The motto of The Donut Palace in Ellisville for the past 18 years has been "Where the Customer is King." Going with the desire to please more customers in the kingdom, the Palace's staffers recently added health-oriented treats. And that's after they already had added decorated cookies.

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The new wholesome treats are made from scratch, will all-natural ingredients, said Ann Mahler. She and her husband, Frank, have owned the business, building a loyal customer base for nearly two decades. "But doughnuts are still our bread and butter."

Many call The Donut Palace the 'Cheers' of the local doughnut world.

They now have gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan snack options from which to choose, many with no added sugar, said Kelly Brown, the Mahler's daughter, who joined them in the business along with her husband, Chris.

She said sugar may come from natural sources, such as dates.

Other options of the wholesome line of treats include Pumpkin Pecan Cookies (during limited periods), NutCrazy Bars, Granola Bars and Perfectly Paleo Chocolate Chips. No preservatives or additives are used.

"It's about having wholesome treats without compromising yumminess and without guilt," said Kelly.

She said they haven't been able to leverage providing a new, nutritious option for school parties and events, however, due to nut-free policies.

Inspired by childhood memories of her grandparents decorating holiday cookies and riding out thunderstorms with her father and a glass of milk, Kelly launched The Creative Cookie Kitchen portion of the business as a product extension and diversification of the bakery.

She said the customized, decorated cookies go over well for weddings, special events, sports teams, holidays, office celebrations and birthday parties. She can mimic invitations and other examples; special orders need five to seven working days.

The staff also provides pull-apart cupcake cakes, which do not require forks or knives for serving.

The Donut Palace of Ellisville opens at 3:15 a.m. daily. They offer 40-plus doughnut varieties, made fresh daily, as well as coffee, homemade muffins, cookies, brownies and pastries. They also have more room in which customers can sit down and visit, given a prior expansion.