This October, bring donuts to that office/neighborhood/coven Halloween party. And, yes, you could go local and bring a Shipley's dozen, but for festive purposes, think Dunkin' Donuts.
The international chain may not serve up the best donuts in the world, or, for that matter, in Houston, but they do a more than decent job of dressing up their offerings for the holidays. And while at one point, such seasonal editions only came out at Christmas, now DD pulls out all the stops for calendar celebrations. (Twenty bucks says there will be Administrative Professionals' Day donuts next year.)
There's the requisite vanilla or chocolate iced doughnut with Halloween-appropriate sprinkles, which this year include ones shaped (but not flavored) like pumpkins. That variety is perfect for those who want to celebrate the holiday without actually trying anything different, so, basically picky five-year-olds.
More in the spirit of the season are the lovely pumpkin spice donut holes. To those that protest that doughnut holes are always already inferior to doughnut (rings?), consider the fact that the average hole contains a far greater ratio of sweet, crunchy exterior to mild cake interior. They're the doughnut version of thin-cut french fries. For a particularly flavorful afternoon snack, pair a handful of these with some milky chai.
The best, however, seems yet to come as in approximately one week (as reported by one employee) vanilla-buttercream filled donut shaped like a jack-o-lantern will be available at Houston Dunkin' Donuts locations. Get in line, people.