Donna's Delicious Dozen

Donna, Donna, Donna.... These donuts are pure perfection! I recently had the opportunity to visit Donna's Delicious Dozen, located between Gahanna and New Albany on Hamilton Rd. Everything about this custom donut shop screams at you to come in and see what you're missing. And you won't be disappointed. I entered just a few minutes before they closed on Sunday, and the shop not only smelled amazing it was spotless & clean! Not just the front of house, but I peeked behind the wall to eye the kitchen, and it was impeccably clean and tidy. That's huge, because one of my biggest gripes with other shops like this (If it walks like a "duck" and quacks like a "duck"...you know who you are Duck) is how crowded and cramped they are and how messy everything looks. Also, greasy donuts aren’t appealing. It’s one thing to be fresh out of the fryer, it’s another not to cook them properly so they don’t end up drowning in greasy inside. At Donna’s, that is NEVER an issue.

I watched the team complete a customer’s order, before placing my own, and the patience and care they took with each donut really stood out. This isn't a rush job, and they aren't in a hurry for you to leave. There's a decent size seating area, but the show happens behind the glass, so I watched from the counter. Each donut is hand dipped in your choice of glazes, toppings and drizzles or you can try one of the awesome preselected combinations. $7.40 gets you a half dozen donuts, or one for $1.40. When you realize that a donut from your chain coffee shops costs anywhere between .99¢ and $1.49, you'll realize this is a better deal, and the simple coffee or iced coffee may taste better too. Now for the menu...

I knew going in I wanted to try the Cinnamon Roll Crunch, so that was my first order. Next up was the Peanut Butter and Jelly, you all know my love of all things PB&J. And I, as always, asked the owner Tracy her favorite to which she shared it was the Strawberry Cheesecake. That was option three for me. My eating partner opted for the Cinnamon Roll Crunch as well. Next, an M&M topped, chocolate and peanut butter drizzled creation called the "8 mile". Way better than "mom's spaghetti". And the simply dressed (or so you think until you see it) awesomeness known as "The Mitch"! Vanilla icing, Bacon, Carmel. Again, everything in the shop is done to order. Perhaps my most pleasant observation was the young lady running the fryer. No donut made it to the topping counter without passing her quality control. I watched her set aside half a dozen donuts that didn't meet the standard and I was instantly impressed. Six donuts made it to the counter, slowly dressed by another young lady and what I got was the perfection you see here:

Cinnamon Roll Crunch

Peanut Butter & Jelly

The donut itself is some cosmic goodness right in between a yeast donut and a heavy cake donut. It's light, it's airy, it's cake-y, and not one bit greasy. And remember, these are coming right off the fryer, so that means perfect cooking temp and knowing your batter. Donna's clearly has it on lock. I closed out with a simple iced coffee that the owner herself ran back and made for me, and we left after thanking her for the experience and vowing to come back. I love the fact that I got to try this local business.

​I love even more that it's a women owned business, and a minority owned business. Like I say in my intro, food is the great equalizer, and you can clearly see the passion and love in this shop. The next flavor combos I plan to try are the Turtlez and the Biscuits and Jam!

​My recommendation: Skip the chains and head to Donna's and get yourself a Delicious Dozen as soon as you can! Link to her website and the rest of our Gallery here: Click Here