A sugar rush at the Minnesota State Fair

Sweet Martha's Cookies. Photo by Kim Klietz.

One of the best things about living in Minnesota is the State Fair at the end of August. Every year, I look forward to gorging myself on fried food and food on a stick at the Great Minnesota Get Together. And no Fair would be complete without eating my fare share of ooey gooey sweets that taste as good as they are bad for me. Here are a few of my favorite treats at the State Fair:

Sweet Martha’s Cookies
By far my favorite sweet (and probably my favorite food) at the State Fair is Sweet Martha’s delicious and hot from the oven chocolate chip cookies. There’s just nothing better than a cone of her deliciously sweet, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside cookies with melting chocolate chips. And there’s no better way to top off a cone of cookies than a tall glass of refreshingly cool milk to wash everything down.

Caramel Apple Sundaes
No trip to the Fair is complete without stopping for a caramel apple in a dish topped with peanuts. The tart and juicy apple is topped with a generous covering of thick and gooey caramel and salty peanuts. At least with this fruity treat you can pretend you are eating something healthy.

Colonial Nut Roll Company
The salted nut roll is a newer addition on my must-have-sweets list. Each roll is handmade with gooey nugget covered with salty peanuts. It’s the perfect sweet and salty combination. The stand also sells cashew rolls and chocolate-covered nut rolls, but I like to stick with the original.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
This was the first year I tried the oven fresh cinnamon rolls in the Food Building at the Fair, and the long line was definitely worth the wait. The rolls are made fresh on site, and you can actually watch them being made. The end product is warm and soft with a crunchy outside and loads of cinnamon swirled through each roll all topped off with the perfect amount of sweet and creamy frosting.

Oven Fresh Brownies
Every year I walk by the Oven Fresh Brownie stand longing to try one of their home-baked bars, but I never have until this year. I’m definitely glad I stopped by this stand for one of their warm and fresh, dark chocolate brownies topped with rich and gooey frosting. You can also order their Turtle Brownie that is topped with caramel, hot fudge and whipped cream.

Make sure to bring a few friends with you to the Fair so you can try all of these wonderful treats, without leaving with a sugar high and a stomachache. The State Fair runs August 27 through September 7. Check out the State Fair website for more information and to search their Food Finder so you can be sure to get your fill of Fair food.