Garlic and herb rolls. Brian Chilson

Time flies when you’re eating good. It was just over two years ago that I first met Karen Withers of Katie Connally Confections and talked about her delicious brownies and cakes spiked with rum, bourbon and amaretto. She’s still doing those delicious spirit-soaked goodies and selling them at the Hillcrest Farmers Market, but when I ran into Karen recently at an event at P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm, she chided me for not having kept up with her bakery nearly as well as I should have. 

My only regret is that I didn’t catch up with her sooner, because she’s got some new items out now that are very tasty, and just as innovative and fresh as the brownies and cakes I fell in love with initially.

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First up, a line of rolls and breads that are simply delectable. Flavors like Garlic and Herb and Indian Curry paired with Withers’ baking skills make for pan after pan of good eating, and the curry in particular was possessed of such a lovely golden flavor and delightful fragrance that my mind immediately went to thinking about all the tasty things I could serve with it (peas and beans and cabbage, oh my).

In addition to the savory stuff, Karen has also introduced one of my favorite new baked items: the Cobbler Bar. What’s a cobbler bar? Why, nothing more than a huge square of HAND HELD COBBLER. Yes. Cobbler to go. Portable cobbler. It’s amazing. Imagine a Hostess fruit pie, only instead of the dry crust, it’s a moist layer of richly flavored, perfectly baked dough topped with caramelized sugar. Then imagine that instead of an unidentifiable center of vaguely fruit-flavored goo, each was filled with a fresh mix of cherries, blueberries or other fresh fruit. The resulting masterpiece is a Katie Connally Cobbler bar, and every flavor I’ve tried so far has been a triumph of taste.

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It’s always good to see folks use their talents to expand what they do. And when the expansion is as delicious as what Katie Connally Confections is up to, well, the world becomes a lovely place indeed.

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