This meal took place on January 27th, 2024
Chelsea’s Birthday Weekend Donut Date! We tried two different donut shops on Friday to see which we liked better, Country Glazed in Central Square and Heidi Ho Donuts in Oswego and got enough donuts to last us the weekend. We got a half dozen from each place and they both are very unique shops with Heidi Ho being a touch more expensive, but that is brought on by their more gourmet donut focus.
First up is Country Glazed. The shop is VERY small but efficiently put together and the owners are absolutely incredible and fun people. We were greeted by laughter and fun attitudes the second we walked in the door. At first, I was a little skeptical because the donut selection seemed very simple compared to places like Glazed and Confused. Chelsea saw lemon and immediately wanted one of the Lemon Drop donuts (cake batter donut with powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon jelly) while also getting a Peanut (glazed cake batter donut smothered in crushed peanuts) and a Samoa (cake batter donut with chocolate frosting, caramel drizzle and toasted coconut). I went for a basic Glazed, Cinnamon Sugar and a Lemon Drop of my own. First up was the Somoa, which Chelsea says was “absolutely delectable” and the Glazed, which genuinely shocked me. I was expecting a regular glazed donut, but instead was met with a perfect cake donut with a really light and fluffy interior, lightly crispy exterior and glaze that was shockingly simple and mild instead of diabetes-inducing. I was so shocked I had to go back inside and tell the owners how absolutely incredible and perfect that donut was. Apparently everything they do is old family recipes started by their grandmother and everyone was so pleasant and happy to hear how great their donuts are. The Peanut donut was exactly the same as the glazed but absolutely smothered in crushed peanuts and the Cinnamon Sugar following suit. The Lemon Drop was the biggest surprise with it being their classic cake donut with fluffy interior and crunchy exterior, but dusted with lemon zest and powdered sugar and finished with a really nice lemon jelly dollop. Absolutely fantastic donuts all around with some of the nicest people we have ever met. They even gave us two plain cake donuts for free to bring home for our dog when I asked if I could buy a plain cake for him. Very simple selection but their simplicity is perfectly executed.
Heidi Ho Donuts in Oswego was our second stop. The staff and owners inside were also really pleasant, but their variety is definitely a step above Country Glazed. They have regular donuts but also make a lot of unique and creative flavors and toppings, similar to Glazed and Confused. However, that variety prevented anything from truly excelling in anything. The Lemon Raspberry was good, with the donut actually having raspberries in the batter and a gentle lemon flavor. The Apple Toffee was their classic Apple Cider Donut but topped with vanilla frosting, toffee frosting drizzle and a dollop of apple pie filling. The Fluffernutter was EXTREMELY sweet, being filled with Fluff and topped with whipped peanut butter frosting, more Fluff and a Nutty Buddy cookie. The Peanut Butter Brownie Bite Donut was their classic cake donut topped with vanilla frosting, brownie crumbles, peanut butter drizzle and chopped Reese’s Pieces candies and was really good, but definitely very sweet. The glazed donut and lemon filled were mildly disappointing as they had almost identical tastes and textures to the same items at Dunkin Donuts. Really nice selection overall and a focus on more gourmet toppings with the Apple Toffee being the standout from here.
As for our preferences, Country Glazed won hands-down. There was absolutely NOTHING WRONG with Heidi Ho, and 4 of the 6 donuts were really good and the other 2 still being well made but not standing out from the same items at Dunkin. Heidi Ho Donuts was a really solid 9/10 but Country Glazed was a 100/10 that blew us both away. Pro tip: Call ahead to make sure they have a donut breakfast sandwich available. You won’t regret it.
548 S Main St
Central Square, NY 13036
315-561-0923
137 E Bridge St
Oswego, NY 13126
315-746-2898
