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 Butler County Sweet Tooth 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:
Butler Donut Connection
Indulge in a classic donut, paired with a fresh cup of coffee.
P&B’s Sweets and Eats
Find everything you need (and more!) inside the pastry cases at P&B’s Sweets and Eats, made fresh on the premises every day. The bakery has one goal – make everything taste as good as it looks. We can assure you, it does!
Baldinger’s Candy
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.
Legendary Neff Haus Ice Cream
You can’t spell sweet treats without ice cream. Well, maybe you can, but the locally-sourced frozen desserts found here are not to be missed.
Nothing Bundt Cakes
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
