This Michigan Donut Shop Is Famous For Paczkis And Oversized Sweet Treats

A bakery that opened the same year Utah became a state nearly closed its doors for good until every member of the local police department chipped in to keep the ovens running.

The result is a shop where police patches line the walls, the cases overflow with paczkis the size of softballs, and the coffee flows fast enough to fuel a double shift.

Hand-rolled yeast doughnuts, long johns thick with custard, and maple bacon bars that disappear by mid-morning make it clear why a town of three thousand people draws donut pilgrims from across the state.

The officers turned bakers still wear the badge on their sleeves, the cases refill every hour, and the line moves faster than you would expect for a place this popular in a town this small. A saved bakery is a beloved bakery, and Clare keeps proving that in Michigan every single morning.

Don’t Underestimate The Felony Fritter

The Felony Fritter looks like an ordinary apple fritter only until it lands in front of you. Then the scale becomes the story: this hand-crafted fritter weighs about half a pound and carries enough heft to feel closer to a small loaf than a casual pastry.

Real apple chunks give it irregular pockets of softness, and the glaze settles into the ridges instead of hiding them.

Because each one is handmade, size and texture can vary a little, which honestly suits it. The best approach is to treat it as something to share or save, not as an afterthought tossed into a larger order.

Cops & Doughnuts has even used a Smith & Wesson Model 60 in promotional photos for scale, which tells you exactly how seriously they take the oversized part.

McEwan Street Is Where The Doughnut Case Has Backup

Cops & Doughnuts sits at 521 North McEwan Street in Clare, Michigan, in the original Clare City Bakery building. From US-10 or US-127, head into Clare and work toward the downtown McEwan Street corridor.

Once you reach North McEwan Street, slow down and watch the storefronts instead of looking for a modern chain bakery. The shop sits in the heart of town, where the police-themed signs and steady stream of visitors usually make the final clue easy.

Use nearby street parking or off-street parking if available, then walk back toward the bakery entrance. From there, the directions end at the doughnut case, which is exactly where Clare intended you to stop.

Try The Bacon Squealer In The Shop

Sweet and savory can turn gimmicky fast, but the Bacon Squealer has a straightforward logic that works. It starts with an unfilled long john, then gets maple frosting and two strips of crispy bacon, a combination that reads like breakfast translated into doughnut form.

The bacon keeps it tied to the moment, which is exactly why this one cannot be shipped and is best eaten on site.

Texture matters here more than novelty. You get soft dough, slick maple sweetness, and a salty, crisp finish that keeps the whole thing from becoming one note.

I would not make it the only thing in the box, but I would absolutely make it one of the first things tasted, while the contrast between frosting and bacon still feels sharp and lively.

Save Room For Bubba’s Sweet & Spicy Doughnut

One of the oddest combinations in the case is also one of the most memorable. Bubba’s Sweet & Spicy Doughnut, named for co-owner Al “Bubba” White, begins with a cake doughnut and builds from there with creamy peanut butter frosting, Frank’s hot sauce, hot pepper flakes, and a slice of jalapeno.

On paper it sounds almost like a dare, but the flavors are arranged with more care than that.

The cake base gives it enough sturdiness to handle bold toppings, while the peanut butter softens the heat instead of fighting it. This is the doughnut to order when you want to understand the bakery’s playful side without losing the thread of actual craft.

It is distinctive, local, and far more coherent than the ingredient list first suggests.

Look Up Before You Look Down

Before the pastry case fully hijacks your attention, take a minute to notice the room. The Clare headquarters leans into police-themed decor, but it also carries the feel of a preserved local institution rather than a theme set.

Patch displays, memorabilia, merchandise, and the visual joke of the name all frame the bakery without overwhelming the fact that this is a working shop turning out fresh sweets every day.

The layout adds to the experience. There is more than one section to move through, including the bakery area and a seating space, so the stop unfolds instead of ending at the register.

That matters because Cops & Doughnuts is easiest to appreciate when the history and the food meet in the same visit: a 1896 bakery building, rescued in 2009, still lively from early morning to late evening.

Share The Pet Doughnut

The Pet Doughnut exists for the same reason roadside giants and county fair prizes exist: to make you stare first and think later. At Cops & Doughnuts, this jumbo 15-inch pastry is promoted as “The New Craze,” and the scale really is the point.

It is less a private breakfast than a table object, something that draws a small crowd before anyone decides where to cut.

That said, it works best when treated practically. Bring people, order it for the spectacle, and pair it with a few smaller items so the visit does not become only about size.

The bakery’s oversized reputation is earned across the board, but this is the clearest expression of it. If your goal is one unforgettable photo and a very literal centerpiece, the Pet Doughnut is the obvious choice.

Give The Jumbo Cookies Their Due

It is easy to walk into a place called Cops & Doughnuts and treat everything not ring-shaped as supporting cast. That would be a mistake here, because the jumbo cookies have real presence in the case and in the hand.

Varieties include oatmeal raisin date filled, chocolate chip, peanut butter, frosted sugar, and monster cookies, all baked on a scale that fits the rest of the bakery’s oversized identity.

The appeal is not only size but contrast. After heavily frosted doughnuts and filled pastries, a big cookie can feel like the calmer choice, even when it is still unmistakably indulgent.

If you are building a box for different tastes, add one or two cookies to break up the rhythm. They travel well, hold their texture, and make the bakery seem broader than its famous name first implies.

Use The Hours To Your Advantage

A bakery open from 5 AM to 10 PM every day gives you more flexibility than most destination sweet stops. That long schedule changes the strategy, especially in a town where people may be arriving on road trips, heading north, or making Clare a planned detour.

Early hours suit anyone chasing classic bakery energy, while later visits work for people who want dessert after the rest of downtown has slowed down.

The address is straightforward: 521 N McEwan St, Clare, MI 48617. Street parking can require a little patience, but there are public lots nearby, so it is worth circling once and then walking in without rushing the choice.

This place rewards a few extra minutes, because the case is broad and the rooms invite a look around before you commit to your box.

Remember The History Behind The Joke

The name is funny on purpose, but the deeper appeal comes from what was saved here. In 2009, nine local police officers bought the historic Clare City Bakery when it was close to shutting down, preserving a business that had operated continuously since 1896.

Founding officers including Greg “Ryno” Rynearson and Al “Bubba” White kept important original recipes and retained the head baker, which explains why the place feels rooted rather than freshly invented.

That background changes the taste of the visit, in the best sense. You are not only buying novelty or roadside bragging rights.

You are stepping into a bakery where community rescue became a business model, and where the joke in the branding sits on top of something sturdier: continuity, local pride, and a willingness to learn a food business in order to keep it alive.

Eat Instead Of Rushing Out

Some shops are strictly grab-and-go, but this one is better if you stay long enough to eat at least one thing on the premises. The Clare headquarters includes seating, and that changes the rhythm from transaction to stopover.

Freshness matters with many of the bakery’s biggest sellers, especially items with glaze, frosting, or bacon, and the atmosphere makes a quick sit-down feel like part of the point.

Eating there also helps with portion judgment. A half-pound paczki or fritter can look manageable in a box and much larger once it is on a plate.

I like using the table to split something oversized, compare textures, and decide what is worth taking for later. The result is a more measured order and a better chance of noticing the bakery beyond its busy front counter.

Build A Box With Range

The smartest order here usually mixes textures, sizes, and sweetness levels rather than chasing one category. Cops & Doughnuts is known for huge, frosting-forward treats, but the case is broad enough that a well-built box can feel curated instead of chaotic.

A seasonal paczki gives you richness and filling, the Felony Fritter adds apple and chew, the Bacon Squealer brings salty contrast, and a jumbo cookie rounds things out with something less glaze-driven.

That variety is especially useful if you are traveling with other people or planning leftovers. Oversized pastries can blur together when every choice leans in the same direction, while a mixed box makes the bakery’s strengths clearer.

The fun here is not only that everything is big. It is that the place offers several distinct ways to be big, playful, and still worth eating.