Pass the Pail

There is no fair food more beloved and more debated than the Sweet Martha cookie.

I’ve eaten more than my “fair” share at the fairgrounds this year, and I feel proud of it. To me, food is about an experience, a place, a memory. And when it comes to Sweet Martha’s cookies, the smell, the gooey chips, and the too-sweet dough just equals “State Fair” to me.

I toured the back room this week, trying to find out if there were local ingredients in the cookie. Here’s what I found out: the chips are from a Milwaukee company, the shortening is from Missouri, and “The Mix” is from Minneapolis-based Gregory’s Foods. That’s all they knew.

When I contacted Gregory’s, they told me the sugar used to make their from-scratch mix is local. Most of the white flour is from Minnesota, but some of the wheat flour is from elsewhere.

Does that do anything for you, Sweet Martha haters? How about you, hard-core foodies who complain that the cookies are gross by the time you get them home; that they’re too sweet and lack any depth of flavor. I’d love your thoughts in the comments.

As for me, I say: who cares? They’re perfect. Pass me the pail.

Check out Sweet Martha’s on Facebook at facebook.com/sweetmarthas, Twitter @sweetmarthas, and their website at sweetmarthas.com. Then, swing by the iconic blue-and-yellow cookie house at the State Fair this weekend, grab a bucket, and see for yourself why so many people are sweet on Sweet Martha’s (1791 Dan Patch Ave., on the corner of Dan Patch Ave. and Nelson St.).