wheat! That’s nutrition!
(Bill Cosby standup. “Chocolate cake for breakfast.” If you’ve never heard it, you must hear it.)
ChickenFreak
Totally because I heard it here, I had a vanilla little sparkle one this afternoon. (I really never eat donuts) It was totally delicious……next time (if I do this again!), I will order a bold cup of coffee to go with, instead of my normal 4shot tall skim cinnamon dolce, tons of foam. I think they’re specially good in large part due to the sugar sparkles and their size…small. Many times, I find, in food…smaller is better all the way around. (more tender, more moist…whatever) Thanx for the thread Melody!
I’ve gone in twice last week to get my morning coffee and I see them…those tiny sparkling bites of goodness beckoning me to try them…and I’ve resisted. They’re little though so it’s not like I’d be eating a WHOLE doughnut
I think 75 cents is just the right price and I feel those doughnuts are just the right size to have one with my coffee and not overdo it 
They’re so shiny!! OK two…one vanilla and one chocolate. I have to see which one I like better…hopefully they will keep the doughnuts around for a while 
If you’re at a warming store, ask them to warm them (all three) on the old-fashioned doughnut setting, and they taste just like they’re fresh from the local fairgrounds!!!! Yum!!
I’m going to look for them in my starbucks tomorrow, but when I was there today I was really wanting a vanilla cupcake but the $2.25 price tag was a turnoff, I wish Starbucks would offer less costly cakes etc.
Today my Starbucks was offering samples of flavored nut mixes, I don’t remember the brand name but the barbeque flavored almonds were tasty, but they don’t really go with coffee IMO, would rather have sampled some Sparkle Donuts.
got the starbucks card from the giveaway, thanks, your blog rocks, gonna give your card to some baristas tomorrow.. . .
OMG. Sooooo good. Most stores mark out the morning pastries between 11 and 2pm. If you don’t see the mini donuts in the pastry case, ask if they still have some that were marked out. (Baristas: you can always void a mark out.)
(reply to Melody re: for here ware) The for here ware is a test of durability, etc. I love it. Once they get all the issues worked out, they’ll be more places.
What is “for here ware”?
These aren’t in Canada unfortunately. They look good!
Um, haven’t seen them yet but now I really want them!
They were in stock today so I tried one. They are good.
(@ALN & Venti_Bold) – These little mini donuts are a hit! Wow! They’re small enough to have one without any guilt. I had one as a treat after lunch, just moments ago. Delicious! ALN, you gotta try one, at least once! Glad you liked it Venti_Bold!
Melody
Guess I’ll have to break down and get one after my Greenlake walk one day but first I gotta put some money on my personalized shiny gold card so I can get a star for good behavior.
I have to say, I’m not into the mini-treats, but the sparkle donuts are just tasty. when i compare them to what we were featuring this time last year (the berry stellas… :S), I definitely give two thumbs up to the mini sparkle donuts.
Writing this comment on a Saturday morning with a coffee at my side while looking at the picture of that mini sparkle donuts really made mouth waters. How I wish i have it in my hand. You really know how tickle my taste buds LOL.
Steve, “for here ware” refers to the ceramic mugs and glasses in which Starbucks serves beverages for people who request their drink “for here,” that is, to be consumed in the store. The “heritage” store at 1st & Pike actively encourages people to use the ceramic dishes, while other stores encourage/offer ceramic dishware to varying degrees. On a related note, Melody has a great blog post about personal tumblers and reducing waste!
I haven’t tried them but your picture makes me want to definitely take a bite out of one!
Um yes, and I blogged about it! (I like anything sparkly)
http://www.prettyshinysparkly.com/i-eat-sparkles-for-breakfast/
Seventy-five cents is a lot to pay for a doughnut but if it will eaqrn me a star guess I’ll haveta to load up my brand new shiny gold card. What is the minimum?
Steve, The minimum for a regular card is $5, so I’m assuming it’ll be the same for the new gold card.
(@Nathan, Sara, DadCooks) – Sorry for the random post, but I notice that we have a lot of cute cat gravatars going on at this site. I know DadCooks didn’t post in this thread, but I’ve seen his elsewhere, and he too has a cute cat gravatar.
I love pictures of cats, they always make me smile.
This morning I didn’t see any of the sparkle donuts displayed so I asked the barista if they had any. He told me they aren’t going to carry them anymore because they weren’t selling well. I don’t know if this is something each Starbucks can decide or if this means they are already phasing them out? Does anyone know if each store can decide what pastries they want to sell?
Oh! I’ve seen those, but have yet to try them. Now I know the next time I go in I should give them a shot!
They’re really cute. Therefore, they MUST be yummy!
I FINALLY tried one of the Vanilla Sparkle doughnuts!!! VERY delicious
I am going to try the chocolate ones next but I have a feeling Vanilla is going to be my fav 
They’re perfect! I can have a nibble of doughnut and not over do it! Fun Snacks!