You Can Only Get This Krispy Kreme Donut At Times Square

Krispy Kreme was born in North Carolina, founded in 1937 as a Winston-Salem shop where the first donuts were made with an unlikely vegetable – potatoes. Fast forward nine decades, and the chain is now a beloved icon that's still headquartered in the Southern state. However, it chose to plant its first and only flagship store in Times Square, a huge 4,500-square-foot space in the heart of New York City. In tribute to its home, a special Big Apple donut has been sold exclusively at the location since its opening.

It is an eminently Instagrammable round yeast donut created to look like an apple, with a shiny red mirror glaze that tastes like candied green apple, a green royal icing leaf, and a pretzel stick for a stem. It's filled with a Red Delicious apple-flavored cream that's white. The inspiration for these treats, which bear the city's nickname, was the iconic candy apples sold on Brooklyn's Coney Island boardwalk.

The sweet offering comes in a green souvenir box with the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts logo and "Times Square" on its top in gold. When the hinged box is opened, the inside of the top is also stamped in gold with the outline of an apple and "Krispy Kreme" and "Big Apple" written inside it, and "Times Square" again appearing underneath. Finally, when you ask for one of them, the store's workers announce the news and cheer. All that comes with a hefty $12.99 price tag, making it the chain's most expensive donut.

Krispy Kreme's Times Square flagship opened its doors in September 2020, more than four months later than planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at an eye-popping cost of some $10 million to launch the high-profile site. It features stadium seating designed to look like the chain's carry-out box, and a glaze waterfall for the signature, deliciously sweet and light Original Glazed donuts. The company says the store can pump out 4,560 donuts of all kinds in an hour, and is its largest Hot Light location. Every Krispy Kreme has a Hot Light red neon sign that signals hot Original Glazed donuts are ready when it's lit. Customers can now get virtual notifications on the app as well when a batch is rolling out.

The Big Apple is apparently the only donut Krispy Kreme makes that honors a particular city or location. However, it does periodically have limited-edition specialty releases that are meant to be sold by all the shops. During 2025, sweet creations came out that celebrated: Pac-Man's 45th anniversary, with a slew of donuts based on the classic characters; the Harry Potter Houses of Hogwarts, featuring two filled and two ring donuts; classic "Peanuts" characters Snoopy and Charlie Brown in addition to Christmas-themed donuts (like a wreath and Santa's belly); and superheroes Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman (who's also inspired a popular multi-flavored ice cream). The chain also has seasonal and holiday flavors, and as a treat for loyal customers, there's a generous three-donut birthday freebie.