America's Most Outrageous Doughnuts And Where To Find Them

Doughnuts are one of those perfect foods. You mix up some dough, drop it in a deep fryer, and — voila! — there it is. They also happen to be extremely versatile, and are essentially a blank canvas. Thankfully, we're living in an era when culinary creativity is at an all-time high, and these are some of the most outrageous doughnut flavors out there today.

America's Most Outrageous Doughnuts and Where to Find Them (Slideshow)

You should consider yourself lucky if there's an independent doughnut shop in your town. And you should consider yourself even luckier if it's run by a mad genius who's not afraid to get a little wacky in the flavor department. While the majority of doughnut shops (especially the big chains) tend to stick to tried and true flavors and toppings, maybe stretching a little beyond their comfort zone to sell a red velvet doughnut on Valentine's Day or a pumpkin spice one around Thanksgiving, there are also doughnut shops that are renowned for their insane creations, and others that may not be turning out insane creations per se, but take a chef-like approach to their product, constantly innovating and inventing.

Now we're not saying that there's anything wrong with a good old chocolate glazed or French cruller. They're just not especially exciting. Some doughnut shops where you can get the same old doughnuts day in and day out are still considered national treasures simply because the quality of the product is so good. But like comparing a plain cheeseburger with one topped with pulled pork, onion rings, and grilled jalapeños, comparing a chocolate glazed to one of these inspired creations... well, there's really no comparison.

Read on to learn which 10 doughnuts, from 10 different doughnut shops across the country, are among the wildest ones out there. It's been a while since the days of sticking a strip of bacon on top of a doughnut and calling it crazy, and because anybody can top a doughnut with a piece of fried chicken, we're only talking about doughnuts with flavors that are complementary and legitimately work well together. These aren't just outrageous, they're inspired and, most importantly, delicious.