KANSAS CITY — Hybrids are hot on restaurant menus, with chains introducing items that provide patrons with two foods in one.
Krispy Kreme is creating a culinary combo of coffee and donuts with its new Salted Caramel Latte Donut. It consists of a yeast shell stuffed with an espresso flavored Kreme filling topped with salted caramel icing, a salted sugar blend and an espresso icing drizzle.
Also introducing dynamic duo donuts is Dunkin’ Donuts. The chain combined Reese’s peanut butter cups with a donut to create the Reese’s Peanut Butter Square, a donut stuffed with Reese’s peanut butter buttercream and topped with chocolate icing and an orange icing drizzle. Dunkin’ also is offering a flavorful fusion of pumpkin cheesecake and donuts with its new Pumpkin Cheesecake Square. It’s filled with pumpkin cheesecake filling and topped with orange icing, crumbled graham crackers and a white icing drizzle.
Treats are teaming up in Sonic and Steak ‘n Shake’s new menu items. Sonic Drive-In is compounding cake and ice cream in its new Ice Cream Cake Shakes and Ice Cream Cake Waffle Cones. The creamy concoctions are made with ice cream, cake pieces, and cake batter flavor hand-mixed in a shake or settled on top of a waffle cone. The desserts are available in Vanilla Birthday Cake, Oreo & Cake, and Strawberry Shortcake varieties. Steak ‘n Shake is combining cookies and ice cream with its new Speculoos Cookie Butter Milkshake, which is blended with speculoos cookie butter – spreadable speculoos cookies with hints of gingerbread, cinnamon and caramel.
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s created a morning mashup of French Toast and a breakfast sandwich with the new Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast Sandwich. It features egg, American cheese, a maple glaze sauce, and the choice of sausage, bacon, or ham sandwiched between two slices of Cinnamon Swirl French Toast.
Pairing pizza and pretzels, Wetzel’s Pretzels is debuting its new Pizza Bitz. This savory synthesis consists of bite-sized soft pretzel pieces topped with cheese and pepperoni.