A Sweet Road Trip
Find all kinds of sweets on the trail! Tartlets and macaroons from Tin Man Sweets Bake Shoppe, chocolates from Wendereusz’s Candy and More, donuts from Peace, Love and Little Donuts, bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes, and candies from Baldinger’s Candy.
We’ve all been taught, growing up, that eating dessert first is wrong. It's akin to keeping your elbows off the table – finish your dinner, my mom would say, then you can have something sweet.
On the Butler County Sweet Tooth Trail, dessert always comes first. In fact, there’s no dinner at all. The self-guided trail takes you through all of the county's sweet spots with a passport – available for pick up at any participating shop or the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau – as your map. Visit all the tour stops and fill up your passport with a special symbol from each location. When full, take it back to the bureau to claim a prize and be entered into the grand prize drawing. It’s the sweetest way to get out and explore the neighborhood. Your taste buds will thank you!
Hit the road and explore the county through its sweets, from ice cream shops and local bakeries to candy stores. The trail, as they say, will make you “feel like a kid again…” as long as you keep your elbows off the dinner table.
Our advice? Break up the trail with lunch at the Chop Shop on Butler’s Main Street. Fend off the sugar crash with a Reuben or seitan shawarma! We also loved The Harmony Inn on Mercer Street in Harmony, whose sandwiches and diverse beer list are sure to please.
To get you started, here are the spots we visited on a trip down the trail:
Peace, Love, and Little Donuts
Pint-sized donuts are the shop's specialty. Find them in flavors like apple pie, birthday cake, chocolate chip cookie dough, and much, much more.
Find everything you need (and more!) inside the pastry cases at Tin Man Sweets Bake Shoppe, from tartlets and eclairs to cakes, chocolates, and cupcakes. The bakery has one goal – make everything taste as good as it looks. We can assure you, it does!
Take a step back in time at Baldinger’s, an old-school candy shop. Stop inside to see their famous, 19th-Century cash register and grab a bag of hard-to-find candies, like anise squares and wax lips.
Using recipes that have been passed through generations, Wendereusz’s crafts artisan, delicious chocolates. Find them in all kinds of shapes and flavors! We’re fans of their famous turtles, made with pecans and caramel, traditional cherry cordials, and long list of filled truffles.
Bundt cakes are the stars of this Cranberry Township bakery. 10 flavors – red velvet and chocolate chocolate chip are two of the fan favorites – make up their menu of mini Bundtlets and bite-sized Bunitinis, every one finished off with their signature cream cheese icing.
STORY BY MAGGIE WEAVER/ PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE/ STYLING BY KEITH RECKER
12 Month - 6 issue subscription
Indulge in the taste spring with this delicious Cherry Galette