I don’t think I’m part of the hardcore donut-loving camp–I wasn’t one of those crazies who lined up for 4 days before Fresno’s first Krispy Kreme opened–but who doesn’t love to eat a fried ring of dough covered in frosting and sprinkles? Before I get harangued for calling people who lined up for Krispy Kreme crazy, let me explain: When Krispy Kreme opened its first outpost in Fresno when I was in high school, there was an unbelievable amount of hype surging through the city. News reporters covered the growing line of donut-craving masses days leading up to the grand opening. Why the fuss? People say they loved Krispy Kreme–their donuts were unique, and dare I say, superior to all the mom and pop shops in Fresno.
I didn’t think so. That white waterfall was disgusting to look at. It also didn’t help that after eating two regular glazed donuts I felt like hurling it back up. But none of that matters now because Krispy Kreme was shuttered this past year, probably only after 5 or 6 years in operation. I guess all those donut fanatics who raved about all that melt-in-your-mouth-goodness found something else to salivate for.
I, however, have also liked the mom and pop donut stores strewn about Fresno. It may not have that hot-out-of-the-fryer meltiness of Krispy Kreme, but they are cheaper and a certain unique quality that comes from being hand-made.
I’ve had Judy’s Donuts in the past, during my formative and innocent childhood, which probably contributed to my love of all things fried, but eating it again today, the realization that these donuts are more than just another form of fried rings that I enjoy (onions being the other) has set in.
The blueberry donut actually had no frosting at all. The flavors of blueberries and batter were sealed inside a crunchy casing of fried batter. Crunchy?! I usually prefer my donuts (and food in general) to be defenseless and willingly succumb to the depths of my digestive tract. Alas, my mouth was a little scratched from the crunch, reminiscent of bad memories of eating stale Dorritos. Maybe they left the donut in the deep-fryer a little too long this time. Inside, the donut was dense, and packed with blueberries. The flavor of the berries was subtle, but mixed will with the slight sweetness from the cake batter. 
The apple-filled donut was lightly glazed and dusted with cinnamony goodness. Upon first bite, I was reminded of dreams where you imagine eating something, only to wake up with a pillow in your mouth. Only this time, the pillow was actually fried, filled with apples, and covered in frosting–the best kind of pillow. My only gripe about this was that the distribution of apple filling was uneven. It took at least a couple bites to reach the filling, only to find a mass of gooey apples on one side of the donut.
After eating two donuts, I was left with a slight yearning for some more donuts, instead of the usual vomit-inducing nausea that I get from consuming excessive amounts of cavity-inducing frosting. Being the fatty that I am, I’ll probably make a couple return visits before leaving Fresno in the fall.
Judy’s Donuts
1101 E Champlain Dr. Fresno, CA (559) 434-5244
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