St. Simons Island, Georgia, is known for its charming vistas, family-friendly atmosphere, and, as Guy Fieri often highlights, incredible food. But in one particularly sweet episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Guy steps into uncharted territory—desserts. The star of this sugary escapade? Dulce Dough Donuts, a bakery that has captured the hearts of locals and vacationers alike.

Opened by the talented Ryan Carrier, Dulce Dough Donuts is more than just a place to grab a quick sweet treat. With every bite, patrons are transported to the cozy, nostalgic comfort of Grandma’s kitchen.

A Trip to Dessert Heaven: Baba Rum Donuts

The episode begins with Guy diving straight into the preparation of Ryan’s signature dish: the Baba Rum Donut. This isn’t your average donut; it’s a culinary journey that promises to whisk you away to an island vacation.

The process begins with a rich brioche dough made from scratch, incorporating ingredients like milk, yeast, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Ryan’s unique approach adds two pounds of butter every ten minutes for an hour and a half, creating a dough that’s both rich and airy. After resting overnight, the dough gets punched, proofed, and fried to golden perfection. The final touch is rolling them through a glaze made from a blend of brown and granulated sugar, cinnamon stick, clove, cardamom, and two types of rum.

Guy couldn’t help but marvel at the intricate process. “You turned on the Transformer,” he exclaimed as the dough took shape and was rolled out in perfect increments. The magic didn’t stop there. Ryan fills the doughnuts with a mesmerizing caramelized pineapple jam and a divine Dulce pastry cream, which Guy described as “nutty, caramelly, and downright irresistible.”

As Guy bit into the final product, he was visibly thrilled. “The caramelization of the rum, the Dulce is great, and I love this little caramel sugar chocolate that goes through it. But it’s the pineapple that ties everything together.”

The Sticky Bun That’s Stealing Hearts

If the Baba Rum Donut wasn’t enough, Dulce Dough Donuts also serves a pecan sticky bun that Guy called “like crossing a sticky bun with Grandma’s pecan pie.” The sticky bun preparation involves making a sumptuous caramel from brown sugar, white sugar, corn syrup, and heavy cream, which is then poured over a base of butter, cinnamon sugar, and, of course, pecans.

A Nostalgic Experience

To cap off the episode, Guy summed up the essence of Dulce Dough Donuts perfectly: “When people come here to be transported to your Grandma’s kitchen, they don’t have the beginning of the understanding of the depth of the culinary journey that they’re about to take. It is amazing and inspiring.”

So next time you find yourself on St. Simons Island, make sure to visit Dulce Dough Donuts. Whether you go for the Baba Rum Donut or the pecan sticky bun, you’re in for a treat that’s as heartwarming as it is delicious.