Baked Goods/Family Fare

This is another of my findings driven by the legendary Eau Claire Foodies Facebook group. If you’re not a member, here’s one of the regular types of posts: Where can I find the best _______ around the area? Those are fairly informative — you sort of get a pulse/consensus of what is broadly favored, or what has a passionate fan base (though the fish fry ones…good luck gleaning a “best” one).

When people ask about sweet baked goods, like donuts and long johns, one place that keeps appearing in the comments is Family Fare in Chippewa Falls. Folks rave about the quality. OK, I had to see what it was all about. See this:

The location mentioned specifically was the downtown spot. And, yes, the shelves are stocked with brightly colored toppings of all sorts on the donuts and long johns. I picked a couple: a yeast donut with small marshmallows on top, s’mores-style (see above); and the “Tricky Twix” Bismark with all sorts of Twix pieces and drizzle (see below).

As promoted in the comments sections of those posts, these are some of the best types you’ll find. The actual dough is tasty and fresh; the Bavarian creme exactly as you would want it to be, and not overwhelming. Speaking of a lack of overload: those toppings were just right. You got the marshmallow or Twix tastes in a layer that didn’t subsume the donut to just being a carrier. It’s really how a gourmet topping should be; you get to enjoy all the aspects of these baked goods.

Since my wife is more of a cake donut fan — as is my daughter — I picked up a six-pack of those for them, and they’ll get to taste for themselves why Family Fare got so many mentions in Eau Claire Foodies. Give that case of donuts (and a lot of other types of baked goods) a look-over…and I dare you to choose *only* two.