Peace, Love and Little Donuts full of sweet concoctions

Grade: B+

The adage that “good things come in small packages” sticks, thanks to some… Grade: B+

The adage that “good things come in small packages” sticks, thanks to some sweet treats from a new shop on Meyran Avenue.

Peace, Love and Little Donuts already had one location in the Strip District, but the imaginative confectionery shop opened a new storefront in Oakland in mid-July, just as Dozen Bake Shop closed its doors. Despite a few cloying missteps, the small chain manages to make a product that just might catch on among the late-waking college crowd for whom — aside from Pamela’s Diner and the Red Oak Café — nearby breakfast joints are scarce.

There are three levels of donuts. The basics — sugars and glazes — are Groovy donuts that start at 75 cents. The iced donuts — vanilla, chocolate and several others — are Far Out donuts and cost $1. The adventurous flavors — including Cookies ‘N’ Cream and Maple Bacon — are Funkadelic donuts and cost $1.25.

Although the donuts are smaller than their Dunkin’ counterparts (while comparable in price, despite the size difference) they offer two benefits: daring flavors and a local business behind them.

A traditional, unflavored donut provides the base for everything — you won’t find any chocolate dough here. The starter donut has a crispy, fried outside and a soft inside that’s reminiscent of funnel cake — even more so if you nab one while it’s still warm. While not terribly sweet on its own, the donut acts as a nice balance to some of the more sugary toppings.

Occasionally, those toppings can verge on saccharine. The vanilla icing on the whole is spectacularly sweet — warranting a friend’s comment that it made the chocolate icing taste like a ham sandwich.

While the icing is acceptable when balanced out with cherries or apples and sauce in the “pie” donuts, on its own it’s almost too much. When paired with Oreos in the Cookies ‘N’ Cream donut, the end result is dry and unbearably sugary.

Other icing, like the chocolate and maple, are much more balanced, offering worthy complements to the heavier, fried flavor of the donut. Even so, the iced donuts aren’t anywhere near the best donuts this place has to offer.

It’s at both extremes — the basic and the outrageous — where the shop really shines.

The most basic Groovy toppings — cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, glazed and honey-glazed — are some of the best. The fresh-daily donuts have enough scrumptious flavor to make the standard toppings some of the tastiest. Honey-glazed in particular stands out, with a gooey glaze that’s like a honey bun.

While the Funkadelic tend to be hit-or-miss, some are near perfection — namely, the Maple Bacon donut. While I pondered the menu on my first trip to the Strip District shop, a patron said, “You have to try the Maple Bacon.” Frankly, it’s a brilliant combination — like an entire breakfast balanced on one small donut.

And while the vanilla-icing-based Funkadelic donuts are often unfortunately too sweet, donuts like the tree-hugger — with maple icing, granola and chocolate — are outstanding concoctions.

Overall, Peace, Love and Little Donuts has plenty of delectable little morsels to offer Oakland dwellers.