The Butler County Donut Trail
The Butler County Donut Trail: Warning: this post may cause a serious sweet tooth!
Passport-style trails are currently popping up everywhere. In Central Ohio, we have a coffee trail, Dublin’s Celtic Cocktail Trail, Hilliard just launched an ice cream trail, there’s the Licking County wine trail, and of course, the Columbus Ale Trail. Just a short drive from the capital city though, is one of the most magical, sprinkle-covered passport programs around: the Butler County Donut Trail.
Located just north of Cincinnati, Butler County has your donut dreams made. The donut trail is a collection of twelve donut stops that you visit, purchasing a donut at each location. Begin the trail by downloading a passport here, or snag a passport at any stop on the trail. As you visit each stop, ask the cashier to stamp your passport. Once you’ve conquered every stop, turn your passport into the Butler County Visitor’s Bureau (or mail it in) and they will reward your donut-eating prowess with a t-shirt. Because it’s also a quick road trip from Columbus, it’s easy to make a day jaunt to Butler County, knocking out a few shops at a time throughout the year until you’ve collected all the stamps. Just make sure to get an early start – some shops sell out by noon or even before.
The most fun thing about the trail (besides the donut-devouring) is seeing that every shop had something special that set it apart, whether it be the owner, the theme of the shop, or the unusual varieties of flavors offered. Some were old-fashioned mom and pop spots, while others were modern and Instagram-ready. During my journey, I had the most scrumptious and unadorned yeast donuts and basic French crullers. However, I also gobbled up some crazy versions topped with candy ingredients or Fruity Pebbles cereal; there’s appeal for both pastry purists and the most adventurous sugar lover. Some locales were in the ‘burbs, others were near commercial areas, but all were delicious.
Here’s my breakdown of every stop on the trail, with my favorite donut to devour at each:
Holtman’s Donut Shop
https://www.holtmansdonutshop.com/
Home to some of the most creative and colorful goodies on the trail, Holtman’s features a plethora of flavors, from maple bacon to Lucky Charms, or from heavily sprinkled and Fruity Pebble-laden. This stop is also located around the corner from IKEA, so pop inside afterwards to walk off all those donuts!
Donut to Devour: Maple Bacon
Kelly’s Donuts
https://www.facebook.com/kellysdonutsandmore/
The retro vibe in this Hamilton joint puts you in a good mood at once, and if the shop’s atmosphere doesn’t, Kelly’s donuts will. The creamy, rich peanut butter filling in the Reese’s-esque donut will make you melt, and there’s nothing to not love about the s’more concoction sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs, mini marshmallows, and a chocolatey drizzle.
Donut to Devour: S’mores Donut
Martin’s Donuts
https://www.facebook.com/martinsdonutshop/
This cheery pink Trenton bakery is small, but it’s making some mighty tasty donuts. The turnovers, yeast donuts, and especially the cheesecake donuts were all a hit. The Cherry Cheesecake = tangy filling + graham crumbs + fruit pie filling.
Donut to Devour: Cherry Cheesecake
Jupiter Coffee and Donuts
http://www.jupitercoffeeanddonuts.com/
Situated up the street from Jungle Jim’s, Jupiter is nice place to have a coffee and unwind…with more donuts! They do a monthly seasonal donut, which during my visit was a heavenly carrot cake creation. The cream cheese inside out donuts and sprinkled versions were sampled winners too.
Donut to Devour: Carrot Cake
Milton’s Donuts
https://www.facebook.com/miltonsdonuts/
Milton’s Middletown shop had a wonderful mix of interesting donuts – another Fruity Pebbles offering, barely cooled glazed rings, devil’s food donuts, and super-friendly folks behind the counter. My favorites though, were the giant glazed croissants.
Donut to Devour: Glazed Croissant
Ross Bakery
https://www.facebook.com/Ross-Bakery-120335357979540/
Ross Bakery churned out one of my favorite traditional donuts of the trip – a massive yeast donut the size of my face, perfectly tender and shaped like a soft pretzel! Also on the menu: a buckeye-inspired chocolate peanut butter treat topped with a mini Hershey bar.
Donut to Devour: Pretzel Donut
Stan the Donut Man
https://www.facebook.com/Stan-The-Donut-Man-147690215281038/
Stan the Donut Man, the name says it all. Stan is doing donuts old school, in the best possible way. I’m currently drooling as I think back upon the pineapple fritter (who knew such a thing existed?) and the Davey Crocketts, maple iced mini cinnamon buns.
Donut to Devour: Davey Crockett
The Donut Spot
https://www.facebook.com/The-Donut-Spot-116081498413772/
I knew the line out the door at The Donut Spot was a sign of good things to come. Cookies and cream, Bavarian cream, and cream cheese filled donuts all await at this Fairfield bakery, but go for the “clunker,” a dense, lightly glazed mass of cake donut hunks. Simple and divine.
Donut to Devour: The Clunker Donut
The Donut House
http://the-donut-house-westchester.business.site/
Tucked in a small corner of West Chester, The Donut House is dishing up heart-shaped donuts, donuts iced to look like baseballs, and even some with crushed Oreos. Best of all: there was a chocolate-dipped one with Butterfinger pieces on a puffy dough that I got to take home.
Donut to Devour: Butterfinger Donut
Mimi’s Donuts
https://www.facebook.com/Mimisdonutsandbakery/
This Hamilton locale boasts a fun mix of traditional and crazy flavors. I loved the cinnamon twists and the lemon blueberry, but the German Chocolate’s ooey gooey coconut topping captured my heart.
Donut to Devour: German Chocolate
Central Pastry Shop
Located in downtown Middletown, this is the only required passport spot I couldn’t visit, since they were closed on Sundays. However, locals gushed over Central Pastry to me, especially their cakes and the tiger tail donut, a thin and twisty delight.
Donut to Devour: Tiger Tail Twist Donut
Oxford Doughnut Shoppe
http://www.oxforddoughnutshoppe.com/
This spot comes pre-stamped on your Donut Trail passport, because it’s a little out of the way. I didn’t make it to the Oxford favorite on this trip, but Miami University students rave about these kettle-fried classics. Bonus: score a dozen donut holes for just $2!
Donut to Devour: Red Velvet Cake Donut
Ready to hit the trail? Find out more information about the Butler County Donut Trail here: https://www.gettothebc.com/. The Visitor’s Bureau site can also give you ideas about other activities to do while you’re in town, since you’ll (probably) want to do other things besides eat during your journey.
Stay tuned for part two of my Butler County trip next week, featuring some of the best spots to dine and drink in Butler County. Have you completed the Donut Trail yet? If so, let me know your favorite donut spot in the comments below!
Keep Connected,
Caroline
Disclosure: The Butler County Visitor’s Bureau hosted me on the Donut Trail, in exchange for an honest blog post. All opinions are my own.