Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth with Lancaster County Originals

If you crave a sweet treat after a meal (or any time of day), Lancaster County is chock-full of bakeries offering a wide selection of delicious treats to satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth. Many bakeries convenient to our After Eight Bed & Breakfast are family-run and known for their traditional Pennsylvania Dutch treats baked with locally sourced goods using recipes passed down from the descendants of early Germanic and Amish families who settled in the region. While you'll find many sweet options to choose from, consider these three local favorites:

Shoofly Pie. While there's some debate about its origin (which dates back to the 1700s), Lancaster County is widely recognized as the home of shoofly pie. Shoofly pie is a molasses crumb pie. It's like a coffee cake with a sweet and gooey base, referred to as a "wet bottom." (There is a "dry bottom" variety, although less predominant in this area.) Wet or dry, try shoofly pie warmed with whipped cream on top. Oh, and the name? More debate, but the most likely explanation is that when cooling out of the oven, the sweet molasses would attract flies that, you know, had to be shooed. Try a slice at Dutch Haven.

2857 Lincoln Highway E Ste A, Ronks, PA 17572
717-687-0111

Sticky Buns. You can find this sweet roll (sometimes called schnecken rolls) in pretty much any Amish market. Like shoofly pie, it dates back to the 1700s. Sticky buns use a sweet yeast dough hand-rolled into a cylinder and cut into classic spiral-shaped buns. They typically contain cinnamon. The "sticky" part of the name comes from the buttery brown sugar glaze that caramelizes when baked. The glaze typically contains nuts or raisins. Grab a cup of coffee (and lots of napkins) and enjoy this iconic Pennsylvania treat at Mr. Sticky's (closed most holidays).

501 Greenfield Rd., Lancaster, PA 17601
717-413-9229

Whoopie Pies. Not a pie, despite its name (more on that in a minute), the whoopie pie is like a sandwich made with two soft cake-like cookies with a fluffy, creamy icing between the two. Historians disagree on whether whoopie pies originated in New England (and spread south) or in Pennsylvania (and spread north). Regardless, they are one the most loved local treats. Made originally with chocolate batter and vanilla cream, you can find whoopie pies in many flavors (cake and filling). As for the name, Amish legend has it that when children would find this tasty treat in their lunch pail, they'd yell "Whoopie!" Try one at the Bird-in-Hand Bakeshop, and you'll want to shout "Whoopie" too.

542 Gibbons Rd., Bird in Hand PA, 17505
717-656-7947

Other area bakeries where you will likely find these and other sweet treats:

Lancaster Central Market
23 North Market St., Lancaster, PA 17603
717-735-6890

Sweet Legacy Gourmet
55 East Main St., Lititz, PA 17543
717-517-4413

Achenbach's Pastries
375 East Main St., Leola, PA
717-656-6671