Ah. I love donuts. You lovely round cakes of fried, sweetened dough, you are beautiful. If you hand me any kind of donut (well, not jelly filled), I will love you forever. Here, I have compiled a list of some of the best places to grab a donut in the St. Louis area. And here's a hint, if the shop looks slightly sketchy on the outside, that's a good indication that that is where the best donuts are hidden.

1. The Donut Palace

This lovely shop is located on Clarkson Road in Ellisville, Missouri and is no doubt my favorite place to get a quick breakfast when I am in town. My personal favorite donuts here are their chocolate long johns, which you can fill with your choice of cream if you so desire. They serve mostly simple donuts here such as chocolate frosted and glazed, but sometimes those are the best kinds.

2. Strange Donuts

They have three locations, two in the St Louis area (Maplewood and Kirkwood). They live up to their name as they are often coming up with strange and delicious creations. Some of these include the the pink pony (sugar on top of sugar and some more sugar), gooey butter, modeled after St. Louis's famous gooey butter cake (in other words, heaven topped with powdered sugar), and maplewood bacon (caramelized glaze topped with bits of bacon). This is a shop you have to go to at least once... or many times because they are delicious.

3. Tim Hortons

Okay, this isn't one that is exclusively in STL, our friendly neighboring country Canada gave us this generous gift. There are several Tim Hortons located in the St. Louis area, but the one I go to is in Frontenac, inside of the Reliance Bank. They do have freestanding ones, but they have locations conveniently located in banks and businesses. One of my favorites (and the sweetest donut I have ever eaten) is the Oreo long john, topped with crumbled Oreos and filled with sweet cream

4. St Louis Hills Donut Shop

I mean, no surprise that this one is good. It's difficult to find a restaurant in the Italian community of the Hill that isn't pure perfection. They specialize in classic donuts, but they are not afraid to add a little adventure to their cakes. One in particular would be the apple fritter donut, which is exactly what it sounds like.

5. Krsipy Kreme

Yes, another chain donut place on the list, but I've included this for sentimental values. So often did kids in my classes in grade school bring these glaze covered beauties in for their special birthday treat. The folks at Krispy Kreme specialize in more than just glazed donuts, surprisingly, so next time you're there, make it an adventure and try something new.

I'm assigning you all with a task. Next time you find yourself in the fantastic St. Louis area, check out one, or all, of these five donuts shops and stuff your face with happiness.