The Glazed Gas Station Donuts That Midwesterners Prefer Over Krispy Kremes

One of the first things I learned upon moving to Wisconsin is that there is one gas station/convenience store that stands above the rest: Kwik Trip. I'm originally from the East Coast and have always been a Sheetz partisan (although Wawa's a solid second), but I was impressed on my first visit to the chain that has outposts throughout the upper Midwest (including Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and both Dakotas). There are many must-tries at Kwik Trip – I can speak for the breakfast sandwiches and fried chicken — but the most beloved item of all may be Glazers. These glazed donuts are baked fresh every day at the chain's bakery in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

If you're thinking that Midwesterners may not have access to other donut chains to rate these gas station desserts so highly, think again. There are several Dunkins within about a 15-minute drive from me, and in 20 minutes, I can make it to the Krispy Kreme across town. Glazers, however, are homegrown, so they command a loyalty these out-of-state chains can't come close to matching. Fans will loudly declare that they are even better than the Krispy Kreme donuts they so closely resemble. (I have a more personal reason for being a fan — Glazers were born in 2003, as was my son.)

The host of "Wisconsin Foodie," a TV show that airs on our local PBS station, toured the Kwik Trip bakery and watched the Glazers being made from start to finish. The highlight of his trip seemed to be the taste test, though — biting into one, he exclaimed, "My God, that's good," followed by a string of foodie cliches such as "pillowy goodness" and "melt-in-your-mouth."

While Wisconsinites and other Midwesterners may be passionate about Kwik Trip Glazers, the chain also offers an entirely different line of donuts called Dunkers. While these have a light glaze, their overall texture is more solid and cake-like, and they come in a variety of flavors, such as vanilla, raspberry, lemon, chocolate, cherry, and blueberry. (A few years back, Kwik Trip even came out with blueberry Dunker-flavored potato chips.)

The "Dunkers or Glazers?" question has, in some quarters, evolved into a regional version of "Coke or Pepsi?" One Redditor admitted, "I grew up on Glazers but in my age I have started leaning Dunkers," while another provided a plausible reason for their preference: "Dunkers. Better on the road, less messy on the fingers." On Facebook, however, a member of the opposite team declared, "I'm just here to remind everyone that Glazers are better than any flavor of Dunker, and that's a hill I will die on." One commenter agreed: "Goes without saying, Dunkers are just an ephemeral fad, but Glazers are here forever!" Another, however, countered with: "I can't remember the last time I had a Glazer donut. I guess I got sick of them? At least Dunkers have new flavors every so often, plus they are more filling." Even so, many Kwik Trip fans will happily eat both types of donuts, and I count myself among them.