:Wonut
{{short description|American snack food}}
File:20161010 Wonut.jpg supermarket in Encinitas, California]]
A wonut, doffle,{{Cite news|date=August 23, 2021|title=Krispy Kreme Unleashes The "Doffle" Donut Waffle|work=Shore News Network|url=https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2021/08/23/krispy-kreme-unleashes-the-doffle-donut-waffle/|access-date=September 22, 2021}}{{Cite news|last=Ebner|first=Tim|date=June 9, 2017|title=Hangover Helper: B Too's The Doffle|work=Washington City Paper|url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/190618/hangover-helper-b-toos-the-doffle/|access-date=September 22, 2021}} wownut, waffle-donut or waffle nut{{cn|date=October 2016}} is a hybrid food made from a combination of the cooking techniques and ingredients of a waffle and a doughnut. A mixture of the waffle batter and the doughnut dough are first poured into a waffle iron, then deep fried and finally decorated, with toppings similar to doughnuts. The wonut became popular in the spring of 2014 at the Waffles Cafe in the Lake View community area of Chicago, and its popularity quickly spread via bloggers and social media. It can now be found throughout the United States and beyond.
History
Following on the trend of the cronut, Waffles Cafe (3611 North Broadway, Chicago) included the wonut on its menu for a few months before it became prominent. In April 2014, bloggers and Instagrammers popularized the item around the country.{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/dining-drinking/April-2014/Wonut-Waffles-Cafe-Review/|title=We Tried the Wonuts from Waffles Café|access-date=2016-10-13|date=2014-04-29|work=Chicago|author=Schedler, Carrie}} The wonut was added to the menu to commemorate the opening of Waffles Cafe's second location in Streeterville and was first noticed by the Thrillist website.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2014/04/29/wonuts-the-latest-chicago-foodie-sensation/|title='Wonuts' the latest Chicago foodie sensation|access-date=2016-10-13|date=2014-04-29|work=Chicago Tribune|author=Grimm, Andy}}
Among the early supporters of the food item were Jezebel,{{cite web|url=http://kitchenette.jezebel.com/a-chicago-restaurant-dream-factory-is-selling-a-wonut-1567096725|title=Move over, Cronut! New deep fried waffle-donut hybrid sees the birth of the WONUTA Chicago Restaurant/Dream Factory is Selling a Wonut|access-date=2016-10-14|date=2014-04-24|publisher=Jezebel|author=Pinkham, C. A.}} which DNAinfo.com author Serena Dai credits with causing the wonut to go viral.{{cite web|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140425/lakeview/wonut-debut-leaves-waffles-cafe-inundated-with-waffle-donut-requests|title='Wonut' Debut Leaves Waffles Cafe 'Inundated' With Waffle Doughnut Requests|access-date=2016-10-14|date=2014-04-25|publisher=DNAinfo.com|author=Dai, Serena|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018195533/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140425/lakeview/wonut-debut-leaves-waffles-cafe-inundated-with-waffle-donut-requests|archive-date=2016-10-18}} The creation, which was promptly featured on The Chew, is credited to Waffles Cafe owner Alex Hernandez,{{cite web|url=https://www.zagat.com/b/chicago/is-it-legit-5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-wonut|title=Is it Legit? 5 Things You Need to Know About the Wonut|access-date=2016-10-13|date=2014-05-06|publisher=Zagat|author=Phraner, Erin}} a product of Le Cordon Bleu and former manager of Japonais in New York.{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Chicago-Chef-Starts-Wonut-Craze-257178641.html|title=Chicago Chef Starts Wonut Craze|access-date=2016-10-13|date=2014-04-29|work=WMAQ-TV|author=Connolley, Colleen}} By May 2014, DK's Donuts made a product that they called wownuts, available to the Los Angeles area.{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/05/30/wownut-is-deep-fried-waffle-donut-hybrid/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531002055/http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/05/30/wownut-is-deep-fried-waffle-donut-hybrid/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 31, 2014|title=The Wownut is a deep-fried waffle donut hybrid|access-date=2016-10-13|date=2014-05-30|publisher=FOX News}}{{cite web|url=http://laist.com/2014/05/05/la_gets_its_own_waffle_and.php|title=L.A. Gets Its Own Waffle-And-Donut Mashup|access-date=2016-10-13|date=2014-05-05|publisher=LAist|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106080752/http://laist.com/2014/05/05/la_gets_its_own_waffle_and.php|archive-date=2017-11-06}} The original Waffles Cafe location, which had been opened in 2012, was closed at the beginning of 2016 for renovation and was later that year shut down after losing its business license when it failed to pay a $15,000 debt.{{cite web|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160523/boystown/city-shuts-waffles-cafe-lakeview-was-home-wonuts|title=Wonut Home Woes: City Shuts Waffles Cafe Over Unpaid $15K Debt|access-date=2016-10-14|date=2016-05-23|publisher=DNAinfo.com|author=Cheung, Ariel|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018202113/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160523/boystown/city-shuts-waffles-cafe-lakeview-was-home-wonuts|archive-date=2016-10-18}}
Notes
{{reflist|30em}}
{{portalbar|Food}}
{{Doughnut}}
{{Waffles}}