On a bustling Saturday morning, the intoxicating aroma of fried dough drifted passed a steady line of teens, families and empty nesters as they waited for hot, sugary, hand-dipped donuts from the Fractured Prune.

Though relatively new to the Baltimore area, the fastest route to a double-wide tush first opened in Ocean City in 1976. The Prune's first owner named the chain after Prunella Shriek, a spunky old broad who lived at the beach in the late 1800s. The athletic septuagenarian often competed against men in both skiing and ice skating, which occasionally earned her a wheel chair ride and the affectionate nickname "Fractured Prunella."

Baltimore got its first Fractured Prune in November 2006. Since then, the donut shop has served more than 34,000 customers, said donuteur Bennett Boerner.

Just walking inside the cozy carryout spot sends the blood sugar skyrocketing, but sugar-shock be damned! Devout donut disciples don't count calories when they crave these palm-sized sugary treats.

Each donut is dipped-to-order in one or more of the Prune's 25 glazes, sugars and toppings, but the wait is shorter than one might expect.

Junkfood junkies can create their own personalized masterpieces or opt instead for a specialty treat such as the trail mix, a donut dipped in banana glaze, peanuts, coconut and mini chocolate chips. The Prune obliges any combination of donut add-ons and will even dunk a plain donut in every available option.

"Yes!" squealed four teenaged girls simultaneously as some young buck ordered the works. The girls have been professional donut-dippers since the Baltimore sweet spot opened, and their enthusiasm has yet to wane.

For more unorthodox donut fans, the Prune offers the Prunewich—a plain donut served with eggs, cheese and bacon, ham or sausage. For those snooty breakfasters who avoid donuts, the Prune offers bagels and a schmear. But really, what's the point?

For the holidays, the donut duchesses concocted a few seasonal specialties. The classic holiday donut is dipped in marshmallow glaze, topped with green sprinkles and drizzled with red, sugary goo. The lowlight of my holiday donut feast was by far the candy cane, with its marshmallow and peppermint glazes. The heinous mint flavor was so strong it stung my sinuses worse than a menthol cough drop.

After cleansing my palate with a light, fluffy, naked plain Jane donut, I was ready for the delectable pink Oreo puff—a delicious orb of fried cake dunked in pink marshmallow glaze and crumbled Oreo cookies.

The honey-glazed, sugar- and cinnamon-dipped O.C. sand is a crowd favorite, and one bite proves why. It offers two kinds of sweet without launching snackers into a diabetic seizure. Most importantly, you can still taste the cake underneath, unlike some of the Prune's more ambitious concoctions.

Donuts dipped in thicker glazes and smothered in chocolate morsels such as the peppermint patty and chocolate-covered cherry appealed to the 600-pound woman inside me, but proved to be too gunky and too rich after just a few bites. Yet for every merely adequate donut at the Prune, there are at least two perfect creations such as the Myrna medley, which is dipped in peanuts, chocolate glaze and chocolate jimmies.

You can waddle out of the shop with a dozen for $8.35, a half dozen for $5.05 or a loner for just 95 cents, which is a small price to pay at a place where the customer decides when it's time to make the donuts.